Philomath budget committee weighs $14 city-services fee to shore up police pay and general fund

The City of Tonalmen budget review committee spent the meeting scrutinizing a proposed $14-per-month city services fee intended to stabilize the general fund and partly pay for police compensation increases.

The proposal, built into staff’s draft budget, would direct roughly half of the fee revenue to public safety and the remainder to shore up the city’s ending fund balance, staff said. The committee heard detailed questions about turnover and training costs for officers, while members and residents weighed alternatives including a local option levy and program cuts.

Why it matters: Committee members said the city’s ending fund balance has declined and that municipal leaders need a sustainable revenue source to maintain current service levels. Staff and the police chief argued that pay increases would reduce costly turnover; residents and other members countered that an added monthly charge would be burdensome for households and that the public should be offered a vote on a levy.

Staff presentation and police-cost rationale Staff explained the mechanics and legal steps for adopting a fee and said implementation details (ordinance language, waivers, which payment channels are affected) would return to council. The police chief told the committee that the total up-front cost of bringing a newly hired officer through academy, equipment and field training can be substantial — he placed the investment at about $148,000 per officer — and said higher compensation can preserve that investment by reducing early turnover.

Committee debate and public comment Members pressed staff on whether recent officer departures were primarily pay-related or driven by promotion and career opportunities elsewhere. Several members said compensation is only one retention lever; others said pay adjustments produced measurable retention gains at the local fire department.

During public comment, residents expressed mixed views. Kathy Berry said a $14 monthly fee would strain her household and suggested a voter-approved tax as a more transparent option. Tom Footfall, identified as the Philomath School Board chair, urged caution and proposed phasing in smaller increases or seeking a local option levy so voters could decide. Other commenters asked staff to produce a clear “trade-off” list showing what would be cut under lower-fee or no-fee scenarios.

Motions and committee direction The committee approved a budget amendment to increase a police/gas & oil line item by $4,139 with the offset coming from contingency; the adjustment was adopted by voice vote and recorded on the meeting record. No formal vote on the city services fee occurred at the session.

Next steps Committee members unanimously asked staff to return at the next meeting with three scenarios showing the budget impact of a $10 fee, a $5 fee and no fee, plus a prioritized, department-by-department list of potential cuts and the operational consequences of each. The council will review any proposed ordinance if the committee or council elects to advance a fee.

What wasn’t decided The committee did not adopt the city services fee at this meeting. Members declined to recommend specific line-item eliminations at this session and instead requested a staff-prepared triage list and revenue scenarios to inform a final recommendation to council.