Yamhill town hall hears concerns over $5 monthly police service fee; council to decide April 14

The City of Yamhill held a virtual town hall on March 24, 2021, to discuss a proposal to add a $5-per-month police service fee to utility bills, a measure city staff said is intended to help close persistent gaps in the police department budget. Chief Greg Raven led the presentation and answered questions from residents and council members; the City Council is scheduled to consider the proposal at its April 14 meeting.

The fee would be added to monthly utility statements and, according to information Raven gave at the town hall, would generate roughly $225,260 a year. Some callers who made their own calculations cited much lower estimates; one participant said $30,720 per year. Raven said the fee would be placed in a line item in the city budget and spent on equipment, training, vehicle maintenance, grant writing and staffing needs, and that individual expenditures would be itemized.

Supporters in the meeting stressed the difficulty of recruiting and retaining officers on current pay and said the fee would help avoid contracting with the county sheriff, which…