Troutdale council adopts $15 monthly police and fire fee and approves three‑year sheriff IGA amid budget gap

Troutdale — The Troutdale City Council voted June 10 to adopt a $15 monthly police and fire services fee charged on city utility bills and approved a separate three‑year intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to continue local law enforcement services.

City Finance Director Eric Mueller told the council the fee was the assumption built into the city’s 2025–26 budget and that it is intended to help close a shortfall created by rising contract costs for police and fire. "The budget that was adopted incorporates approximately $1,400,000 into the general fund for the funding of public safety costs," Mueller said during the meeting.

The fee decision followed extended council discussion about whether to set a higher monthly rate now or keep the amount lower and revisit it later. One councilor said council members themselves "will all have to pay this fee ourselves," using the point to argue for keeping the burden visible to elected officials. Another councilor urged a higher rate, saying a larger amount now would give the city more breathing room if other long‑term options do not succeed.

Why it matters: Troutdale contracts with Multnomah County for police and with Gresham for fire protection; both contracts have produced rising costs that city staff said threaten other general‑fund services without new revenue. City staff and several councilors told residents the fee is intended as a stopgap while the city evaluates longer‑term options, including the potential formation of a fire district or other revenue measures.

Details and context

- Use and limits: City staff said the fee is restricted to public‑safety uses (police and fire) under the municipal code change the council adopted earlier this spring. Eric Mueller described the $15 figure as the amount the budget committee used when balancing the 2025–26 budget.

- Distribution and scale: Finance staff estimated the fee, at $15 per month, would generate roughly $1.4 million a year for the general fund to offset part of the almost $2 million rise in public‑safety costs the city faces. Mueller warned the fee does not cover all future increases and that council will face further decisions as contracts and service models evolve.

- Impact on residents and renters: Ray Young, city staff, explained how the fee will appear on bills: the charge is applied per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) on the city utility billing system. For multi‑unit properties the landlord receives the ERU‑based bill; staff noted landlords could pass the charge on to tenants subject to rental‑housing rules. Several council members and residents raised concerns about effects on fixed‑income households.

- Longer‑term planning: Councilors and staff said the city is continuing outreach and planning for options that could remove or reduce the fee in future years, including a possible fire district ballot measure in 2026 and other budget choices. Staff said any such change would take months of planning and likely not eliminate costs immediately.

Council action and procedure

- Fee adoption: The council adopted a resolution setting the monthly police and fire services fee at $15. The measure passed in a recorded roll call vote; the council discussion and vote were part of the same meeting in which the council also adopted the fiscal‑year 2025–26 budget.

- Sheriff IGA: The council separately approved a resolution authorizing a three‑year IGA with Multnomah County to continue sheriff’s office law enforcement services in Troutdale beginning July 1. City staff said the IGA updates an agreement that had been in place and provides continuity of service while the city and county discuss longer‑term regional options.

What the council did not decide

- The council did not adopt a multi‑year revenue fix such as a permanent tax or a fire‑district financing model at this meeting. Several councilors said they expect to pursue public outreach, polling and further options before presenting those to voters.

Speakers

- Eric Mueller — Finance Director, city government (first referenced June 10 at 35:38 in the transcript packet) - Ray Young — City staff (timekeeper/administration), city government - Mayor — Presiding officer, city government (name not specified in transcript) - Councilor — Member, city government (several councilors spoke; transcript does not attach full names to all speakers) - Paul Wilcox — Public commenter, citizen

Authorities

- ordinance/resolution: City of Troutdale municipal code changes enabling a utility‑bill police and fire services fee (referenced during the discussion) - intergovernmental agreement: Multnomah County – City of Troutdale law enforcement IGA (referenced by staff during the meeting)

Actions

- motion: "Adopt resolution setting the police and fire services fee monthly rate" outcome: "approved" notes: "Measure passed by council; vote was not unanimous. Fee to be applied on utility billing as adopted in municipal code."

- motion: "Approve a three‑year intergovernmental agreement with Multnomah County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services" outcome: "approved" notes: "IGA begins July 1; agreement intended to provide continuity of law enforcement services for the coming three years."

Discussion vs. decision

- Discussion points: Councilors debated fee level ($15 vs. higher) and impacts on renters and fixed‑income residents; staff described budget assumptions and contract cost pressures. - Direction: Staff and councilors agreed to pursue outreach and to continue exploring longer‑term funding options such as a fire district or other ballot measures. - Decisions: The council formally adopted the $15 monthly fee and approved the sheriff IGA.

Clarifying details

- revenue estimate: $1,400,000 (approximate) annual revenue expected at $15/month; cited by Finance Director Eric Mueller - use restriction: Fee revenues restricted to police and fire services under the municipal code - renter billing: Fee applied per ERU on utility bills; landlords of multi‑unit properties receive the ERU‑based charge and may pass through costs subject to tenant law

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community_relevance: {"geographies":["Troutdale"],"funding_sources":["utility fee"],"impact_groups":["residents on fixed incomes","renters","property taxpayers"]},

meeting_context:{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":14,"duration_minutes":240,"items_count":20},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2025-06-10","note":"Council adopted FY25-26 budget and set stopgap fee; staff continuing outreach on long‑term options"}]},

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provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"4310.42","local_start":0,"local_end":240,"evidence_excerpt":"Thank you for doing my staff report ... assumption in the budget is a $15 a month rate.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"6824.155","local_start":0,"local_end":80,"evidence_excerpt":"Well, it passes, but not unanimous.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]},

salience:{"overall":0.88,"overall_justification":"Large budgetary and public‑safety impact; council adopted new recurring revenue and an IGA affecting core services.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Policy affects city residents' utility bills and delivery of police and fire services.","attention_level":"high","attention_level_justification":"Strong council debate and direct financial impact on households and city budgeting.","novelty":0.45,"timeliness_urgency":0.78,"legal_significance":0.62,"budgetary_significance":0.85,"public_safety_risk":0.70,"affected_population_estimate":16200,"affected_population_estimate_justification":"All Troutdale households receiving a city utility bill; city population used as proxy.","policy_stage":"implementation","follow_up_priority":9}