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Council opts to monitor tolling language, keeps Highway 43 improvements and transit on priorities list
Summary
West Linn councilors agreed to rephrase tolling language toward monitoring and fairness after debate, and to continue advocating for state repairs on Highway 43 and for multimodal and transit improvements tied to Vision 43 outreach.
Councilors spent substantial time on transportation priorities during a retreat session, focusing on whether to call out tolling as an explicit opposition or to frame it as monitoring and fairness in funding.
One councilor argued against placing a strongly negative framing in the priorities packet: “I don't think we need to have tolling quite in this featured so prominently… I wouldn't be against rephrasing that to somehow emphasize fairness in transportation infrastructure funding,” and colleagues recommended moving tolling lower in the list and emphasizing monitoring rather than active opposition. Staff agreed to revise the language accordingly.
On Highway 43, staff urged continued advocacy for repairs to the state‑owned corridor and discussed options such as investigating potential transfers of responsibility alongside state‑funded improvements. Staff also proposed adding multimodal investments — sidewalks, connections and support for tourism and transit access — and councilors broadly supported keeping those items in the priorities set. Several councilors stressed the need for continued neighborhood outreach related to Vision 43 zoning and design questions.
The result: staff will reword the draft priorities to reflect a monitoring posture on tolling while preserving advocacy for Highway 43 improvements and a stronger multimodal emphasis. Councilors asked staff to ensure that neighborhood associations are incorporated in outreach around Vision 43 and multimodal planning.
Councilors requested that staff return updated language and confirmed that these transportation priorities are linked to, and informed by, the larger financial strategic planning process.
