A second look at the Independence budget along with a comparison of Monmouth's budget
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
The cities of Independence and Monmouth will begin the fiscal year in July with roughly the same proposed appropriation of funds – about $52 million – but for Monmouth the sum represents a decrease from last year by more than 13% and for Independence it increases the budget by a third over last year.
The final budget for Independence lists an amount of nearly $54 million, which represents a total budget of $53,970,302, including an unappropriated ending balance of $2,066,635, and the appropriations for 2024-2025 fiscal year of $51,903,667.
An analysis by Trammart News of a comparison between the two cities shows that Monmouth is positioned to cut costs by trimming personnel and non-essential services; In contrast, Independence is embarking on several capital projects, including a $50 million water treatment facility that is requiring eminent domain to obtain the needed property south of town.
Though Mayor John McArdle has stressed that many Oregon cities are adding a public service fee to shore up tight budgets, Monmouth hasn’t done so; In Dallas, that city’s public service fee has been a part of past budgeting, to help support the Dallas Fire and EMS department, as well as the police force.
The Dallas fee reportedly will rise from $4.95 to $12.50 per month. The public service fee in Independence is $20 and is scheduled to begin in January.
In Monmouth, the total approved budget for all funds for the coming fiscal year is $51,525,867, a 13.59 percent decrease over the previous year’s budget. “The City of Monmouth is able to maintain fiscal stability this year with some recommended reductions in both workforce and capital expenses,” as well as the use of remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, according to the budget document submitted to the Monmouth City Council.
To achieve a balanced budget, Monmouth has instituted some shrinkage, including loss of the assistant city manager, said Sabra Jewell, the city’s communications coordinator. In contrast, an assistant city manager is listed as one of Independence’s future needs in the initial proposed budget by the city. “Independence is one of the few cities of our size that does not have an Assistant City Manager or an Assistant to the City Manager,” according to the Independence summation of a current position deficits. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
The cities of Independence and Monmouth will begin the fiscal year in July with roughly the same proposed appropriation of funds – about $52 million – but for Monmouth the sum represents a decrease from last year by more than 13% and for Independence it increases the budget by a third over last year.
The final budget for Independence lists an amount of nearly $54 million, which represents a total budget of $53,970,302, including an unappropriated ending balance of $2,066,635, and the appropriations for 2024-2025 fiscal year of $51,903,667.
An analysis by Trammart News of a comparison between the two cities shows that Monmouth is positioned to cut costs by trimming personnel and non-essential services; In contrast, Independence is embarking on several capital projects, including a $50 million water treatment facility that is requiring eminent domain to obtain the needed property south of town.
Though Mayor John McArdle has stressed that many Oregon cities are adding a public service fee to shore up tight budgets, Monmouth hasn’t done so; In Dallas, that city’s public service fee has been a part of past budgeting, to help support the Dallas Fire and EMS department, as well as the police force.
The Dallas fee reportedly will rise from $4.95 to $12.50 per month. The public service fee in Independence is $20 and is scheduled to begin in January.
In Monmouth, the total approved budget for all funds for the coming fiscal year is $51,525,867, a 13.59 percent decrease over the previous year’s budget. “The City of Monmouth is able to maintain fiscal stability this year with some recommended reductions in both workforce and capital expenses,” as well as the use of remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, according to the budget document submitted to the Monmouth City Council.
To achieve a balanced budget, Monmouth has instituted some shrinkage, including loss of the assistant city manager, said Sabra Jewell, the city’s communications coordinator. In contrast, an assistant city manager is listed as one of Independence’s future needs in the initial proposed budget by the city. “Independence is one of the few cities of our size that does not have an Assistant City Manager or an Assistant to the City Manager,” according to the Independence summation of a current position deficits. ▪
An analysis of the water treatment plant and a report on the unfolding legal battle
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
The owners don’t want to sell, and the original plans recommend only a four-acre site, but Independence is pushing forward to acquire approximately 10 acres south of the city off Corvallis Road for a new water treatment plant.
In a claim filed with Polk County courts, the city has requested a jury trial to decide the outcome against the Jones Family Trust, which owns the land and has declined the city’s offer. Using a deposit of $180,000 for the proposed action, Independence appears to be relying on the process of eminent domain to obtain the land, which was described in the legal document as “farm land and no person resides upon the subject property.”
The parcel for the treatment plant is more than twice the size noted in the 2023 Water Master Plan, often referenced by Independence Public Works Director Gerald Fisher as providing essential guidance for the facility.
