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Metro councilor outlines housing bond results and options for sustaining supportive services
Summary
Metro Councilor Christine Lewis briefed West Linn on outcomes from the 2018 affordable housing bond and the 2020 supportive-housing-services tax, reporting over 6,000 households placed and outlining governance and renewal options for long-term funding.
Metro Councilor Christine Lewis told West Linn councilors that the region has made substantial progress on housing commitments from a 2018 bond and the 2020 Supportive Housing Services (SHS) tax, but stressed that governance and renewal planning are needed to sustain results.
Lewis summarized that the 2018 bond targeted affordable and deeply affordable units and that Metro’s tracking shows projects are on schedule through 2028 while bond repayment continues through 2038. "We have placed over 6,000 households into housing," Lewis said, and she added the SHS tax has prevented more than 15,000 evictions across the three counties and helped keep nearly 1,900 shelter beds open.
Lewis outlined a two-track approach under consideration: a November ballot measure to extend or modify the SHS tax and a companion ordinance to improve regional governance and oversight without requiring voter approval. She emphasized the need to clarify whether deeply affordable unit creation should be an allowable use and to tighten accountability and performance reporting so Metro can show voters that funds are producing promised outcomes.
Councilors asked for clarification on how bond and tax dollars flow to projects. Lewis explained that bond funds were committed through Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) administered at the county level; she said Metro is typically one funder in a stacked financing package and that SHS tax revenue is returned to the county where it is collected for contracting with service providers.
Several councilors asked how West Linn can participate. Lewis encouraged local deliberation and suggested Metro staff return for a city work session before any ballot referral. City staff said they would schedule additional conversation and explore potential local project sites for future Metro funding rounds.
Next steps: Metro staff will continue stakeholder engagement and polling; West Linn staff and council requested follow-up briefings and a local work session to shape city feedback before Metro advances policy or ballot language.
