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Stayton council approves street-fee increase and directs staff to prepare 15% cuts package
Summary
The Stayton City Council adopted Resolution 1122 to raise the city street fee from $4 to $10, dedicate the increase to street maintenance, prioritize projects and authorize staff to develop an urban renewal plan; council also amended the resolution to require staff to prepare an optional cuts package equal to 15% of franchise fees for budget consideration.
The Stayton City Council on a 5-0 vote adopted Resolution No. 1122 on a plan to increase the city street fee and establish a funding strategy for street maintenance and improvements.
Staff told the council the measure would raise the monthly street fee from $4 to $10 and dedicate the new revenue solely to street maintenance, repair and improvement projects. Staff estimated the dedicated franchise-fee allocation called for in the resolution (15% of total franchise fees) would amount to about $130,000 annually, and estimated the fee increase itself could generate approximately $279,000 a year in additional revenue.
The resolution sets a prioritization framework for projects (priority 1: arterials and collectors at risk of declining from good to poor; priority 2: arterials and collectors in poor or very poor condition and local streets at risk; priority 3: local streets in poor condition; priority 4: local streets in very poor condition) and directs staff to develop an urban renewal plan and pursue grant funding to supplement fees.
Councilors debated how prescriptive the priority list should be and how to show what would be cut or added in the budget to accommodate the change. Councilor Sims moved to amend the resolution to add a requirement that staff prepare an additional cuts package equal to 15% of total franchise fees for consideration during budget deliberations; the amendment was seconded and approved. Councilor Patty then moved to adopt Resolution 1122 as amended; the motion carried 5-0.
Supporters described the package as a starting point to address a long-running need to improve and maintain the city’s streets, while some councilors asked for guardrails to avoid unanticipated impacts on general-fund services. Staff said the 15% figure was chosen to match an estimated shortfall identified during last year’s budget process and to let the city ramp up capacity (including hiring for project delivery) rather than obligate large sums that the city might not be able to spend immediately.
Next steps: staff will prepare the urban renewal materials and the cuts/add-on packages prior to the next budget cycle and will return with more detailed budget scenarios and timelines.
