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Council keeps Highway 43 and tolling on its legislative radar; seeks focused advocacy
Summary
Council members reviewed earlier work opposing I‑205 tolling, discussed continuing coordinated advocacy with county and legislators on Highway 43 funding/jurisdictional transfer, and asked staff to prepare concise financial materials for legislative visits.
Councilors used the retreat to reaffirm prior opposition to some tolling models and to discuss a focused legislative approach for Highway 43. Staff and councilors noted prior research showing potentially large long‑term costs for certain bridge/toll projects; one councilor summarized the scale as “hundreds of millions” to billions depending on financing scenarios discussed at previous advocacy efforts.
City Manager and staff recommended a narrow, targeted advocacy packet for Salem that highlights West Linn‑specific financial impacts and the jurisdictional‑transfer readiness study. Councilors suggested building coalitions with nearby cities that face similar state‑highway funding gaps and coordinating with the new county commissioners and Metro. Staff said they will prepare a short, evidence‑based one‑pager for distribution to legislators and asked councilors to help schedule in‑person meetings during the upcoming session.
