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SB 5701 hearing: dozens of towns and nonprofits seek state capital funds for water, wastewater, public safety and community facilities
Summary
During the Feb. 13 SB 5701 public hearing, mayors, county officials and nonprofit leaders from across Oregon asked the subcommittee for one‑time capital investments — requests ranged from a $11.4M Willamette Falls locks gap to small rural waterline and fire‑station repairs — emphasizing readiness, matching funds and public‑safety consequences if state assistance is not provided.
The joint Ways and Means subcommittee heard a long docket of SB 5701 requests on Feb. 13, with more than 60 witnesses representing cities, counties, special districts and nonprofit organizations. Testimony covered water and wastewater upgrades, fire and emergency‑services stations, community resilience hubs, cultural institution preservation, and a broad set of affordable‑housing and economic development proposals.
Many witnesses described projects as shovel‑ready with significant local investment already committed. For example, Whit Anderson (Mosier mayor) said the community had raised $4,000,000 and requested a final $4,500,000 to complete a combined fire station, city hall and community safety center. Victor Walco (Life Flight Network) said a $1,250,000 request for a Cottage Grove helicopter hangar would be matched dollar‑for‑dollar by Life Flight, yielding a $2,500,000 project to protect aircraft readiness.
Several water and wastewater projects emphasized compliance and emergency risk. David Patti (Staton councilor) described the proposed Staton–Sublimity intertie as protection against turbidity spikes from planned Detroit Lake drawdowns, saying the town’s slow sand filters can handle about 10 NTU for normal operation but had seen spikes well above that in past drawdowns. Multiple small cities — Canby, Silverton, Dundee, Prineville and Burns — asked for funds to replace aging treatment plants, intakes and mains, often noting that local ratepayers could not absorb the full cost.
Nonprofits requested funding to secure community assets and resilience hubs. Brandy Tuck of Path Home requested $5,000,000 in lottery bonds for a wraparound services center for homeless families in Southeast Portland; Oscar Aronum of the Native American Youth and Family Center sought $7,000,000 for campus upgrades; and Jan Mason requested $1,000,000 in lottery funds to purchase a Burnside community economic hub to serve multiple small chambers.
Local leaders also tied state investments to housing, economic development, and public‑safety outcomes. Kim Morris (McMinnville mayor) asked for $1,500,000 in street improvements to unlock 171 affordable housing units; Jason Freilinger (Silverton mayor) requested $5,000,000 for a new water treatment plant to support growth and emergency operations. Several witnesses noted prior or matched funding (federal ARPA, local bonds, private philanthropy) and stressed that state support is the final piece needed to proceed.
The subcommittee closed the SB 5701 hearing after receiving broad testimony; no formal votes were held during this session.
