Park closures and the Community Services and Parks Fee referendum
Summary
The budget proposes a new $11.50/month community services fee and $8.15/month parks fee, recommended by a citizen committee, to keep the library, museum and parks open. Staff said without the fee, departments can't be staffed and doors would close. Residents at the hearing broadly supported paying for these services.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 13
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 2 meetings in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 15, 2026.
Impact analysis
New fees would cost households about $19.65 a month combined, while the public safety fee drops from $17 to $10.
Library, museum and parks users — and really anyone who values Independence's small-town feel.
Households on tight budgets facing another monthly fee during a period of rising costs.
Mentions & discussions (13)
Parks Board - Oct 15, 2026
Parks remain closed ahead of the November referendum on the parks fee, with only minimum maintenance and some areas open under grants or agreements. The board wants the council to find a way to reopen parks no matter how the vote goes.
Library Board - Sep 28, 2026
The fee passed by the council has qualified for the November ballot through a citizen petition, and a Vote Yes PAC has formed. The library board and staff must stay neutral and information-only, though members can advocate as private citizens.
City Council - Aug 25, 2026
Councilor Roden pressed on the $41,000 monthly park cost and noted the sports park's exercise stations are damaged and overgrown with no maintenance in about a year. Staff said this year's budget had included repair money from fee revenue that now can't be spent.
‘Quite devastating’: This Oregon town shut down its parks to save money
‘Quite devastating’: This Oregon town shut down its parks to save money KOIN.com
City Council - Aug 11, 2026
A roughly $200-a-year fee on water bills to keep the library, parks, and museum on 'life support' was referred to the November ballot. Critics called it an end-run around the failed 2024 levy; supporters said it's far cheaper than the $600-a-year levy would have been.
City Council - Jul 28, 2026
A petition challenging the fee ordinance has been forwarded to the county for signature certification, expected within one and a half to two weeks. If enough signatures are certified, the referendum goes to the ballot and closure planning becomes reality; if not, the fee is implemented and operations continue as planned.
City Council - Jun 23, 2026
If opponents gather enough signatures, the fee gets suspended right away — not at the November election — closing the museum and parks and starting a months-long statutory process to close the library. Staff estimated the city could spend about $650,000 while losing the $948,000 fee revenue.
Museum Advisory Board - Jun 10, 2026
After the parks/library/museum levy failed, the city is moving to a flat fee. On a $400,000 home the levy would have cost $638 a year versus $236 for the fee, and the fee applies to all addresses while the levy only hit property owners. Board members worry the museum could close if the fee doesn't pass.
Budget Committee - May 6, 2026
The central fight of this budget: whether to fund the library, parks and museum through a fee added to utility bills after voters rejected a levy last year. Supporters say the fee is cheaper 'life support' that everyone pays into; opponents call it an end-run around the voters' no vote and say struggling families can't afford more on already-high water bills.
Budget Committee - Apr 29, 2026
The city is proposing an $11.50 community services fee and an $8.15 parks fee per household to keep the library, museum and parks operating after a levy failure. The public safety fee drops from $17 to $10 on July 1, so the net hit is about $12.65 per household. Residents who spoke overwhelmingly supported the fees as a way to save the three services.
Budget Committee - Apr 22, 2026
The budget proposes a new $11.50/month community services fee and $8.15/month parks fee, recommended by a citizen committee, to keep the library, museum and parks open. Staff said without the fee, departments can't be staffed and doors would close. Residents at the hearing broadly supported paying for these services.
Museum Advisory Board - Mar 11, 2026
Board members are working with community committees and Friends of Community Parks, encouraging residents to show up and give public comment on how library, museum, and park services get funded.
City Council - Jan 27, 2026
A citizen committee recommends a $29.65 monthly utility fee (including the existing $10 public safety fee) starting in 2026-27 to keep the library, parks, and museum at current service levels. Councilors split — some said voters rejected the levy and this bypasses them; others argued the alternative is losing these services entirely.
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
The weekly brief for Independence
What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.
Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.