PENDLETON — A year ago, the Pendleton City Council had a plan to inject $1 million into its street repair program with the intent of reversing decades of degradation in the city’s road system.

The Pendleton City Council mostly talked about why all these plans should go on hold. The council met Tuesday, Nov. 10, to go over its official list of goals, but talk focused on one topic.

“The real elephant in the room is what we’re going to do about streets,” Mayor John Turner said.

One of the centerpieces of the plan was a 4-cent gas tax, but 62% of voters rejected the proposal in May.

A council-backed, pro-gas tax political action committee ceased campaigning once the coronavirus started spreading in Umatilla County and the country went into an economic downturn. But the oil industry did not, distributing anti-gas tax material throughout the spring in an attempt to ensure the proposal’s defeat.

Save Our Streets, the pro-gas tax PAC, raised $6,570 in its abbreviated run, but Turner said he was disappointed the committee wasn’t able to raise something closer to $15,000 knowing its opponents were well-heeled.

With many businesses and families still struggling through the pandemic, there didn’t seem to be much appetite among the council to begin pursuing the gas tax again.

“I’m firmly convinced that it’s the smartest way to go, but I’m not sure that passing a gas tax is the way to go in the next 18 months,” Turner said, adding that the council could look at it again for 2022.

Other parts of the plan included a hotel room fee, a fee on tickets to large events and an increase to the street utility fee. But the climate created by COVID-19 seems like it will make implementation unlikely.

The pandemic and the ensuing restrictions imposed by the state to slow the virus’ spread have had a lasting effect on the tourism industry. With many of Pendleton’s large events like Round-Up and Pendleton Whisky Music Fest canceled or postponed, hotels have taken the brunt of the damage.

Councilor Dale Primmer said that even when a vaccine is issued and the effects of the pandemic start to lift, he doesn’t know how long it will take for visitors to be comfortable attending large events again.

“Culturally, it’s going to take a while even as the disease portion fades away,” he said.

While many of the city’s street funding ideas remain concepts or have fallen short, the city has been able to increase road maintenance revenue by approving new fees on utilities.

The council created the street utility fee in late 2015 and raised it in March, with most residents paying $8.50 per month on top of their usual utility bill.

But like the other ideas, there didn’t seem to be much appetite for going back to that well for more money.

One bright spot for street funding is the city’s decision to use $1.5 million in urban renewal funds for street repair. While the city is restricted to using the funds for streets in downtown Pendleton and some of the surrounding area, Turner said it could help fund projects across the city by freeing up money in other parts of the budget.