Why Our Parks Are Closing—and What Comes Next
Today, Riverview Park closed because the City no longer has sufficient funding to operate and maintain it (and will include additional parks, our Museum, and our Library).
That sentence is painful to write. Riverview Park is one of the places that defines Independence. It is where we gather for celebrations, walk along the river, bring our children to play and welcome visitors into our community. Closing it is not something I—or anyone at the City—wanted.
I understand why people are angry, frustrated and confused. I have seen the comments asking how this could happen, why more wasn’t done and why residents didn’t know it was coming.
This did not happen overnight
For several years, Independence has faced a widening gap between the ongoing revenue available in the General Fund and the cost of providing basic city services.
The General Fund pays for many of the services residents see and use every day, including police, parks, the library, the museum and general city operations.
The challenge is that the cost of delivering those services continues to rise—insurance, utilities, fuel, materials, maintenance and employee costs—while the City’s primary sources of revenue are not growing at the same rate.
That is not unique to Independence.
Oregon’s property tax system, shaped by Measures 5 and 50, limits the amount of property tax local governments can collect and generally limits annual growth in assessed value to 3%, regardless of what happens to the actual cost of providing services. The League of Oregon Cities reports that communities across the state are increasingly being forced to reduce spending, impose fees or eliminate services because their revenue cannot keep pace with expenses.
In Independence, only about 28 cents of every property-tax dollar paid by residents comes to the City. The rest supports schools, Polk County, the fire district and other local agencies. The portion received by the City does not cover the cost of the services currently provided.
This does not mean we should simply accept the situation. It does mean we need to understand the system we are working within if we want to find responsible solutions.
We have looked at the budget—and made significant cuts
I want to address one of the claims I have seen repeatedly: that the City has not seriously reviewed its budget, looked for savings or considered alternatives.
That is simply not accurate.
Since 2023, the City has eliminated or left vacant 11 positions. Service levels have been reduced across multiple departments. Library hours were cut. City Hall closed on Fridays. The Library and Museum were combined into one Community Services Department. Plans were made to sell the Museum building and at least one park. The City stopped producing Independence Days and helped transition it to a community organization.
Staff have examined departments, staffing, facilities, debt, contracts and service levels. The City has pursued early debt repayment where possible, including a plan expected to save approximately $110,000 in interest. Council and the community Budget Committee have spent many hours reviewing the budget, asking questions and considering options.
These steps reduced expenses. They did not eliminate the underlying gap.
It is reasonable to scrutinize city spending. It is reasonable to question priorities and ask whether another option exists. We welcome that accountability.
But there is an important difference between asking hard questions and assuming no one has done the work. We have asked those questions. We have reviewed the numbers. We have considered cuts, consolidations, property sales, staffing reductions, partnerships and new revenue.
The difficult truth is that no single administrative cut, efficiency or vacant position produces enough money to maintain all of the services our community expects.
Why can’t the City just move money from somewhere else?
A city budget is not one large checking account.
Water, sewer and stormwater charges are accounted for in separate enterprise funds and must support those utility systems. Transportation money is restricted to eligible transportation uses. Grants must be spent on the projects for which they were awarded.
A grant may help build a trail, improve a playground or complete an infrastructure project. It generally cannot be redirected to pay for ongoing park maintenance, staffing, restroom cleaning or library operations.
Having money somewhere in the overall city budget does not mean that money is legally or responsibly available for parks, the library or the museum.
This distinction is one of the most confusing parts of municipal budgeting, but it is essential to understanding how we arrived here.
The plan to keep these services open
After the failure of the 2024 levy, a committee made up entirely of community members studied the long-term sustainability of the Library, Museum and Parks.
Based on that work, the City Council adopted a Community Services and Parks Fee as part of the 2026–27 budget. The fee included:
$11.50 per month for library and museum services
$8.15 per month for parks, trails and restrooms
At the same time, the existing Public Safety Fee was reduced by $7 per month, making the net monthly increase $12.65.
The money from the new fee was dedicated specifically to Community Services and Parks. It could not be used for unrelated city expenses. The parks portion was projected to provide approximately $390,300 for park operations and maintenance.
The fee was not chosen because it was easy or popular. It was chosen after cuts had already been made and because it offered a dedicated way to keep these services operating.
The adopted City budget relied on that revenue.
With collection of the fee now halted while the referendum moves forward, the City cannot spend money it does not have. The loss of that budgeted revenue has real and immediate consequences. Riverview Park’s closure is one of them.
This is not intended to punish the community or frighten voters. It is the practical result of removing the revenue that was budgeted to operate the service.
“Why didn’t I know?”
The budget challenge, proposed fee and possibility of closures have been discussed through public meetings, budget hearings, council meetings, newsletters, videos, website materials and social media updates.
But I also recognize something important: information being available does not necessarily mean it has reached everyone.
Most people are busy living their lives. They are working, raising families and managing responsibilities. They may not watch council meetings or follow the annual budget process. When the consequence finally reaches a place they use and love, it can feel sudden—even when the public discussion has been happening for months.
We can always work to communicate more clearly, more frequently and through more channels. I take that responsibility seriously. Residents also have a role in staying connected before a decision reaches the crisis stage. One of the easiest ways to do that is to subscribe to the City’s River City Briefs, a free email newsletter delivered every other week. It includes budget information, meeting notices, city projects and other updates that may not appear in your regular social media feed.
You can subscribe to the City newsletter here.
You can also review the City’s Community Services and Parks Fee information and financial FAQs, including explanations of property taxes, restricted funds and the steps already taken to reduce spending.
What happens now?
We will continue looking for efficiencies and responsible savings. We will continue examining partnerships, appropriate grant opportunities, debt reductions and longer-term revenue options. We will continue providing information and answering questions as the referendum process moves forward.
We will also continue advocating for a broader conversation about how Oregon funds local government. Independence is not the only city facing this problem. According to the League of Oregon Cities, costs are outpacing revenue growth across the state, while communities are seeing greater demand for services. This is a structural problem that will require local discipline as well as state-level reform.
There may be people who believe we should make different choices within the limited resources available. That is a legitimate community conversation.
What is not realistic is the idea that we can remove nearly $1 million in dedicated revenue, preserve every service at its current level and balance the budget through unspecified “efficiencies.” Every alternative has a consequence. Responsible leadership requires us to state those consequences honestly, even when the news is deeply unpopular.
I still believe in our community
This is an incredibly difficult moment, but it does not change what I believe about Independence.
We are a community that cares deeply about our parks, library, museum and public spaces. The intensity of the reaction to this closure is evidence of how much these places matter.
Now we need to turn that concern into informed participation.
Read the information. Ask specific questions. Attend meetings. Subscribe to the newsletter. Share ideas—and be willing to examine the numbers and tradeoffs behind them. Hold your elected leaders accountable, but also allow room for difficult facts and honest answers.
There is no single cut, fee, grant or development project that will solve every challenge before us. The path forward will require consistent, responsible decisions; better public understanding; and a community willing to work through hard choices together.
Our community services are a big part of who we are. I remain committed to doing everything responsibly possible to reach a point when things can reopen—and to building a stronger, more sustainable foundation for all the services that make Independence a place we are proud to call home.