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West Linn council signals backing for Willamette Falls Trust funding as governor considers veto
Summary
Councilors discussed a $45 million appropriation for the Willamette Falls Trust that is on the governor's veto list and agreed there appears to be a council consensus to support keeping the funding; mayor said he circulated an op‑ed and will share it for possible sign-on.
Council President Baumgartner told the West Linn City Council that the Willamette Falls Trust funding request for $45,000,000 has “passed to the desk of the governor, and is on a line item veto list,” and urged colleagues to consider whether the city should publicly support the appropriation.
Mayor and several councilors said they have engaged regionally and with the governor’s office, and discussed options for expressing support. The mayor said he had already submitted an op‑ed and offered to circulate it if councilors wished to sign on; Councilor Groner suggested councilors could also consider a formal resolution or a letter to the governor if there was sufficient consensus.
The council discussed tribal concerns and intertribal access issues the Trust has raised, and councilors asked staff to circulate the mayor’s op‑ed and the mayor said he would forward the version he had filed. Council President Baumgartner warned he may comment as a Willamette Falls Trust member but would do so “not necessarily reflecting the thoughts of council” when speaking in that separate role.
No formal council vote on a resolution was taken at the meeting; members asked staff to prepare materials and suggested they could pursue either an op‑ed sign‑on or a council letter if a majority agreed to support the Trust before the governor’s deadline.