Fisher was queried about the proposed plant, but he has been out of the office and isn’t expected to return until next week. Repeated requests for clarification of questions surrounding the water treatment plant, at an estimated cost of $50 million, went unanswered by the city’s communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea.
However, in a memo distributed in a recent city council agenda packet, City Manager Kenna West noted that “every other possible location was determined infeasible for one reason or another.”
There was a discussion of locating on land owned by the City of Monmouth, “but in early discussions Monmouth city staff advised that they have plans for that land that do not include utilization for a water treatment facility,” West stated.
She also discussed plans for the proposed water treatment location, such as a new public-works complex and a helicopter pad. Space for use by the Independence Police Department has also been discussed, due to storage needs. All plans are in flux, but the helicopter pad has been dropped as a possibility.
“In order to become eligible for $1 million in funds, the city could build an emergency helicopter landing site for supplies to be dropped off at the secure water treatment plant facility to then
be disbursed to the community in the event of a disaster such as ‘Cascadia,’” according to the city manager.
City public works has reported there are more than 20 projects underway, to bring the city’s infrastructure into alignment with the community’s current and future needs. The water treatment plant is in the pre-design phase, according to the city. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
The owners don’t want to sell, and the original plans recommend only a four-acre site, but Independence is pushing forward to acquire approximately 10 acres south of the city off Corvallis Road for a new water treatment plant.
In a claim filed with Polk County courts, the city has requested a jury trial to decide the outcome against the Jones Family Trust, which owns the land and has declined the city’s offer. Using a deposit of $180,000 for the proposed action, Independence appears to be relying on the process of eminent domain to obtain the land, which was described in the legal document as “farm land and no person resides upon the subject property.”
The parcel for the treatment plant is more than twice the size noted in the 2023 Water Master Plan, often referenced by Independence Public Works Director Gerald Fisher as providing essential guidance for the facility.
Fisher was queried about the proposed plant, but he has been out of the office and isn’t expected to return until next week. Repeated requests for clarification of questions surrounding the water treatment plant, at an estimated cost of $50 million, went unanswered by the city’s communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea.
However, in a memo distributed in a recent city council agenda packet, City Manager Kenna West noted that “every other possible location was determined infeasible for one reason or another.”
There was a discussion of locating on land owned by the City of Monmouth, “but in early discussions Monmouth city staff advised that they have plans for that land that do not include utilization for a water treatment facility,” West stated.
She also discussed plans for the proposed water treatment location, such as a new public-works complex and a helicopter pad. Space for use by the Independence Police Department has also been discussed, due to storage needs. All plans are in flux, but the helicopter pad has been dropped as a possibility.
“In order to become eligible for $1 million in funds, the city could build an emergency helicopter landing site for supplies to be dropped off at the secure water treatment plant facility to then
be disbursed to the community in the event of a disaster such as ‘Cascadia,’” according to the city manager.
City public works has reported there are more than 20 projects underway, to bring the city’s infrastructure into alignment with the community’s current and future needs. The water treatment plant is in the pre-design phase, according to the city. ▪
The M-I Chamber of Commerce faces new challenges in its third year after covidBy Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
Three years into the job as executive director of the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce, Nicki Marazzani has an impressive Visitor’s Center, more visibility via a reader board, and a whole new set of chamber creations, from a restaurant tour to a Turkey Trot.
What she hasn’t got is revenue. But she isn’t simply worried about the present plight of the chamber – it’s the current strain on businesses that is giving her huge concern.
With budget woes, the visitor’s center she strived to build, which fronts Highway 99, is without tourist dollars of financial support from Independence, which has been growing tourism in the past several years. Those dollars go into the city’s general budget so, unlike most visitor’s centers in the state, the M-I Chamber of Commerce is missing out on that money.
But local businesses are a source of anxiety, too. It’s been "tough times" for small businesses in both cities, she stressed. After rapid growth when she came aboard, she fears the chamber membership may drop by about a third over the next year. "We're not doing great," she said, noting that “when our members struggle, we struggle.”
For example, about half of the eligible businesses don't belong to the chamber now, Marazzani noted. “As a nonprofit, every dollar helps us do our job, so it means we need to focus on more grants and business support to help drive tourism and community spending to our area,” she said.
Generally, the business community is reporting a 20-30% plunge in revenue since pre-covid, she pointed out. Costs of producing and providing service have gone up – supply prices have escalated, along with delays in supply-chain delivery.
