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West Linn staff outline $3M in staffing needs and levy option to stabilize general fund
Summary
City staff presented a long-range budget overview on July 7, listing roughly $3.0M in unmet general-fund staffing needs and about $3.5M in capital projects. Staff offered a sample funding option — a renewing five-year local-option levy at $0.50 per $1,000 assessed value, estimated to yield about $2.3M annually — and recommended community outreach to prioritize items.
City Manager Williams and finance staff presented a long-range budget briefing at the West Linn City Council work session on July 7, saying the memo is intended as the start of a community conversation about unmet general-fund needs.
"We have a staffing list that's, just under $3,000,000 a year," City Manager Williams said as staff reviewed the memo's four components: staffing, projects, fundamentals of fund stability and options for revenue. The staff presentation described a roughly $3,000,000–$3,500,000 project list and noted some projects may be one-time while staffing costs are ongoing.
Staff offered a revenue example to illustrate scale. "If you were to do a renewing 5 year local option levy at 50¢ per thousand dollars assessed value, that would generate about $2,300,000 a year in West Linn," Williams said, using an average assessed value figure cited in the staff materials.
Finance Director Lauren Breitkamp summarized the five-year forecast and the projected gap, noting a possible worst-case shortfall on the order of $5–$6 million per year in early projections and staff expectations that some of that could be narrowed through standard revenue and expenditure variances. Staff emphasized that any levy would need voter approval and periodic renewal and that the council would have to decide prioritization and messaging before pursuing a measure.
Council members and staff agreed the next steps should include refining cost details, exploring polling and other outreach approaches, and returning with options in a near-term work session so the community can help rank priorities. City Manager Williams said staff will prepare additional information for an August or early-September follow-up meeting.
