Fairview council delays IGA with Portland amid concerns about MHCRC grant oversight

Fairview’s City Council voted to table consideration of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the city of Portland after councilors said the proposed arrangement would give Portland responsibility for administering dozens of community technology grants and leave Fairview with a small net benefit.

Multiple councilors expressed frustration that the county’s Metro-area cable and communications grant structure (MHCRC-related funds) had long been opaque to member cities. "I'm tired of giving larger cities all of our money," one councilor said during the debate, criticizing what they described as high administrative costs and inconsistent accounting from Portland and MHCRC-era grant administration.

Staff explained the money in question is related to community grants (peg money) rather than the city’s general franchise fee revenues. City staff reported that the county has told them it is preparing a broad audit and plans to disburse reconciled funds at the end of the year. The city manager and other staff offered to obtain clearer audit results and to ask county contacts what would happen to Fairview’s share if the city refused to sign the IGA.

After discussion, a motion to reevaluate the IGA in two weeks carried on a voice vote. Council asked staff to gather additional details from county contacts, including what the county would do with funds if individual cities declined the proposed administration arrangement. No final contract was executed at the meeting.

Councilors also discussed options including delaying action at the next meeting, requesting a county audit report, and clarifying whether the administration fee in the draft IGA matched what Portland would actually deduct from local grant funds. The motion to table will return as a future agenda item with additional financial details provided by staff.