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Multnomah County raises most transportation permit fees about 5% and authorizes director to set waiver policy
Summary
The Board adopted a resolution to update transportation right‑of‑way permit fees (most increased 5%) and to authorize the director to implement a published fee‑waiver program; staff said fee revenue covers roughly $200,000 of a $1M program cost and state fee caps limit full cost recovery.
Multnomah County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to update the county’s transportation permit fee schedule, raising most fees by about 5% and authorizing the Department of County Services director to establish a public, published fee‑waiver policy.
Deputy Transportation Director Jessica Barry told the board the right‑of‑way permit program issues nearly 290 types of standard permits annually (not including about 2,500 over‑dimensional freight permits set by state statute at $8 each) and recovers roughly $200,000 a year in fee revenue against approximately $1,000,000 in program costs. Barry said the county’s current fee schedule had not been comprehensively reviewed since 2020 and some charges were set decades earlier.
"Many of our fee types are more labor intensive than we originally estimated in 2020," Barry said, describing permit review and inspection workloads. The study included a survey of other Oregon counties and interviews with staff who administer permits.
The board’s resolution updates fees (most increased by roughly 5%), establishes an annual adjustment of 5% or the consumer price index (whichever is lower), directs county staff to modernize the fee code over the next three‑to‑five years, and authorizes the director to create and publish an operational fee‑waiver program. County staff said they will integrate waiver information into the online permit portal so applicants are aware of eligibility and the application step.
During public comment, Charles (Patran) Johnson urged progressive, scaled fees tied to project costs rather than flat fees he argued can be regressive for low‑income applicants. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the county CEO’s office and to review consistency with other departments’ waiver practices; Deputy COO Justin Black said an enterprise framework for fee exceptions is being developed but that some fee caps are set by the state and not within county control.
Commissioner questions also focused on whether the changes would close the program’s funding gap; staff answered that the 5% update will not close the shortfall because most permits are utility permits capped by state rule (the local limit on such utility permit fees effectively constrains revenue increases). Jessica Barry said staff will conduct outreach to customers before the July 1 implementation date and that most fee increases are modest.
The board adopted the resolution on a roll‑call vote: Commissioners Megan Moyer, Singleton, Brim Edwards, Vice Chair Jones Dixon and Chair Vega Peterson all voted yes. The resolution directs staff to post the waiver policy online and to continue reviewing fee code and categories over the next several years.
