MADRAS, OR -- Jefferson County officials are finalizing plans to mitigate the financial damage done by Portland General Electric's $1.8 million property tax overpayment. 

"My 16 years here, I've never seen anything like this," County Commissioner Wayne Fording said Wednesday, "I mean, we have seen overpayments but in smaller tax accounts, not the biggest taxpayer in the county." But, he believes PGE is trying to be a good partner by waiving interest and offering a $500,000 grant to help offset the repayment demand. That still leaves about $1.2 million due, an amount the taxing districts will collectively lose when PGE pays its 2024 property tax bill this fall. 

Joe Costigan, with the Crooked River Ranch Fire District, joined others in asking the county to help the smallest taxing districts cover their portion of the debt, "Ultimately, what we're asking you to do is help us out, be innovative in how we deal with this, reduce that tax load."

Commissioner Mark Wunsch proposed Wednesday using leftover federal COVID-relief money, known as ARPA, to cover the rest of the amount owed by those districts, saying, "The need for the small districts that had no to little benefit out of it, of at least making them whole." The board unanimously agreed, noting the specific amount hasn't been finalized. Commissioner Fording said, "Yes, there was a mistake, but who do we point it at? I think we're getting to the bottom of it, and I feel good about helping these smaller taxing districts become whole."

Despite not receiving the additional help from the ARPA funds, Jefferson County Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Blake told Commissioner he agrees with the plan and is happy everyone is working together, "We are Jefferson County. We're all the smaller cities and the smaller areas around. We don't have a lot. I came from a place that had a lot, and we have to work extra hard."

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire officials say their district is lucky, it'll be able to absorb what it owes, "But in any other county in Oregon, if another situation happens like this, some districts could potentially be losing personnel." They asked Commissioners to work with the Legislature to change the state law that mandates overpayments be repayed by all taxing districts in the county, even those that didn't benefit from the original payment. "If we're working off of a Revised Statute from '74, that needs to be re-addressed. They have the technology now to be able to tell what taxing districts are receiving money from properties. It's not like it was back then." Others asked for the Department of Revenue to be held accountable for allowing such a miscalculation to be processed.