Council delays police-fee decision to November, forms work group to study fee structure and equity

Keizer City Council opened public testimony on a proposed increase to the city's police services fee — moving a single-family residential charge from $6.90 to $7.59 per month — before deciding to postpone a final decision until the council's second meeting in November.

At the June 2 meeting, councilors and staff discussed alternatives including using contingency or ARPA funds, the timing of property tax and shared revenue receipts, and the effect of billing cycles on notifying multifamily complexes. City Manager Adam Brown told the council that while ARPA funds had been spent or committed, contingency could be used short term; staff also said providing additional outreach time would be feasible.

Councilor Christopher moved to delay implementation until the second council meeting in November to allow staff and council to clarify revenue projections and engage the public. The motion to postpone passed unanimously.

Separately, the council agreed to form a small council work group (Council President Starr to chair, with Councilors Kohler and Duran) to develop recommendations on equitable fee structures (for example, commercial vs. residential billing), define a level-of-service model with police leadership, and plan public engagement. The motion included an explicit intent that the group consider whether to pursue an advisory vote of residents; the council majority approved establishing the work group 5'2 (Clark and Parsons voted no on the formal work-group motion).

Why it matters: the police fee is a recurring revenue source used to support Keizer's police services; council members said they wanted more public engagement and a clearer level-of-service definition before fixing a permanent increase.

Key details - Proposal in public hearing: increase police services fee from $6.90 to $7.59 per month for a single-family residence (staff estimate: ~$58,800 annually). - Council action: public hearing held; decision postponed to council meeting second in November 2025 to allow time for revenue updates and public engagement. Motion passed unanimously to postpone. - Work group: Council President Starr (chair), Councilor Kohler, Councilor Duran to draft options for fee structure, level-of-service expectations, and public engagement strategy; council majority indicated intent to consider an advisory vote.

What's next: Staff will prepare revenue estimates and outreach options; the work group will convene and report back with recommendations and a community engagement plan for the November meeting.