West Linn staff lays out roughly $6.4 million in unmet general‑fund needs and a potential levy option

At a July 7 work session, West Linn city staff told the City Council the municipal general fund faces ongoing pressure and presented a package of unmet staffing needs and capital projects that together total roughly $6.4 million, and outlined a potential five‑year local option property tax levy as one way to stabilize services.

City Manager (Mr. Williams) opened the discussion by saying the staffing list is "just under $3,000,000 a year" and that the project list is "about roughly 3,000,003 and a half million dollars," figures staff called a starting point for council and community prioritization.

Why it matters: staff told the council that, while the adopted biennial budget is balanced, a longer‑term forecast shows a shortfall that could force service reductions unless the general fund is stabilized. Staff recommended first addressing a stabilization gap (they cited about $1.25 million a year as a conversation starter) before committing to new permanent services.

Staff details and numbers

- Staffing: The administration presented a general‑fund staffing list that the packet and staff repeatedly summarized as "just under $3,000,000 a year." Major categories highlighted were public safety (police), parks and recreation, library outreach, planning/counter support and communications capacity. City staff said most of the…