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City Considering Shrinking CRA Area To Free Up Crash

    Since its founding in the 1990s, Umatilla’s Community Redevelopment program has grown to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for use within the district for projects approved as part of the town redevelopment plan.  Land acquistion, road paving, facade grants and more have all been undertaken over the years, as taxable value of property within the district has grown.
    However, it appears the program may be set to undergo significant changes in the coming year in advance of the state-mandated sunsetting of the program in 2039.
    When originally conceived, the CRA ran along the SR 19 corridor through downtown Umatilla, roughly bordered on the east and west by Kentucky Avenue and Trowell Avenue.  Over the years it was expanded further north, and eventually expanded further to include land roughly west of the Fletcher Road North/South line, and east of the Owens Lane north/south line.
    As a result, tax dollars generated above the amount in the district’s first year are required to be spent in accordance with the town CRA plan.  As the CRA encompases a majority of the city, it has created undesirable limitations for city officials who need those tax dollars to fund more general operations.
    As a result, the city council is set to consider reducing the CRA back down to closer to its original size along SR 19.  This move will allow tax dollars generated in the broader district to be directed to broader city needs.
    There is an exception:  The city is currently looking at ways to keep the city’s unpaved streets inside a revamped CRA district, so as to allow for those funds to potentially go toward road improvments in those specific areas.
    “Ultimately, this thing needs to shrink,” said Umatilla Mayor Chris Creech during budget discussions held last week, citing the city’s overall budget shortfall and the need for more flexibility to bring the town spending plan into balance.