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Label:
Emergency ordinance
*Revise sewer and stormwater rates, charges, and fees for FY 2026-27
Passed
The City of Portland ordains.
Section 1. The Council finds:
- Through an error, the System Development Charge (SDC) rates presented in Exhibit A to Ordinance 192182 did not align with the Council's intent.
- The proposed corrected sewer and stormwater rates, charges, and fees should be consolidated into a comprehensive schedule.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:
- The Council adopts for Fiscal Year 2026-27 the sewer and stormwater rates, charges, and fees set forth in Exhibit A, replacing the rates, charges, and fees adopted under Ordinance 192182.
- The consolidated schedule does not preclude the establishment or continuation of charges and fees by resolution, ordinance, Code provision, or administrative rule not otherwise specified in this ordinance.
- Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Portland City Code Section 17.36.050 B.3. and Administrative Rule ENB-4.09, Section 6.B.1, tier assignments may be changed after the effective date of this ordinance to ensure accuracy, fairness, and administrative efficiency.
- This ordinance is binding City policy.
Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because a failure to act quickly could result in charging incorrect and inequitable SDC rates; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.
Exhibits and attachments
An ordinance when passed by the Council shall be signed by the Auditor. It shall be carefully filed and preserved
in the custody of the Auditor (City Charter Chapter 2 Article 1 Section 2-122)
Passed by Council
Auditor of the City of Portland
Simone Rede
Impact Statement
Purpose of proposed legislation and background information
- This annual ordinance establishes rates, charges, discounts, fees, and penalties to generate sufficient revenue for projected expenditures in FY 2026-2027.
- The proposed ordinance will correct errors in the stormwater System Development Charge (SDC) rates adopted by the Council under Ordinance 192182 and align the rates with Administrative Rule ENB-4.09, Section 6.B.1.
- These changes align with the publicly-communicated user rates and SDCs for customers in FY 2026-27.
Financial and budgetary impacts
There are no budgetary impacts of this rate ordinance correction. These updates correct errors and align the rate ordinance with expected financial outcomes for FY 2026-27.
Economic and real estate development impacts
- The bureau proposed a maximum SDC increase of 9% to balance financial sustainability and incentivize development. This increase was previously presented but mistakenly left off Exhibit A to Ordinance 192182.
- The proposed charges and fees are less than the cost of providing the service, meaning development activities will be subsidized by existing ratepayers.
Community impacts and community involvement
The Portland Utility Board (PUB) began meeting on September 1, 2015, and has held public meetings at least monthly ever since with a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the PUB's responsibilities is acting as the bureau's Budget Advisory Committee by reviewing the bureau's operating and capital programs and budgets, the FY 2026-2027 Requested Budget, and the financial impact to ratepayers of proposed budgets. Should this ordinance pass, the SDC rates will increase a maximum of 9% for FY2027, as previously announced.
100% renewable goal
This action does not affect the City's total energy use. This action does not affect the City's renewable energy use.
Economic and real estate development analysis
Analysis provided by Prosper Portland
Prosper Portland staff has reviewed the Economic and Real Estate Development Impact Analysis submitted for this action and finds that it satisfies the requirements set forth in City Council Resolution 37664. The analysis is sufficiently detailed and complete to be considered a final statement for purposes of this action.
Document history
Document number: 2026-218
President's referral: City Council