Corvallis council pulls home energy scores from voters, revisits issue – Corvallis Gazette-Times

The scores give home buyers insight on energy costs before buying, somewhat like knowing the gas mileage for a vehicle. City leaders have spent several meetings this year discussing a potential program that would require home sellers to disclose their utility costs.

Last addressed in September, the Corvallis City Council punted an energy score ordinance by letting the voters decide. But after a meeting Monday, Nov. 21, the council has reversed course yet again.

Now the ordinance is heading back to the council for workshopping and future consideration.

“We are no longer sending it to the voters but holding it for an up or down vote by council,” Councilor Charlyn Ellis said. “This is clearly within our jurisdiction and our job as councilors.”

Council members on Monday voted unanimously on Ellis’ motion removing ordinance language that would have sent it to voters. A subsequent vote to pass energy scores then and there — which would make the program mandatory for residential real estate transactions — failed 3-6, with only councilors Gabe Shepherd, Paul Shaffer and Ellis voting to move ahead now.

Moving the goalposts

Reading from a lengthy prepared statement, City Council Vice President Andrew Struthers said he was surprised by advocates and supporters of the ordinance not listening to the majority of councilors, who have questions and concerns or who want to work on properly vetting the ordinance.  

“Many councilors have tried to raise concerns and have a simple discussion about the problems they hear from constituents and community members,” Struthers said. “We continue to get brushed off and again hear, ‘Do not worry about what you’re being told; pass this ordinance, it is good policy for Corvallis.’”

Having led the motion to put home energy scores on the ballot, Struthers explained that was driven by the desire for more time to fine-tune the ordinance rather than rush decision making. He said he’s not opposed to the energy score concept and nearly voted for it the first time around.

“I prefer us not to send this ordinance to voters,” he said. “But I wanted to make a point and get folks to realize you need to listen to the majority of the council, who are asking for either more time for amendments or honest policy discussion.”

Shepherd took issue with the notion that the general public isn’t listening to the council majority, saying perhaps they should be listening more to the public before making decisions.

He added the council is responsible for making its own agendas and could have put more priority on the issue.

“If you’re going to vote no … vote no, and let’s be done with it,” Shepherd said, noting the next council, to be newly constituted following the Nov. 8 election, could bring back the matter.

“I’m tired,” Shepherd said. “I really support this, and if it dies, it dies. I want it to live or die tonight, and not continue on life support.”

Councilor Jan Napack suggested amending the ordinance to make it voluntary and continuing to work on it with the next group of councilors, but she didn’t bring a specific motion and other councilors declined a brief recess for her to create one.   

The council expects to review the ordinance in a future work session, scheduled after new officials are seated. Mayor Biff Traber is stepping down, and two council seats were opened by mayoral candidates.

The new composition could send home energy scores in yet another direction. Unofficial election results put Briae Lewis ahead of Councilor Christina Jancila for downtown’s Ward 2. In previous interviews, Lewis expressed support for a mandatory energy score program, whereas Jancila worried about impacts on sellers who couldn’t afford upgrades to raise their scores.

Changes to representation in Ward 9 and mayor’s seat could also affect the outcome of future discussions, though it won’t be clear who has secured those positions until ranked choice voting results are released in early December.

A serpentine process

The City Council initially passed a mandatory energy score ordinance on a 5-4 vote in June. A second reading and vote were required because council members were not unanimous, divided over mandating the program.

In July, the council voted 5-3 to table the ordinance for more research on how a home energy score program would work in Corvallis. Traber and the three dissenting councilors pushed back against the delay at the time.

Councilors split again in September when the ordinance returned. Council President Hyatt Lytle stormed out of the meeting after Traber took issue with councilors for shirking their legislative duty. The council voted 5-4 to send the energy scores to the 2023 primary ballot instead of handling the issue.

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