West Linn City Council Work Session on Budget Needs and Opportunities - November 17, 2025

The West Linn City Council held a work session on Monday, November 17, 2025, from approximately 8:30 am to 11:00 am, to continue discussions on the city's budget needs and opportunities. The meeting focused on establishing shared financial priorities and evaluating revenue options for eight identified priority areas. Council President Baumgartner was excused. Facilitator Sarah Wilson led the discussion, with contributions from City Manager John Williams, Finance Director Lauren Burke, Deputy City Manager Alyssa Preston, and other department heads.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Agenda: The agenda was approved unanimously by roll call (Councilors Groner, Bonnington, Bright, and Mayor Belcastro). No public comments were received.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public signed up to speak, either in person or online.

Discussion Items

• Parks Acquisition: Discussed potential acquisition of the Oppenlander property, development of the Parker Road site (including a possible music-in-the-park venue with food carts), and other park improvements (e.g., non-motorized boat launch at Willamette Park, Bolton fire station). Estimated cost of $10 million as a placeholder. Council expressed support for parks as popular but noted need for additional scoping, community engagement, and polling on voter willingness to pay. Councilor Groner emphasized urgency on Oppenlander due to timing; Councilor Bright highlighted transit access concerns. Councilor Bonnington suggested this could be a longer-term goal.
• Waterfront Area Projects: Encompassed implementation of the waterfront vision plan, potential pedestrian/bike bridge connecting to Tumwater, and property acquisition opportunities. Longer-term priority with undefined scope. Council noted city owns little waterfront property and that the urban renewal district (TIF) could be a funding source. Councilor Bonnington emphasized the importance of acquiring property when available.
• City Operations Center: A top priority due to essential nature and construction timeline. Current budget of $35 million; staff-recommended level of $45 million. Council discussed funding options: full faith and credit (FFCO) bond, general obligation bond, or utility fee. Councilor Bonnington proposed fully funding via bond; Councilor Bright worried about voter support given lack of visibility. City Manager Williams noted the project needs to start summer 2025, making a May 2026 bond ballot unlikely. Consensus emerged to move forward with FFCO for the operations center and explore fee replacement for the general fund component (approximately $560,000 annually). Councilor Groner supported fee approach over a bond campaign.
• Drinking Water Line: Five-year unfunded capital need of $13 million per water system plan; current CIP has $8 million, leaving a $5 million gap. Council discussed charter limitation (5% annual rate increase) as a barrier. Councilors Bright and Groner supported a charter amendment to remove the cap, but acknowledged need for voter approval. This priority was seen as longer-term, with risks of emergency repairs if deferred.
• Bike and Pedestrian Safety: Dedicated ongoing funding source requested (e.g., $1 million per year) for projects like sidewalks, crossings, and flashing crosswalks. Councilor Groner noted frequent community requests. Councilor Bonington felt this was lower priority compared to others. Councilor Bright suggested potential Metro grants and use of TIF funds. Council discussed a fee model (e.g., Milwaukee's $7.11/month for single-family homes) or inclusion in a bond package. Readiness: projects are identified, but a proposal and community engagement strategy needed.
• Parks and City Facilities: City lacks a long-term facilities maintenance and replacement plan. Council supported funding a master plan first (estimated $29,000 for a quote). Annual maintenance currently $853,000; CIP only $120,000. Councilor Bonnington emphasized caring for existing assets. Longer-term priority pending plan completion.
• General Fund Stabilization and Staffing: Five-year budget forecast shows a $9 million general fund deficit, with fiscal cliff in FY 2029 (negative fund balance). Council discussed two main categories: stabilizing existing service levels and adding staffing. Specific positions identified: parks (natural areas manager, ranger, building maintenance, rec coordinator), police (additional patrol officers, CSO, SRO, traffic officer, captain), and other (communications, planner, code enforcement, outreach librarian). Total staffing costs estimated at ~$4.6 million annually. Council discussed funding via a renewing operating levy (every five years) or utility fees. Councilor Bright raised concern about cumulative fee impact (e.g., $42-43/month for all staffing). Councilor Bonington proposed a comprehensive outreach and education campaign before polling. Captain Rollins described overtime crisis (500+ hours in next five weeks). Council leaned toward an operating levy for staffing, not before November 2026.

Key Outcomes

• Prioritization Exercise: Council ranked the eight priorities. The top two were: 1) Operations Center replacement, and 2) Stabilization of existing staffing. Other priorities were considered longer-term or requiring further definition.
• Operations Center: Consensus to proceed with full faith and credit (FFCO) financing and develop a fee replacement plan for the general fund component. Council directed staff to bring forward a fee proposal (likely utility fee) as soon as possible to improve bond rating and fund the general fund portion.
• No May 2026 Ballot: Council agreed not to pursue any ballot measure in May 2026 due to insufficient time for education and scoping. A small bond for parks/pedestrian safety and a renewing operating levy for staffing are potential future ballot measures, with the levy targeted for November 2026 or later.
• Next Steps: Staff will synthesize feedback, incorporate Council President Baumgartner's input, and develop a detailed timeline and work plan. Future work sessions will address specific tools (fees, bonds, levies) and community engagement strategies. Council will also consider a charter amendment regarding water rate caps.