West Linn council favors pursuing $5.20 operations-center utility fee; parks-maintenance funding needs more review

Council members spent the majority of the Jan. 20 work session examining the parks utility service fee and its role in funding a new $45 million operations center and parks maintenance.

City Manager John and finance staff presented an informational packet and FAQ. Staff explained the parks maintenance-fee structure was established in 2007 and that the most recent review shows the fee does not fully cover parks maintenance costs; staff estimated an annual shortfall in the parks maintenance fund of approximately $540,000. To cover the city's portion of debt service for the operations center, staff calculated a per-household increase of about $5.20 (roughly $561,000 a year in debt-service costs attributable to the parks portion of the project). Staff said the city plans to fund more than 80% of the operations-center cost from existing utility rates and other sources, and that the $5.20 figure covers the parks share of the annual debt service.

Councilors debated whether to implement only the $5.20 operations-center component now and postpone broader parks-funding increases, or to add a modest additional increment (councilors discussed examples such as an extra $1) that could be directed to parks maintenance or specific visible projects. Several councilors raised concerns that the current flat monthly fee is regressive and asked whether rates could be structured to be more progressive between single-family and multifamily residences. Staff confirmed the existing parks fee is a flat monthly charge per household but said the council could consider different rates for single-family and multifamily properties.

Communications staff described a multi-layered outreach plan using the city's newsletter (the Owl) with QR codes, social media, utility-bill cards, and short online surveys to explain the proposal and gather feedback. Several councilors emphasized the need to show constituents precisely what additional fee dollars would buy if the council chose to add an extra dollar or more.

Although no formal vote was taken at the work session, the mayor and several councilors expressed comfort moving at least the $5.20 operations-center component forward to the February business meeting for formal consideration, with staff returning options on effective dates, phasing, and any supplemental amounts to address parks maintenance.