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Yamhill council approves SDC increase and raises monthly police service fee
Summary
At its May 14 meeting the Yamhill City Council voted to update system development charges and raise the monthly police service fee to align with CPI-based increases the code required; council also directed staff to research collection practices and to return with comparisons next month.
The Yamhill City Council voted May 14 to raise the city's system development charges (SDCs) by 4.5% and to increase the monthly police service fee to $6.20, bringing those fees up to levels the council and staff said should already have been in effect.
Council members and staff framed the vote as an update to fees that, by the city's existing formulas, had not been adjusted each year since 2021. Finance staff and the acting city administrator told the council the step corrects an overdue schedule and adds modest revenue for utilities and public safety without affecting the water and sewer rate studies scheduled separately.
Council discussion focused on two themes: first, ensuring the SDCs follow the city's resolution formula so new development pays the correct share of public infrastructure costs; second, concerns from some council members that the police service fee had not been clearly presented to the public when it was first adopted and that some customers may not be paying it.
Acting City Administrator Angie (first name only in minutes) and Finance Manager Kara provided the technical background: the SDC increase reflects a 4.5% adjustment based on the ENR DCI index used in the city's resolution; the police service fee is established in the code to adjust annually with the consumer price index (CPI). Councilor Patty (first name used in minutes) challenged how the fee had been described when first proposed and asked for clearer documentation. Staff said they would research the ordinance history and report back.
A motion to apply the 4.5% SDC increase and to raise the police service fee to $6.20 passed on the council's voice vote. The motion passed with all members present voting in favor.
Council asked staff to return next month with two items: (1) a clearer budget presentation that shows police-fee revenue allocated to the police portion of the budget (for transparency), and (2) research on collection practices and comparables from other similarly sized cities so the council can evaluate remedies for customers who do not pay the fee.
The vote updates fees that staff said had been overdue under the city's existing resolution and directs follow-up work on enforcement and accounting clarity. The council also made clear it could revisit the automatic CPI adjustment if the research or public feedback warrants a change.
