Follum council narrows League of Oregon Cities priorities to five for 2027

The City of Follum City Council voted unanimously Aug. 10 to submit five legislative priorities to the League of Oregon Cities for the 2027 session. The council settled on administrative procedures act reform; full funding and streamlining for housing production; investing in community energy resilience and disaster planning; infrastructure funding; and public meetings law clarity.

Chris Wharton, a city staff member who presented management’s recommendations and the LOC packet, said staff tried to choose items with a “Philomath lens” — priorities that would have direct relevance to the city. After a round of discussion and a straw-poll ranking process, the council approved the five-item list without objection.

Council members debated a range of issues during the discussion, including broadband access, water and wastewater funding, housing coordination, and whether municipal use-of-technology or autonomous-vehicle policy deserved inclusion. Chair (presiding official) emphasized the value of some non-fiscal, policy-only items: "the legislature did pass that, and then the governor vetoed it," arguing that public meetings law clarity should remain on the list as it requires policy change rather than large new spending.

Why it matters: the LOC compiles priorities from member cities and advocates those items during the legislative session; each city’s submission helps shape the LOC board’s ultimate agenda. The council’s action directs the city manager to submit the list and does not itself change local policy.