CROOKED RIVER RANCH, OR -- Jefferson County is still trying to figure out how to handle a $1.8 million property tax overpayment made last year by Portland General Electric. It was caused by a calculation error related to the utility's Round Butte hydro plant (pictured).

Joe Costigan is the Treasurer for the Crooked River Ranch Rural Fire Protection District board, "From the best that we can determine, we received no financial benefit from the PGE taxes that were paid for the 2023-2024 fiscal year." CRRRFPD's budget comes mostly from bonds and levies paid by people living in the Ranch, "By in large, we get about $1.2 million in taxpayer money." He says some funds also come from user fees, like for ambulance service. But none of its budget is from county coffers.

Despite not receiving any of the PGE money, Costigan says the county has asked for help recouping the funds, "It's between $55 and $56,000 that they are asking Crooked River Ranch Fire to pay back to the county." He believes a 1974 court ruling should be revisited. It says large discrepancies can be spread across all taxing districts, even those that didn't benefit, "And that was back when taxes were done manually, on cue cards and carbon paper, and they didn't have the benefit of spreadsheets and computers and everything else."

Costigan says, "We have been very good stewards of the public's money. We do have reserves for emergencies. We can pay this. But when we pay that, that means it affects other line items that we may not be able to do."

PGE has invited representatives from the county and the taxing districts to a meeting later this week. "We're optimistic that there's going to be - maybe not the end resolution, but certainly that meeting will help move toward lessening the impact," says Costigan.