St. Helens council approves water/sewer rate adjustments and a community public-safety fee; proposed garbage rate increase fails

The St. Helens City Council voted June 18 to adopt updated water, sewer and storm-drainage rates and to add a community public-safety fee to utility bills, while rejecting a proposed increase in garbage and recycling rates from the city's franchise hauler.

The measures came after presentations from staff that tied the adjustments to a 2021 rate study and ongoing operating and capital costs. Mayor Jennifer Massey opened the rate discussion and invited public comment on the items before council action.

Why it matters: The actions revise charges that appear on utility bills for residents and businesses, and the public-safety fee was presented as a line-item addition to help fund public-safety needs. Council members and residents aired concern about the financial impact on fixed-income households and asked that alternatives be considered.

Council action and votes: The motion to adopt the utility rates (Resolution 20-45) passed on roll call: Councilor Sandeep — Aye; Council President Chilton — Aye; Councilor Anderson — Aye; Councilor Hubbard — Aye. The council then approved a community public-safety fee (Resolution 20-46); during that roll call Councilor Gunderson voted No and Councilor Hubbard recorded an abstention (the transcript records other council votes but they are not fully specified in the record). A motion to raise garbage and recycling franchise rates (Resolution 20-47) drew public comment and was put to a vote; Councilor Sandeep, Council President Chilton, Councilor Gunderson and Councilor Hubbard all voted No and the measure failed.

Public comment: Several residents urged caution. Howard Blumenthal, identified in his remarks as a St. Helens resident, told council that increases are “getting harder on some of us” and asked elected officials to remember people on Social Security when setting rates. Brady Preheim, a public commenter, opposed the public-safety fee as a non‑voter measure and urged the council to seek voter approval for new taxes; he said the city should pay down debt and seek alternatives before adding charges to utility bills.

Franchise hauler response: Conway Tomlinson of Hudson Garbage addressed public concerns about recycling operations during the garbage-rate discussion, explaining the company’s “split body” truck configuration and the process they use to separate and deliver commingled recycling to a sorting facility in Portland. Tomlinson said the residential truck body is partitioned so recycling and garbage are collected separately and dumped at different points at the transfer station.

Council discussion and next steps: Council members said the increases stem from master-plan needs, operations and inflation. Some councilors asked staff to return with more detail and to negotiate with vendors over potential compensating benefits if fees rise. The city staff said an updated rate study will be presented this fall.

Budget context: Councilors also noted parts of the fee structure were recommended by the budget committee and tied to the adopted supplemental budget for fiscal 2024–25.

Taper: The council directed staff to schedule the updated rate study presentation in the fall and to explore options with the garbage franchise to identify services or community benefits that might offset rate pressure.