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Council reviews draft grant to help Brownell and Power City properties connect to new water and sewer
Summary
City staff proposed a limited grant program to cover plumbing connections for developed properties to newly built water and sewer mains, with recipients required to accept tax reporting and potentially voluntary annexation. Council asked for additional financial detail and clarity on annexation timing.
Mayor Caden Sipe convened the council discussion of the proposed "Umatilla Connection Assistance Program," a draft grant to subsidize private plumbing work that links buildings to newly constructed city water and sewer mains in the Power City and Brownell areas.
"We will be offering a limited grant to allow for connection to this upgraded infrastructure," said Zach Rockhei, Community Development Director, who outlined the framework: grants limited to existing developed properties (vacant land excluded), eligible new construction must have an active building permit by 06/30/2027 (staff said that deadline may be moved), and all eligible work would need to be completed in 2027. Rockhei said the program would use a prequalified list of plumbing contractors and that the city would require grant agreement execution and permit inspection evidence for payment.
Councilors pressed for financial specifics and faster timelines. "We estimated the total grant $100,000," a staff member stated when asked about available funding; staff said that amount was split roughly half from water and half from sewer budgets and that the dollars were included in the current fiscal budget, with supplemental budget requests only needed if costs exceeded estimates.
The draft also addresses tax and annexation consequences. Rockhei said property owners receiving the grant would receive a 1099 for the value of the work. The city attorney, Joanna Lyons Antley, explained staff could explore procedural changes to speed annexation but cautioned an ordinance or text amendment might be required. Staff told council the program would not force immediate annexation; instead the city would record a deed restriction (remonstrance) that would obligate future owners to annex at sale if the property had accepted the grant.
Council members asked staff to return with clearer cost estimates per connection, options for partial grants (for example 50–75% of connection costs), explicit timing to shorten processing by roughly 30 days where possible, and a graphic or scenario showing 10-year comparisons of annexation cost versus continued outside-city rates. Staff said they would prepare the next iteration of the application and grant agreement and bring it back to council for final approval.
Next steps: staff will draft the formal application and grant agreement and return to council with additional financial detail and recommended permit/deadline language.
