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Tualatin council debates braided funding options for climate action plan; staff to return with household impact estimates
Summary
Council discussed options to fund a dedicated climate action coordinator and program: franchise (right-of-way) fees, a building-permit surcharge, and a voluntary utility 'share-the-pennies' round-up. Council asked staff for more data on per-household impacts and permit revenue volatility and signaled interest in a combined approach.
City staff and councilors debated funding options on May 12 to pay for implementation of Tualatin’s Climate Action Plan and a proposed staff position to manage it. Sherilyn Lambos, the city manager, presented Echo Northwest’s analysis of revenue options and the cost to fully fund the program at roughly $250,000 per year (including a staff position and implementation seed money).
The analysis presented three primary funding tools the city should explore further: modest increases to franchise (right-of-way) fees on utilities, a surcharge on building permit fees, and a voluntary utility-bill round-up program modeled on Memphis’s “Share the Pennies.” Echo Northwest’s scenarios included small franchise-fee increases (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%), a 5% surcharge on building permit fees, and a…
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