Baker City Council Approves Public Safety Fee; Public Hearings to be Held
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, August 24th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — Residents and businesses of Baker City will soon see a rise in their water and sewer rates to help fund police and firefighters.
The Baker City Council voted 4-2 on Tuesday, August 22 to impose a monthly fee of $15 per customer with residential water and sewer service and $50 per business.
The fee is set to take effect October 1.
The City Council plans to hold three public hearings about the fee and during last night’s meeting they mentioned the fee amount could change based on public input.
The public hearings have yet to be scheduled.
Mayor Beverly Calder and Councilor Jason Spriet voted no on the motion.
“I am deeply concerned about the council’s willingness to pass a million dollar annual ‘tax’ prior to the agreed upon public meetings,” Calder said to Elkhorn Media Group.
Interim city manager Jon France said during the meeting the fee as adopted would raise an estimated $1 million per year.
France says the general fund for the city, which includes the police and fire departments, will have a $1.74 million shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2024.
