St. Helens leaders explain budget squeeze and send $24 general-services fee to May ballot
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Summary
City officials laid out a strained general fund — $12.3 million of a roughly $92 million total budget — and said a $24 general-services fee will go to voters in May; officials tied potential service cuts, furloughs and long-term capital projects to whether the fee passes.
City officials in St. Helens told residents at a municipal forum that the city faces widening gaps between revenues and costs and will ask voters in May whether to approve a $24 general-services fee to help preserve essential services.
John Walsh, the city administrator, said the city’s total budget is about $92,000,000 and that the general fund — which pays for police, municipal court, libraries, parks and community development — is roughly $12,300,000, or about 13% of the overall budget. “We have 5 main departments… and that’s, you know, the services there,” Walsh said in an overview of how services are funded.
The mayor (not named in the transcript) and other officials said the council chose the $24 option to put before voters after considering larger and smaller proposals. The mayor said the council passed a resolution so that any non-utility fee added to the water bill would be subject to voter approval, and that residents would decide in May whether to adopt the general-services fee.
Residents asked how the fee interacts with other charges on utility bills. One attendee, Jan, said she receives automated third-party billing and that her household’s water bill has increased “about $40” on average; she also asked why a roughly $10.30 public-safety charge appears on bills without a clear line-item breakdown. Officials acknowledged the transparency problem and said bill detail still exists but can be harder to find in the current format.
Officials said the proposed fee is intended to preserve general-fund services and to avoid deeper cuts or furloughs if it is approved. Council and staff described a planning scenario in which, if the fee fails, there would be reductions across departments (the council discussed a roughly 10% plan discussed at the forum) and that many non-sworn positions or part-time roles could be subject to elimination or furlough. The mayor emphasized the choice will be made by voters at the ballot box.
The forum also framed long-term growth strategies — notably waterfront redevelopment and returning industry — as ways to expand the tax base and reduce pressure on the general fund. City leaders said those economic-development efforts are slow but central to the city’s fiscal strategy.
The forum organizers said they will publish more detailed budget materials and follow up on specific questions residents raised about hiring, debt and bill detail. Officials urged residents to review the information ahead of the May vote and to participate in the decision.
