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Multnomah County approves $1.04 million in additional utilities appropriations after sharp rate increases
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved two budget modifications to increase the Department of County Assets’ utilities appropriation by $1,041,619, citing higher-than-expected electricity and other utility price increases that pushed the FY25 utilities budget from $7.9 million to $8.9 million.
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on March 15 approved two budget modifications that together add $1,041,619 to the Department of County Assets (DCA) utilities appropriation after larger-than-expected electricity and other utility rate increases.
DCA budget manager Lisa Wheaton told the board that the department increased the FY25 utilities appropriation to cover unexpected cost growth, saying, “This will increase the total utilities FY25 budget from 7,900,000.0 to 8,900,000.0.” The board approved the two items (R1 and R2) in separate motions; both passed on unanimous roll-call votes.
DCA said the county projected a 6% rise in electricity costs when the FY25 budget was developed in November 2023 but then experienced an 18% increase in 2024 and an 8% increase in 2025. Electricity accounts for roughly half of DCA’s utilities budget, the presentation said. For FY26, DCA said it is planning on an overall utilities increase of about 9.41%, with electricity up roughly 9.88%.
Public comment at the meeting stressed the real-world impact of these increases on county residents and service providers. A public commenter urged elected officials to consider how rate spikes hit renters, low-income households and nonprofit partners who cannot reallocate funds as the county can.
Board members asked DCA for more granular projections for each utility provider. Commissioner Broom Edwards requested that DCA send the board anticipated increases by utility and provider, saying he wanted “what we're anticipating for each of the particular utilities.” Wheaton supplied anticipated FY26 projections on the record: Northwest Natural gas 3.16%, electricity 9.88%, waste management (refuse/recycling) 4.5%, and water and sewer 7.98%.
The board also asked the county’s Office of Sustainability to share any testimony or letters the county had filed with state regulators during rate proceedings. DCA staff said the office frequently provides testimony to the Public Utility Commission when rate increases are considered.
The two approved items were: • R1 — Budget modification to appropriate $188,552 from general fund contingency for additional utilities costs in non-departmental and the District Attorney’s Office (approved, roll-call: Moyer Aye; Singleton Aye; Broom Edwards Aye; Chair Vega Peterson Aye). • R2 — Budget modification to increase the utilities budget appropriation within the facilities management fund by $853,067 for remaining county departments (approved, roll-call: Moyer Aye; Singleton Aye; Broom Edwards Aye; Chair Vega Peterson Aye).
The board and staff agreed to provide commissioners earlier visibility on similar budget adjustments in future fiscal years and to share letters or testimony the county has submitted to regulators about rate impacts.
Budget implications: DCA said the FY25 utilities budget will move to $8.9 million and noted the department has already built FY26 assumptions into internal service rate development.
