City Council Adopts 2025 Garbage Rates, Authorizes $29 Million in State Wastewater Loans
December 3, 2024 — At the December 2, 2024, meeting of the Wilsonville City Council, the Council adopted solid waste and recycling rates for 2025. Informed by an annual rate review analysis, rates for most residential customers are to increase $.89-1.15 per month, effective Feb. 1, 2025. Rates won’t increase for customers with 20-gallon cart service.
The Council authorized staff to establish a revolving below-market-rate loan of up to $29 million from the State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) to finance wastewater system capital improvements. The action provides $18 million in flexible, low-interest financing to upsize the sewer line along the Boeckman Creek corridor to serve Frog Pond neighborhoods, and $11 million to design and construct the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) Aeration Basin Expansion.
To fund the planning and designing of capital street maintenance activities for the next four years, the Council approved a $410,000 contract with Century West Engineering. The rehabilitation of several street surfaces each year extends the useful life of Wilsonville’s roadways and minimizes future maintenance costs.
The Council adopted the canvass of votes of the Nov. 5 general election, which paves the way for Shawn O’Neil to be sworn in as Wilsonville’s 10th mayor. Mayor-elect O’Neil and Councilors-elect Anne Shevlin and Adam Cunningham are to be sworn in at the Council’s next meeting on Jan. 6, 2025, at 7 pm.
On second reading, the Council adopted amendments to the City development code with new, detailed design standards to guide Frog Pond East and South developers in the construction of neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and sizes to accommodate buyers in every stage of life. Many amendments apply more broadly in all the City’s residential zones, including new review authority and standards for multi-family buildings, eased restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units, and new stormwater design standards.
During Mayor’s Business, Mayor Julie Fitzgerald recommended the appointment of two additional individuals to City boards and commissions; the following appointments were confirmed by a vote of the City Council:
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Arush Goswami and Fiona Huston were appointed to one-year terms reserved for high school student representatives.
During Communications, the Council celebrated recent recognition received by the City from the Oregon Recreation and Parks Association and the Oregon Public Works Association. The Awards honor the City’s partnership with the Korean War Memorial Foundation of Oregon, its work to preserve and enhance the Stein-Boozier Barn, and the design and construction of the City’s new Public Works Complex.
Natural Resources staff and Parks and Recreation staff shared an update on the City’s first Natural Area Management Plan, which is being developed to prioritize the most vital sites for protection and enhancement, and to ensure that the City is adapting to the presence of invasive species, a changing climate and other threats to the local ecosystem.
Parks and Recreation staff shared details on three recent projects funded by the Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Program, which provides funding to communities that host solid waste transfer stations. The report detailed small projects to build an arboretum and a music garden at Murase Plaza, and to complete the Boones Ferry connector trail.
The Councilor Comments portion the meeting provided an opportunity for three outgoing members of the Council – Mayor Fitzgerald, Council President Kristin Akervall, and Councilor Joann Linville – to reflect on their experience as elected officials and express gratitude to staff, peers and community members.
At a work session held prior to the meeting, Planning staff detailed progress on the Housing Our Future Project, which is analyzing Wilsonville’s housing need/capacity and developing strategies to meet those needs. Staff shared input from the project task force and Planning Commission’s review of possible actions for the Housing Production Strategy (HPS) and sought the Council’s direction on which actions should merit more detailed consideration.
Additionally, Planning staff sought the Council’s input on two draft documents – the Buildable Lands Inventory and Site Suitability Analysis Memo and the Redevelopment Feasibility of Contractor Establishments Memo – related to the advancement of ongoing work to make the Basalt Creek Industrial Area development ready.
The City Council’s Monday, Dec. 16 meeting is canceled. The next meeting of the City Council takes place on Monday, Jan. 6, at 7 pm.
Community members can watch all City Council meetings on cable (Xfinity Ch. 30, Ziply Ch. 32) or on the City’s YouTube channel: ci.wilsonville.or.us/WilsonvilleTV.
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