City Council Work Session 08/19/2025

The City Council Work Session for the City of Milwaukie, Oregon, held on August 19, 2025, focused extensively on the city's storm water system plan update and the Kellogg Dam removal and restoration project. Key procurement-related discussions included challenges with incomplete and incompatible GIS data for storm water modeling, the need for capital improvement projects (CIPs) to address aging infrastructure and capacity issues, and the potential financial impacts on wastewater rates. The council reviewed options for relocating a critical sewer line affected by the dam removal, including the construction of a new pump station with estimated costs between $3.5 to $5 million. Funding strategies discussed involved potential loans with partial forgiveness and the impact on ratepayers, emphasizing the need to balance affordability with infrastructure improvements. The council also considered the integration of this project with other ongoing projects to optimize costs and minimize disruptions. Additionally, the session covered regulatory compliance related to storm water permits, climate change impacts, and operational maintenance of storm water assets. No final votes were recorded, but the council sought further analysis on financial impacts and funding options to guide future decisions.