Astoria council authorizes $71,725 to cover transportation fees for nonprofit buying Peace 1st Lutheran Church

The Astoria City Council on Feb. 20 approved a resolution authorizing a $71,725.46 expenditure from Fund 140 to pay transportation system development charges tied to a community nonprofit—s planned acquisition of the Peace 1st Lutheran Church building.

City Manager Spence told the council the charge amounted to about $72,000 and that staff recommended using Fund 140, an account holding roughly $749,000 that was created from over-collections associated with the Astor West area. Spence said the draft resolution would allow the city to make an internal transfer to cover the SDC once the nonprofit paid its final permitting fees.

The council heard questions about the fund—s origin, balance and any audit implications. Councilor Adams asked whether the transfer could trigger an audit finding; Spence said he had vetted the approach with legal counsel and that no concerns were identified. Councilors emphasized the need for clearer, written criteria for similar requests in the future so decisions could be defended publicly.

Members of the public urged approval while pushing for a formal policy on SDC waivers. Mary Ann Soderberg, introduced by the mayor as a George Award winner, said she had spoken with the church contact and that church members supported selling the property to the nonprofit, which would let the congregation redirect proceeds toward outreach. Andy Kipp urged the council to approve the allocation for the organization but said, "the city has no formal program in place for SDC waivers that would enable them to be paid by taxpayers," and called for established criteria and accountability mechanisms.

Jenny Poole Radway, speaking for the nonprofit, said owning rather than renting would strengthen the group's finances and programs and stressed the cultural and community benefits of the proposed reuse.

Councilor Adams moved approval of the resolution and the expenditure; a second was given and the motion carried with all members present voting in favor. The council then turned to a separate new-business discussion about convening a cross-sector roundtable to assess local impacts of recent federal funding changes.

The council's action authorizes the identified transfer to offset the transportation SDC for the property acquisition; staff flagged that the transfer would be executed only after the nonprofit completed required permitting and paid any nominal permit fees.