Public Safety Funding

Most residents are surprised to learn that property tax revenue does not cover 100% of police and fire rescue services.

To provide essential programs and services for our community, your city relies on a variety of supplemental funding sources:

• a public safety levy
• state-shared revenues
• franchise fees
• state and federal grants
• lodging tax
• private donations
• other non-property tax resources

Every City employee understands the need to be good stewards of the City’s precious resources, and they work every day to optimize these resources, but that's not enough to close the funding gap; the City must now seek an additional revenue stream to maintain adequate public safety.

After evaluating potential revenue sources, the Grants Pass City Council directed staff to further explore the most viable option for providing this much-needed funding: a Public Safety Utility Fee. For the different options considered, please see “How did we get here?"

The Public Safety Utility Fee could be a vital funding source that will provide continuity of service and add to the organization's financial stability, helping balance the community's desire for programs and the need for services.