After several days of rain, Periwinkle Creek was running nearly full on Monday, Feb. 24, 2024.
While I was looking at Periwinkle Creek near Queen Avenue and Geary Street Monday afternoon, the Albany City Council heard of the tentative schedule for starting a new street maintenance fee and possibly a local gas tax as well.
The schedule presented by the city staff made it appear as though the monthly street fee, if eventually approved by the council, will come as Christmas present.
After a series preparatory steps, the staff proposed Dec. 8 as the date for recommending the amount of the street fee. The council then could act to approve the fee amount at a regular meeting two days later, on Dec. 10. Presumably the fee would then appear on water and sewer bills in January 2026.
The fee would differ depending on the number of vehicle trips estimated for each class of customers, from residential to industrial or commercial. If there are complications determining this, adoption of the fee might be pushed into 2026.
As for the fuel tax, the city staff is proceeding under current law, which requires an election to impose the tax. The tentative schedule calls for the staff to recommend a ballot title on July 7, and for the council to adopt it on July 9.
Once that happens, paid city employees are barred from advocating for or against the measure. Officials say this prevents the staff from even explaining the proposal in public.
Albany has hired a consultant to gauge public opinion on the local gas tax and, if it’s put on the ballot, to provide “outreach to support the gas tax measure.”
The contract with the consulting firm, Consor North America Inc., includes a total fee estimate of $98,503. The firm’s tasks include opinion research, project coordination, strategy sessions, and a “public education campaign plan and messaging.”
It may seem odd to you that state law apparently prevents public funds from being used to campaign for a ballot measure but it’s OK to pay a consultant to plan the campaign.
None of this has anything to do with the weather or Periwinkle Creek. After looking at the creek, I turned back to the YouTube video of Monday’s council session.
Council members didn’t have much to say about the schedule for adopting the new taxes. But Councilwoman Jackie Montague urged viewers to take a look at the street maintenance page on the city’s website.
You could also review the long recap of street issues presented by the city staff at Monday’s work session here. Unless you’d rather go look at a creek. (hh)
Hasso,
I like your articles a lot. However, I did not appreciate an ad from Judicial watch original founded to report on Corrupt politicians, inviting me to end Illegal Immigration. The focus or the organization changed in 2015 – Media watch says it has low confidence rating of Lean Right.
I hope you can have some say in these ads and if I can help, please contact me.
Best regards,
John
Hello John & Others,
Hasso has no say on advertisement on his site.
He and other, (YouTubers) point this out many times.
The ads posted do not give him any [ $o.o1 ] to anyone who clicks the links for more info on what-ever is advertised.
I enjoy reading all his posts.
And glad you do too.
If you are capable of helping Hasso control his ads, you should be smart enough to install an AD BLOCKER!
Pretty soon your water bill will be 200. With rainwater now added, do you even dare flush the toilet .
Now let’s tax you because we can and pay your dollars to get you to be taxed more. There is no more saving accounts you spend it Albany.
This is a substantive issue that will meaningfully impact Albany households – our quality of living or our wallets or both. Nary a word about it in the Democrat-Herald today. Thank you for your continued citizen journalism.
Maybe we need more transparency on what the city does with their funds,!
Periwinkle creek has always been an issue. I would think it would be a priority by now.. or does someone else need to lose a life .
All the money that the city spends is right there on it’s web site. The budget shows all the operations and the costs and revenues involved. The Financial Report is the audited review of what was spent.
To start: https://albanyoregon.gov/index.php
Financial stuff: https://cityofalbany.finance.socrata.com/#!/dashboard
You’ll find out that it’s way more complicated than you think, and that’s because of the laws that governing public finances.
Maybe the council should spend our tax and fee monies on maintaining what we have instead of spending millions on their pet projects. People are tired of the continual fees we pay via our water bills.
Enough of more fees! The bill is already too high!
It’s time to vote NO. Who wants to pay what the city owes on constuction fees. Fix the pot holes…..We already have extreme water and sewer payments!
Can you say that has to be the dumbest place to build apartments? Smh
Enough already! Maybe a local DOGE ? Where are all our taxes going? More development for North Albany on the horizon. Looks like a developer has made an offer on an 8/10 acre parcel.
A new fee (tax) at Christmas time?
Isn’t that a violation of the 8th amendment (cruel & unusual punishment)?
Sounds degrading to human dignity by most reasonable people.
From Hasso’s blog previously- https://hh-today.com/mayor-passes-albany-street-fee-ordinance/
“The council was split 3-3, and the mayor broke the tie in favor of passing the ordinance. Council members Jackie Montague, Marilyn Smith and Ray Kopczynski also voted for it.
The opponents were Councilors Matilda Novak, Steph Newton-Azorr and Ramycia McGhee.”
Let’s see how the latter 2 vote, now that the election is over. Was it all a lie?
I was the only person at the 2/24 Council meeting to speak about Council/staff always asking for more money while never discussing how to reduce costs of City gov’t. Why do we need an asst. city manager. Is the current one disabled in some way.