Residents and business owners press Troutdale committee on fee impacts, Sam Cox building and grant assumptions

The budget committee opened a public‑comment period limited to budget items on April 20. Several members of the public raised affordability and transparency concerns about the proposed public safety fee and capital projects.

An online commenter asked whether the public safety fee would rise from $15 to $32 and whether staff had considered the effect on single‑occupant households. Resident Gail Stevens detailed fund‑balance and program concerns: she walked committee members through arithmetic showing that the 50/20/30 allocation and a $32 fee would not fully cover the $9.5M in public safety costs included in the proposal and warned the street and code funds were drawing down reserves.

Local business owner Pompeo asked why businesses pay the same safety fee as homes and suggested the city lease the Sam Cox building to generate revenue rather than spend to renovate it. Pompeo asked for an explanation of how business fees are calculated by capacity and why food trucks and bars appear to be treated differently in capacity calculations.

Committee members and staff answered that fee design and structural options remain under discussion; staff committed to follow up with more detail and to provide documentation about grant award statuses that appeared as budgeted appropriations. The committee closed public comment and scheduled follow-up work sessions to answer the outstanding technical questions.