"How do you keep it affordable for our community?" she asked. One strategy: Merchants and vendors are starting to look at what hours they have to be open -- and that’s leaving some days with fewer of them to visit. “That is going to make it extra hard to drive business to our communities during the beautiful summer months,” she predicted.
Additionally, rents for commercial space have risen. "Empty buildings do no good for anybody," she said. Business turnover is brisk, at times – many have had closures or sales of the business three-to-five years post-opening.
In Independence, this has been reflected in changing management or ownership, such as The Territory at Independence Hotel and Independence Ice Cream, and closures ranging from Urban 53 to Brarlin Café.
Independence has the added disadvantage of a large, unfinished structure downtown – called "Stonehenge" by locals due to its concrete pillars – that's a remnant of a plan nearly two decades ago for a mixed-use energy-efficient condominium complex at the site.
However, there is a lot to be proud of, as well, Marazzani said. There appear to be more eating spots – restaurants and food trucks – per capita than any place else in the Mid-Willamette Valley. So, we added a restaurant tour in August. Businesses also, with the aid of the chamber, have found innovative ways to boost customers and stay the course, such as helping each other beat back the mental strain by finding times for meetups, such as Thirsty Thursdays put on by the chamber.
There have been mutual "buzz creations," too, she said, such as pop-up holiday markets by the Little Mall on Main. "Mutual support is really important, and (social media) shout-outs for another business really helps," she stressed.
Even with the challenges, Marazzani said she wakes up every morning to the thought: "What new thing can I do for the businesses?"
"I love my job, really love it," she said. ▪
Trammart News Service
Three years into the job as executive director of the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce, Nicki Marazzani has an impressive Visitor’s Center, more visibility via a reader board, and a whole new set of chamber creations, from a restaurant tour to a Turkey Trot.
What she hasn’t got is revenue. But she isn’t simply worried about the present plight of the chamber – it’s the current strain on businesses that is giving her huge concern.
With budget woes, the visitor’s center she strived to build, which fronts Highway 99, is without tourist dollars of financial support from Independence, which has been growing tourism in the past several years. Those dollars go into the city’s general budget so, unlike most visitor’s centers in the state, the M-I Chamber of Commerce is missing out on that money.
But local businesses are a source of anxiety, too. It’s been "tough times" for small businesses in both cities, she stressed. After rapid growth when she came aboard, she fears the chamber membership may drop by about a third over the next year. "We're not doing great," she said, noting that “when our members struggle, we struggle.”
For example, about half of the eligible businesses don't belong to the chamber now, Marazzani noted. “As a nonprofit, every dollar helps us do our job, so it means we need to focus on more grants and business support to help drive tourism and community spending to our area,” she said.
Generally, the business community is reporting a 20-30% plunge in revenue since pre-covid, she pointed out. Costs of producing and providing service have gone up – supply prices have escalated, along with delays in supply-chain delivery.
"How do you keep it affordable for our community?" she asked. One strategy: Merchants and vendors are starting to look at what hours they have to be open -- and that’s leaving some days with fewer of them to visit. “That is going to make it extra hard to drive business to our communities during the beautiful summer months,” she predicted.
Additionally, rents for commercial space have risen. "Empty buildings do no good for anybody," she said. Business turnover is brisk, at times – many have had closures or sales of the business three-to-five years post-opening.
In Independence, this has been reflected in changing management or ownership, such as The Territory at Independence Hotel and Independence Ice Cream, and closures ranging from Urban 53 to Brarlin Café.
Independence has the added disadvantage of a large, unfinished structure downtown – called "Stonehenge" by locals due to its concrete pillars – that's a remnant of a plan nearly two decades ago for a mixed-use energy-efficient condominium complex at the site.
However, there is a lot to be proud of, as well, Marazzani said. There appear to be more eating spots – restaurants and food trucks – per capita than any place else in the Mid-Willamette Valley. So, we added a restaurant tour in August. Businesses also, with the aid of the chamber, have found innovative ways to boost customers and stay the course, such as helping each other beat back the mental strain by finding times for meetups, such as Thirsty Thursdays put on by the chamber.
There have been mutual "buzz creations," too, she said, such as pop-up holiday markets by the Little Mall on Main. "Mutual support is really important, and (social media) shout-outs for another business really helps," she stressed.
Even with the challenges, Marazzani said she wakes up every morning to the thought: "What new thing can I do for the businesses?"
"I love my job, really love it," she said. ▪
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