West Linn faces multi-year general-fund gap; council weighs fees, levy and phased staffing

Staff told the council the city’s five-year projection shows a material general-fund gap that, if unaddressed, would force service reductions; staff characterized it as a multi-year problem that could cause the city to 'dip below reserves' in later budget cycles. To avoid cuts, staff proposed an array of tools including increasing the parks-maintenance fee (estimated at about $5/month to cover roughly $500,000 in parks shortfall) and pursuing a renewing operating levy or targeted fees for public safety and other services.

Police leadership described current overtime pressures and framed a staffing request as a service-stabilization need: the police representative said a minimum of three additional patrol officers is required to reduce mandatory overtime and maintain service levels; an additional patrol officer cost was estimated at roughly $240,000/year including salary, benefits and equipment. Staff presented a consolidated scenario in which fully funding the package and $2 million in stabilization would equal an approximate $43/month increase per utility customer to raise about $4.6M/year — a significant rate effect that councilors said would require careful phasing and communication.

Council direction: pursue a phased mix of tools — targeted fees to address near-term gaps and a considered outreach/polling plan for any levy — and return with packaging and timelines that minimize rate shock and explain uses of funds to voters.