Portland water users face new flood fee
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Portland utility customers will soon pay a new annual flood protection fee as the city shifts a cost previously covered by its general fund.
Why it matters: Typical water users in the Rose City will now be footing an extra $14.40 per year to pay for flood protection, adding to a series of recent utility and tax increases.
Zoom in: The "flood safety benefit fee" will go to the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District, which operates and maintains levees, pump stations and drainage systems, the Oregonian reported.
- The city has paid the district more than $5 million out of its general fund since 2024.
- Now that money will be coming from you and me.
By the numbers: The new fee comes soon after a more than 6% increase approved by city councilors earlier this year, raising the typical annual bill by about $122, to more than $2,000 per year.
- And that's on top of a slew of other new costly increases — a new transportation utility fee, an increase to trash collection rates and a hike to the arts tax — that collectively have some Portlanders paying as much as $1,500 that would have stayed in their pocket last year.
Also: The new flood protection fee comes in addition to the nearly $30 the typical Portlander already pays in property taxes that go to the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District.
Yes, but: The water bureau does have programs for low-income residents to apply for discounts on their bills.
The bottom line: An additional $14 a year may not sound like much to some, but "these are huge increases when you are living month-to-month," ratepayer Domi Ramos told the Oregonian.
- "At what point do we say enough is enough?"