The City of Eugene’s Youth Empowerment Program has gained traction over the past year with growing teen participation and programs that now include a waitlist. But despite its successes, the program’s long-term financial outlook remains uncertain.
City officials say YEP is safe from $11.5 million in annual general fund budget cuts in City Manager Sarah Medary’s proposed 2025-2027 biennial budget, which begins in July. That’s because the program is funded entirely through the Community Safety Payroll Tax, a city council-approved revenue measure.
However, some city officials warn that public trust in the payroll tax could potentially erode, putting funding for programs like YEP at risk.
Program sees growing demand
YEP Program Supervisor Alison Willis said the aim of YEP is “to help improve youth safety outcomes.” She described YEP, which launched in 2022, as a proactive public safety tool.
“Not having ways to be positively engaged can lead teens to activities that are not healthy for them and get them in trouble,” Willis said.
Last year, YEP opened a Teen Center in Washington Park. The program has also transitioned from primarily drop-in programs to regular clubs and programs.
“In the past year, we’ve really hit our stride,” Willis said. “Now we have waitlists for our programs … which we couldn’t have dreamed of last year.”
YEP activities include rock climbing, cooking, jewelry-making clubs, resume workshops, food handlers certification and lifeguard training. YEP also offers summer apprenticeships that place teens in places like summer camps and preschools. The city now employs one teen who graduated from the lifeguard program.
“She loves her job,” Willis said. “This is her passion, and something she wants to pursue as an adult that was not available to her before.”
Community Safety Payroll Tax at Risk
In addition to funding YEP, the Community Safety Payroll Tax also funds enhanced police, fire and social services. To extend funding for the tax past December 30, 2028, the council must vote by June 30, 2027 to place the measure on the ballot.
Some city councilors are concerned that public support for the payroll tax may be weakening.
Speaking at a city council work session late last year, City Councilor Mike Clark cautioned that there is a risk of losing community trust over the fire service fee. Only $2 million from the fee would directly fund fire services, with the remainder used to cover other general fund budget shortfalls.
“We’re taking $8 million of general fund money currently paying for fire out to go and spend on other things,” Clark said at the work session. “And I think that’s the part where we are going to risk losing community trust.”
Clark warned that losing that trust could jeopardize the payroll tax’s future.
“I think the consequences could be failure of the public safety levy in a year and half (and) losing $23 million … to pay for police and public safety,” Clark said at the time.
YEP eyes expansion
Looking ahead, Willis hopes that YEP can expand into areas like West Eugene and Bethel, where she says youth often face barriers to accessing programs like YEP.
“That would be my dream,” Willis said.
But whether Willis’ vision can be realized may depend less on growing demand and more on voters’ willingness to renew the Community Safety Payroll Tax in the future.
Tasha • May 12, 2025 at 9:44 pm
As someone who doesn’t live in Eugene but worked for an employer with a Eugene address I am severely opposed to the public safety tax. My employer wasn’t even served by EPD. LCC is considered outside of EPD jurisdiction. We relied on LCSO instead. I didn’t appreciate having to pay a mandatory tax to Eugene for absolutely zero benefit especially since there are no police where I live. We rely on LCSO who have one or two deputies to cover the entire county plus State Troopers who fill in as best they can. Then to find out that the city council was meeting to discuss how to spend the SURPLUS tax revenue was the last straw for me. I refuse to spend money in Eugene for anything. Ever again. If Eugene wants more money to support public safety let them charge their own residents and leave people who don’t live there alone.
Brillon • May 19, 2025 at 12:59 pm
I agree, but part of my reason is why should it be the city’s responsibilty to raise our teens, finding summer activities like these to the tune of $11-12 million “YEP activities include rock climbing, cooking, jewelry-making clubs, resume workshops, food handlers certification and lifeguard training.” These are all things that could be served by local churches, community groups, parent groups, school extra-curricular groups, employer mentorships, etc. Eugene has this spend-money-liberally-attitude for a lot of unnecessary things. A somewhat unrelated example (but exemplifying their throw money at things) is these between road the curb and sidewalk run-off drainage landscaping that has all this concrete abuttments and channels and planted with small sawgrass shrubbery which is a pretty insignificant amount of biomass, and the sq footage area laughable. Just typical virtue signalling to make voters feel good. In the past they planted actual trees or shrubs with grass and that probably has a 100 times more root-mass water absorbing capacity and not requiring all the special channeling, just regular sloping (again, no critical thinking/analysis here) They are just wasting money. Maybe esthetic, but probably costing millions and not giving much benefit.