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St. Helens budget committee approves Option 4, recommends voter measure for a general service fee
Summary
The St. Helens Budget Committee approved a revised FY budget (Option 4) that trims department budgets, holds COLAs and furloughs, and leaves a reduced reserve; it also recommended the City Council put a general service fee (ballot measure) in the $15–$25 range before voters.
The St. Helens Budget Committee voted to approve a revised city budget (Option 4) for the coming fiscal year and recommended the City Council place a general service fee on the utility bill before voters, with a suggested range of $15 to $25.
The committee adopted Option 4 — a reduced-budget scenario that assumes no cost-of-living adjustments for bargaining units and no furloughs — after hearing public comment and departmental briefings. The motion to adopt Option 4 passed with committee members voting in favor; the mayor abstained from discussion and votes after declaring an actual conflict of interest related to a family connection to the police department.
Why it matters: Option 4 reduces department budgets and lowers the city—s reserve percentage (staff noted an intended 7% reserve figure, with materials showing 6% in one place), preserves core services in the near term and defers larger revenue changes to the City Council and voters. The committee also voted to recommend that the council take a ballot measure to create a recurring general service fee on the utility bill, forecasted by staff as a possible recurring revenue source to reduce future deficits.
Committee discussion and…
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