Corvallis councilor: Vote on home energy scores now – Corvallis Gazette-Times

The scores give buyers some idea of what it takes to power a home they’re considering via an assessment of energy-related assets, making it easier to compare potential purchases across the housing market. The scores have been compared to gas mileage in autos.

At the council meeting Monday, July 18, Councilor Gabe Shepherd called for the vote during the time reserved for brief reports from council members. Mayor Biff Traber pushed back against the unorthodox timing, but ultimately he and council gave Shepherd time to make his argument.

“I spoke at the end of the last City Council meeting about my extreme disappointment at the result of the home energy score vote,” Shepherd said. “I was satisfied with the information provided to the council. I was satisfied with the staff report, and I was satisfied with the time that staff put into the ordinance.”

There were several positive mentions of the energy score program earlier in the meeting during community comments.

Corvallis resident Marjorie Stevens cited the city of Hillsboro’s unanimous passage of the home energy score program and quoted from that council’s statement: “The most common poverty outcome in our community is falling behind on utility bills.”

“It is not the cost of having the inspection done that touches those needing consumer protection,” Stevens said. “It is rather being able to identify and anticipate the costs of monthly utilities of the home, which are of the greatest interest and benefit to potential buyers and renters of homes.”

Divided 5-4 on whether the energy score program should be mandated, the Corvallis City Council initially — and barely — approved the ordinance at its June 21 meeting.

Because the vote was not unanimous, the council needed a second vote. In a reversal of previous sentiment, the council voted 5-3 at its July 5 meeting to table the ordinance, asking staff for more research on how the program might work.

Extolling the consumer protection aspects of the proposed home energy score program Monday night, Shepherd said the ordinance would help people understand what they’re getting into before buying a house. He rejected the notion that a voluntary program is a viable alternative to requiring the energy scores.

“A voluntary program is not a program at all,” he said. “It’s no different than where we are now, and it doesn’t improve our climate situation.”

Shepherd also said arguments about equity and the cost of the energy assessments, while appreciated, could be alleviated through grant and loan programs. He added to that the possibility of exemptions for those who couldn’t afford the service.

“This idea is not new,” he said. “It was approved in December of 2016 as one of the city’s climate goals.”

Although it was somewhat outside the norm for council meeting process, Shepherd put forward a motion to resume consideration of the home energy score ordinance. Councilor Charles Maughan seconded the motion, which failed on a 5-4 vote.

Councilors Laurie Chaplen, Charlyn Ellis, Shepherd and Maughan voted in favor of resuming consideration of the ordinance. Councilors Tracey Yee, Andrew Struthers, Paul Shaffer, Hyatt Lytle and Jan Napack opposed.

The ordinance remains slated to return for council consideration Sept. 5. Shepherd pledged to raise the motion again in subsequent meetings.

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