Milwaukie council hears short‑session state bill roundup; agrees to circulate letter on polluter-pay bill
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Summary
Council received an update on short‑session bills — including potential cuts to Safe Routes to School funding and land‑use clarifications in HB 4037 — and directed Councilor Khosroabadi to draft and circulate a letter in support of SB 1541 (a polluter-pay measure) for council members to opt in or opt out.
Council staffer Scott Stauffer briefed Milwaukie councilors on state legislative developments during the short session and highlighted several items on the council's watch list.
Stauffer said the legislature is midway through short‑session deadlines and that bills the city is tracking include changes to Safe Routes to School funding and several land‑use and public‑meetings bills. Council President Anderson warned that although HB 4007 did not, in its current form, cut Safe Routes funding, ODOT supplemental budget actions could still lead to reductions this biennium.
On HB 4037 (housing/land‑use provisions), Stauffer and councilors noted amendments removing some provisions and flagged a section clarifying when clear and objective standards should be handled ministerially rather than through hearings.
Councilor Khosroabadi raised SB 1541 (a bill described by councilors as a "polluters pay" measure) and said it had advanced out of committee. Councilors discussed whether to send a joint council letter in support. The council agreed to authorize Councilor Khosroabadi to draft a letter, circulate it to colleagues, and treat signatures as opt‑out (council members whose names are on the circulated draft can ask to have their names removed before submission).
Councilors also discussed transportation revenue formula concerns (the 50/30/20 split) and agreed to monitor upcoming budget conversations closely.