Public Safety Facility: Ad-Hoc Committee Recommendation

In September 2020, the St. Helens City Council convened an ad-hoc committee of community members to help work through potential funding mechanisms for a new Public Safety Facility to serve our growing community. The St. Helens police station was built in 1971 and consists of 2,200 square feet of office space with a detached garage. The population of St. Helens in 1970 was 6,200 people. This facility barely met the needs of our community when built. Today, St. Helens is approaching a population of 14,000, and we are continuing to rapidly grow. The current police station is too small for our Police Department’s current operations and does not meet operational standards for policing best practices. The building also does not meet basic energy efficiency or seismic standards.

The City is working alongside Mackenzie Architecture. They assisted the City with creating an updated needs assessment, floorplan, and rendering of what the new facility would look like. Mackenzie is currently working through engineering estimates to establish a cost of the facility, which is expected to be between $15 and $19 million.

The Public Safety Facility Ad-Hoc Committee is made up of over 25 community members that include local business owners, renters, homeowners, and school district personnel. The Committee met monthly and worked to develop a recommendation for City Council consideration. At their latest meeting in December, their recommendation was finalized. It was then presented to the City Council at their January 6, 2021 Work Session.

For the Ad-Hoc Committee, the question at hand was never “should we or shouldn’t we” but “we need to do this to keep our community and officers safe, and what is the best way to get it done?” The Ad-Hoc Committee weighed two major funding mechanisms: 1. A general obligation bond backed by property taxes, and 2. A public safety fund placed on monthly utility bills. The City engaged with financial advisors from PFM, a bond counsel from Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP, along with public finance firm DA Davidson to help bring additional expertise on which funding option would be best for the City. The Ad-Hoc Committee reviewed potential rates for property taxes for a general obligation bond as well as rates for a monthly utility service fund to help pay for the debt service.

There were five main recommendations from the Ad-Hoc Committee:

Recommendation 1: Create a Public Safety Fund
The Committee determined that the utility fund was the most affordable and equitable option for the community. It has the most flexibility for the City Council to adjust rates as needed throughout the project. This would involve placing a monthly fee on utility accounts. The Committee recommended that this utility fund be set up by an administrative decision of the City Council, but only after a five-to-six-month period of community engagement.

Recommendation 2: Public Engagement Period
The City should create a robust and meaningful public engagement period that involves online and in-person meetings to hear as many voices as possible and encourage community members to learn more about public safety in St. Helens.

Recommendation 3: Increase Funding Support for Utility Assistance
The Committee recommended increasing utility support that currently goes through Community Action Team (CAT) for community members that may be on a fixed income and/or may not be able to afford an increase on their utility bills.

Recommendation 4: Sale of Current Police Station
Once the new facility is built, the current police station site should be sold, and proceeds put towards paying down the debt service. This may help to reduce the utility fee amount.

Recommendation 5: Continue Researching Grants & Other Funding Options
With the flexibility of the Public Safety Fund, the City should continue to research additional funding opportunities to help pay down the debt service.

The City Council received the Committee’s recommendation at their January 6, 2021 Council meeting along with a general overview of the project and future plans. The Council all agreed on the need for the facility and also brought up the needs of other City facilities such as City Hall and Public Works facilities. The City Council will meet again on January 20 to continue discussions around the new Public Safety Facility, particularly regarding funding strategies and community engagement opportunities to ensure that the public has an opportunity to be a part of this process.

We appreciate the volunteer Ad-Hoc Committee members for giving their time and talents to create recommendations that balance St. Helens’ need for accountable public safety with a fair way to fund this public investment. This recommendation is the accountable way to address crime in St. Helens. It reduces overcrowding in the police station so our police force can grow along with the community. It allows us to protect the health and safety of those who put their lives on the line to protect us.