Saint Helens budget committee weighs fees, cuts and a separate police fund as library faces steep reductions

The Saint Helens Budget Committee met May 7 to review the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget and to hear a detailed budget message from Finance Director Gloria Butch, who warned the city faces a structural shortfall and is relying on voter approval of a $24-per-month general services fee to avoid deeper cuts.

Butch told the committee the general fund ending balance is projected to fall below one month of payroll without new recurring revenue and detailed three budget scenarios. She said staff prepared an alternate proposal that would separate the police department into a stand-alone police services fund financed by a dedicated police services fee that would be placed before voters if needed; staff estimated a proposed police fee of $49.50 and said the new fund would likely still show a deficit in its first year.

The budget message also recommended utility rate adjustments based on the 2025 rate study — a 6.35% projected water rate increase (about $3.92 per household), a 4.64% sewer increase (about $2.98), and a 4.79% stormwater adjustment (about $0.82). Capital priorities cited included Columbia View Park and riverfront infrastructure work, a planned 5,000,000-gallon water reservoir (design costs of $2.5 million funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant; construction estimated at $20 million), and a $1,750,000 planned transfer from community development reserves to advance an industrial site purchase and contingency.

Why it matters

Committee members and the public framed the meeting around a central trade-off: how to close an estimated gap if ballot measures fail without gutting high-use community services such as the St. Helens Public Library and after-school recreation programs. Several committee members urged staff to prepare a “pencil and eraser” exercise for next week’s meeting that starts from the conservative assumption that the ballot revenue does not materialize, and to show precisely which line items would be cut.

Key points and exchanges

- On the ballot measures: Staff said the $24 general services fee is the primary vehicle for balancing recurring expenses. If that measure fails, staff presented an alternate path that would move police spending to a dedicated fund and ask voters for a separate police services fee. "It is being done — it's becoming more popular," Butch said of segregating police into its own fund, adding that it increases transparency about where fee revenue is spent.

- Police budget scrutiny: A committee member who presented a data-heavy slide packet argued police costs have grown far faster than population, noting police spending increases of roughly 134% since 2017 while population rose roughly 7.7%. That presentation called attention to overtime, fleet and shared-service costs, and top officer pay levels. The presenter said St. Helens handled about 17,000 dispatch calls with fewer officers in prior years and urged the committee to consider significant reductions in police spending if new fee revenue does not materialize. Staff and other members agreed department heads — including the police chief — should attend the next meeting to answer detailed questions about staffing, overtime and operations.

- Library and rec programs: Dozens of public commenters and multiple committee members urged the committee not to make deep cuts to the St. Helens Public Library. "The library is one of the last truly public spaces," said Alexis Perkes during public comment, arguing that closing hours or cutting staff would harm low-income residents and families who rely on library computers and programs. Other residents and a library board liaison described the library as a high-impact, low-cost service and asked the committee to protect open hours and technology access.

- Tourism and contract risk: Members questioned a tourism services contract and whether the contractor had provided a timely budget; presenters warned that event revenue fluctuations could require the city to cover shortfalls under current contract terms. Staff said the contractor had been asked for a budget but the city did not receive it in time to incorporate it into the proposed budget.

- Process and information requests: Staff asked committee members to submit written questions by Monday so department heads can prepare a consolidated Q&A for the next meeting. Several members insisted on receiving and vetting any external analyses (including materials presented by individual members) through the budget director before broad distribution to ensure accuracy.

Formal actions taken

- Lou Mason was nominated and approved as chair; Jeremy Evans was nominated and approved as vice chair for the year. (Voice votes; no roll-call counts recorded.)

- Minutes from the previous budget meeting were moved and approved by voice vote.

- The committee opened and closed a public hearing and agreed to accept state-shared revenues (sin taxes and similar distributions) in the budget as noticed.

What remains unresolved

Committee members repeatedly returned to two unresolved questions: (1) whether to adopt the official proposed budget as presented or to assume the ballot revenue will not appear and begin cutting now, and (2) how large any police reductions would need to be to protect library and recreation services. Staff repeatedly offered to supply the underlying spreadsheets, the police staffing numbers and tourism financials in advance of the next meeting; members asked for precise, sourced figures showing what each cut would mean for services and staffing.

Quotes to illustrate the debate

- Finance Director Gloria Butch: "This proposed budget relies on the passing of the $24 fee. Even if the fee passes, it will not generate enough revenue to fully sustain services." (Finance director explaining baseline assumptions.)

- Committee member presenting analysis (label 3): "Police spending has grown 134% while population has grown 7.7%. We can't keep kicking the can down the road." (On necessity of tough choices.)

- Library supporter (public comment): "Once gutted, libraries rarely come back. The library is one of the last truly public spaces." (On importance of preserving library services.)

Next steps

Staff instructed committee members to send written questions by Monday morning; department heads (including the police chief and other relevant managers) will attend the next budget committee meeting to respond. The committee agreed to take a detailed look at the proposed budget and alternative scenarios at the next session and to begin identifying specific cuts if ballot revenue fails to materialize.

Context and caveats

The meeting included a number of on-the-record data presentations from both staff and individual committee members; in several cases committee members asked staff to validate figures before they are broadly distributed. Several claims about historical staffing levels and cost trends were drawn from internal slides and public records; staff agreed to provide official trial balances and the police and tourism financial detail for committee review. Committee members emphasized that the final adopted budget must conform to state law and be balanced by the statutory deadline.

The committee adjourned after taking the described actions and confirming the next meeting date and instructions for submitting written questions.