Canby — At the goal‑setting session, the Canby City Council signaled continuity on its fiscal policy by keeping the target reserve range at 20–25 percent and instructing staff on several fee and budget items to bring forward more detailed reports.

City Administrator Eileen told the council that the 20–25% reserve policy is already incorporated in the current budget year and recommended it remain as a standing item for council visibility. Councilors debated whether to keep reserve maintenance as an active “goal” or to treat it as standard operating procedure; the majority opted to record the policy as completed but track it in the annual budget report.

The council directed staff to refine the master fee schedule presentation the city provides at its annual budget adoption in June so it includes clearer cost‑recovery analyses and comparisons with peer jurisdictions. Councilors pointed specifically to system development charges and other large developer fees as areas needing further evaluation. The council also left the street‑maintenance fee on the agenda for further action: a task force has formed and will provide recommendations on level of service and a proposed fee structure, and council members asked staff to accelerate a timeline so any changes could be considered before the next budget cycle.

On urban renewal, staff reported the work to finalize transition of projects and expenses is underway; the council asked for an explicit estimate of how much urban renewal revenue and which program costs will fold into the general fund when the district sunsets in fiscal year 2025–26. Councilors flagged that understanding the URD transition will be important to budget planning for 2026–27.

Quotes in the session emphasized the need for clarity. City Administrator Eileen summarized the reserve decision: “We set the reserve levels to be between 20–25%…that’s done,” while Councilor Stearns urged that the council avoid “cluttering” the goals list with ongoing operational items and suggested focusing goals on discrete, achievable changes.

Next steps: staff will return with a drafted fee‑review package that ties fees to estimated cost recovery, an updated schedule for the street‑fee task force recommendations, and a projection of urban‑renewal revenue and expense transitions for the 2025–26 budget work.