City asks input in Dollars and Sense survey

The city of McMinnville’s Dollars and Sense polling program is live and ready for community members to share input on what to do with the remaining $1.50 tax authority resulting from the departure of the fire department this year.

“The creation of the new McMinnville Fire District will allow city funds that were formerly used for fire and emergency services to be reallocated to the general fund,” the city posted on its iheartmac.org website. “That’s why we’re seeking to identify residents’ top priorities and looking for ways the city may focus on improvements.”

Users can select and rank a wide range of programs and services to potentially improve, including investing in deferred maintenance, replacing equipment and technology and maintaining or raising levels of service for city departments.

The public can also vote to do nothing with the funds, which would lower property taxes.

The city will gather information throughout the summer, and staff will report the results in September. The budget committee will start preparation for fiscal year 2024-25 this fall, according to City Manager Jeff Towery.

The Dollars and Sense poll can be found on the home page of iheartmac.org.