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Wilsonville adopts updated sewer and stormwater SDCs after public hearing; builders urge phased implementation
Summary
After a public hearing and testimony from the Home Builders Association, Wilsonville’s council voted unanimously to adopt updated sewer and stormwater system development charge methodology and rates (resolutions 3209 and 3210). Builders urged indexing and delayed collection options to reduce one-time cost shocks to housing projects.
The Wilsonville City Council adopted updated sewer and stormwater system development charges (SDCs) during the Sept. 15 meeting, voting 5–0 on Resolution 3209 (sewer SDC methodology and rates) and Resolution 3210 (stormwater SDC methodology and rates).
City Engineer Zach Weigel and consultants from FCS Group presented the SDC methodology, which combines a reimbursement fee—charging new development for a share of existing system capacity—and an improvement fee—charging for capacity that must be added to serve growth. Weigel said the proposed stormwater SDC at the maximum defensible level would be about $3,532 per EDU (equivalent dwelling unit). For sewer, the consultant presented a meter-capacity-equivalent (MCE) method and other functional approaches; the MCE-based maximum defensible charge for a typical single-family residence was shown as $14,149 per MCE.
During the public hearing, Isaac Ambrose, deputy director of government relations for the Home Builders Association of Greater Portland, urged the city to consider strategies that reduce development cost shocks: expanded stakeholder engagement on methodology, a predictable implementation schedule (indexing to avoid large one-time increases), and possibly changing the point of collection from permitting to occupancy to ease financing burdens on builders. Ambrose said sudden SDC jumps can add significant costs to projects and asked for an implementation schedule and stakeholder involvement.
Councilors acknowledged the affordability concerns raised by builders but said the city must fund significant wastewater and stormwater capacity improvements—citing Frog Pond expansion and planned treatment-plant upgrades. Councilors discussed indexing and point-of-collection options and asked staff to return with further analysis; council ultimately approved both resolutions 5–0.
What happens next: the resolutions adopt the methodology and rates and amend prior SDC resolutions (1987 for sewer and 2353 for stormwater). Staff and consultants will proceed with implementation steps and were asked to analyze indexing and collection timing options for future council review.
Clarifying details: staff emphasized SDCs are one-time charges assessed at development or major redevelopment and are restricted to capital costs for water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation and parks (per the SDC statutory framework described by consultants). The presented stormwater denominator assumed about 7,745 EDUs of growth; staff said only growth-share projects and portions of existing facilities that provide growth capacity were included in the SDC bases.
