Council approves updated Pacific Power franchise agreement terms; fee rate unchanged at 7%

The Stayton City Council on April 7 approved Ordinance 25-001 to update the city’s franchise agreement with Pacific Corp (doing business as Pacific Power). The ordinance amends Chapter 14.12 of the Stayton Municipal Code to adopt updated terms and conditions and authorizes the city manager to execute the revised agreement.

Julia (staff) explained the city has had franchise agreements with Pacific Power since the 1960s and that the current agreement expired in February 2023. She said that while the prior agreement had expired, its terms remained in effect during negotiations and that the update does not change the franchise fee rate, which remains at 7 percent. "It remains at 7%, and, just updates the terms and conditions and makes it modern and up to date," she said.

Councilor Sims moved to approve the ordinance granting a non-exclusive electric utility franchise to Pacific Corp dba Pacific Power and to authorize the city manager to execute the agreement. The motion was seconded and passed by a 4-0 roll call. Votes recorded in the meeting were yes from Councilors Sims, Carey, Ort and Bauer.

Staff framed the ordinance as a routine modernization of long-standing franchise terms intended to clarify current operating practices and permit the city to sign an updated agreement with the utility.

Because this item was an ordinance amending city code, its adoption updates Stayton’s municipal code language to reflect the new agreement terms; the franchise fee percentage itself was unchanged by the vote.