Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Climate Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tualatin council directs staff to pursue blended funding for Climate Action Plan implementation
Summary
After staff presentation on funding options, the council gave direction to pursue a combined approach — a 5% building permit surcharge, a 99¢ opt-out utility round-up, and a 0.3% increase to the electric franchise fee — to fund a Climate Action Plan program coordinator and related implementation work.
City staff presented updated options for funding climate action plan implementation and recommended creating a program coordinator position and associated implementation funding. The presentation compared revenue estimates from three potential funding levers: a building-permit surcharge, an opt-out “share the pennies” round-up program, and modest increases to utility franchise/right-of-way fees.
Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Lehi explained that most ARPA funds and other one-time resources are already committed to specific capital projects (Las Casitas Park renovation and a pathway adjacent to Palembek Gardens) and cautioned that one-time dollars are not sustainable for ongoing personnel costs. Sherilyn (presentation lead) outlined estimated effects on household bills for a 0.5% and 0.33% franchise increase and described building-permit fee variability and examples of average permit fees.
Council discussion focused on a braided funding approach. Council President Pratt and several councilors recommended a combined package: a 5% surcharge on building-permit fees, a 99¢ opt-out round-up (Share the Pennies-style) on utility bills, and a 0.3% increase on the electric franchise fee only. Pratt said the combination would generate roughly $250,000–$300,000 in the first year under higher participation assumptions, and noted staff should track performance and return in one year for review. Multiple councilors voiced preference for minimizing direct rate increases on residents while spreading contributions across businesses and utilities.
The council gave staff direction by majority to pursue implementation planning for the blended approach, including drafting ordinance or fee updates, creating the opt-out round-up mechanism with an administrative plan, and preparing a one-year review with projected revenue and participation scenarios. The council also instructed staff to return with implementation details and options for using contingency or reserves for short-term startup funding if needed.
No formal roll-call vote was recorded for the direction; staff characterized the result as council direction and agreed to proceed with follow-up work and budgets for council review.
