Polk County taps voters for property tax increase to maintain aging fairgrounds

The weight of time and gravity has the roughly 72-year-old Polk County Fairgrounds & Events Center crumbling, but Polk County voters in May will have a chance to pass a property tax increase to help bring the facilities back up to date. 

If voters approve, the five-year levy would cost homeowners 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Tax rates are based on a home’s assessed value, which is typically about half of its market value.

According to reports from the Polk County Board of Commissioners the levy would cost a homeowner with a home assessed at $300,000 roughly $45 extra a year. If passed, the levy is estimated to generate about $1.2 million in 2025. 

The measure would help pay for operations, maintenance, and some upgrades and renovations at the fairgrounds, which are located at 520 South Pacific Highway W. in Rickreall. 

It would also pay for a new HVAC system in the main building and an upgrade to its 1950s era electrical system, to update old and unsightly asphalt and sidewalks, and to develop the amphitheater and stage at the northeast corner of the property, among other projects. 

The money would pay for the construction of a new main office where the maintenance shed is currently located, according to the county report. 

“The floor needs some help and the outside needs to look like a decent building that someone would want to rent. The older it gets the harder it gets to keep up,” Fairgrounds Manager Tina Andersen said.

The measure is one of three property tax asks West Salem residents will see on their May ballots. The city of Salem is seeking a property tax increase to close a budget deficit and avoid deep cuts to city services like the library and parks, while Chemeketa Community College leaders are hoping voters will renew existing taxes to fund about $140 million college construction projects.

Andersen said last year the fairgrounds hosted 614 events and said that something goes on on the property pretty much every day.

“We are the hub of our community. We are right in the middle of our community, so much stuff happens here,” she said.

Andersen said the last time the fairgrounds saw any major updates was in 1995 when Building C was built. She said a couple of years ago Building C got new bathrooms thanks to a grant, but that’s about it. 

Getting the levy passed could be the difference between continuing to rent the space out at reasonable rates or eventually having to shutter it. 

“Right now we are struggling to keep our doors open because we try not to be overpriced. Unfortunately we may have to change that if we can’t get the levy passed. But it is without a doubt an operating levy. It is for the fairgrounds itself,” Andersen said. “I know that there have been other entities that have done the same thing and then gave everybody a big bonus and raise and then went back for more money. That is not what we are doing here. I promise … this is about taking the fairgrounds to the next level so we can continue to operate as the years go on.” 

Andersen said one of the big concerns is that the fairgrounds serve as a critical emergency center during wildfires and other natural disasters, and is a reunification point for area schools in the case of emergencies. 

She said passing the levy will help bring things up to date opening up opportunities for future expansions. In the levy’s fifth year, she said voters will be asked to approve it again. 

“We have put together our future plan for the fairgrounds, but in order to get there, these are the things that have to be done for us to keep our doors open and to be able to continue to rent,” Andersen said. 

Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope said given current property tax rates in Oregon it is hard to keep up with funding for basic county services let alone the fairgrounds. He said the Polk County fairgrounds only get about $56,000 a year from the state. 

“Obviously that won’t even pay custodial staff. That is just a sense of the deficit that county fair and expo centers operate under,” Pope said. “In Polk County we have been doing our best over decades and decades trying to maintain the facility and keep at least a skeleton staff that can operate that with assistance from the county’s general fund. That gets harder and harder every year.” 

Pope said he considers the fairgrounds as part of the county’s infrastructure and said if the county’s roads needed upgrades the county would go out for a bond. This is no different, he said. 

“We don’t have the money to pay for things out of the general fund. Again, reminding people that our county property tax rate is at $1.71 per $1,000,” Pope said. “That’s what we collect. That has to pay for everything we do in public safety and general services.” 

Pope said it would be easy for the public to hold the county accountable for the levy dollars given the constraints and would avoid the likelihood of problems down the line. 

“Because as (state pension) and labor charges, etcetera continue to mount on county government, without additional revenues we have to make cuts in the future, and the fairgrounds will be a target,” Pope said. “Just like many other things. We can’t continue to put money into that facility in lieu of police and our corrections teams.”

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.

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