DECEMBER, 2003 MINUTES:

DECEMBER 4, 2003

1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Mayor Beckstead called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Beckstead and Councilors Peterson, Welch, Eder and Church answered the roll. Councilor Abbott arrived at 7:02 p.m. Councilor Woodruff was absent, a quorum was present.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Eugenia Papas addressed the Council regarding the proposed gazebo at Keady Wayside. She expressed concerns about the cost and the design. Her other concern was in regard to the increase in franchise fees. She quoted the article in the paper regarding the "awesome" state of the City's finances according to the audit. She asked that any future increases take into consideration the impact on the customer.
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Councilor Peterson noted that he had been upset by a complaint voiced by a subcontractor at a previous Council meeting, but has since learned that the City had acted appropriately. He extended his apology to Ms. Leonard and City staff for any implication of wrong-doing. Councilor Abbott reported on the recent workshop in Eugene, and suggested scheduling a time to work on long-range planning. Following a brief discussion, it was determined that a date would be set sometime in early 2004. Councilor Church asked about the status of the front parking spaces at Clark’s Market and whether they were considered public parking. It was noted that an agreement had been drafted at the time the parking on Highway 101 was eliminated in front of that lot, but the agreement had never been signed. Following discussion, it was determined that Ms. Leonard could contact the owners regarding the issue. Mayor Beckstead reported that the first Crestline Park cleanup was successful, they collected about 7 bags of garbage which Dahl’s Disposal accepted without charge. The cleanups will continue on an as-needed basis.
4. MINUTES: The Council considered the minutes from the November 6, 2003 meeting. Councilor Peterson moved to approve the minutes as presented. Councilor Eder seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None.
6. STAFF REPORTS:
    A. Sheriff: No representative. Mayor Beckstead reported on a recent meeting with Sheriff Dodson, noting that they had a good dialogue about the concerns of the City.
    B. City Administrator: Ms. Leonard stated that she and Sheriff Dodson have set up regular monthly meetings, scheduled prior to the Council meetings, and will also email or call with concerns at any time. She thanked the News Times for their correction on the article regarding the audit. Ms. Leonard noted that the next regular Council meeting date would be January 1, and indicated that official approval would be appropriate if the Council wished to change the date. Consensus of the Council was to move the regular meeting to January 8, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
    C. City Attorney: No report.
    D. Public Works Director: Mr. McClintock reported recent vandalism at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and indicated that the same persons may be responsible for damage to the lawn at the LDS Church and damage to a fence at the Elementary School. The annual flushing of the water system has been completed and all valves and hydrants were exercised. The crew was doing a lot of repair and maintenance on the collections system, especially pump stations. Mr. McClintock noted that the little I & I in the system after the recent rains had helped disperse the hydrogen sulfide and methane gasses which had built up at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Also, the City was no longer pumping out of Eckman Creek. A meeting had been tentatively scheduled with the City Engineers for January, to get an update and status report on the South Sewer Project. It appears to be right on schedule, and the City was anticipating going out to bid in the spring, with the work to be done next summer. The City has finally received the ODOT permit for the sidewalk on Highway 34 and the work will happen when the weather clears. The crew has put up the holiday tree at Veteran’s Park, with the help of Ray’s Food Place and other volunteers. Councilor Eder asked about the work on Crestline Drive and Mr. McClintock responded that the City was still on the paving schedule, they were just waiting for a break in the weather.
    E. City Planner: No report.
7. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
    A. Finance and Administration: No meeting.
    B. Infrastructure Planning: No meeting.
    C. Parks and Recreation: Ms. Leonard noted that the vacancy has been advertised, and a notice has also been put out for a youth member. She reviewed the recent meeting with COG, and they are working on an inventory of current facilities and updating the Parks Master Plan. There will be one more meeting to get the information together, and the public meetings will start in 2004.
    D. Traffic and Safety Committee: Though there hadn’t been a committee meeting, Councilor Welch reported that he had attended the recent meeting with ODOT and the Mill Street merchants regarding the left-turn prohibition. He indicated that it was a positive meeting, and there were a couple of potential solutions. The City should hear something from ODOT in a couple weeks.
    E. Economic Development: No meeting.
    F. South County Livability Issues Group: No meeting.
    G. Youth Report: No representative present.
8. CONSENT CALENDAR: The Council considered the City Engineer bill for the month of October. Councilor Welch moved to approve the Consent Calendar. Councilor Peterson seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
9. CORRESPONDENCE: The Council considered the letter from the County Commissioners regarding proposed dates for the next joint meeting. No preference was indicated.
10. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
    A. Adoption of Audit for FY 2002-2003: Councilor Peterson moved to approve the audit as presented. Councilor Eder seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    B. Consideration of Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with ODOT for Transportation Enhancement Grant: Ms. Leonard explained the latest changes in dollar amounts, and indicated that the City Attorney has reviewed and signed off on the agreement. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Welch moved to approve the IGA with the updated dollar amounts. Councilor Church seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    C. Other Issues: Ms. Leonard explained that the Surplus Property Resolution was an additional item which had been distributed to the Council at the meeting. Mr. McClintock reported that the new truck has been purchased, and he would like to surplus the old truck as quickly as possible. Councilor Welch moved to adopt Resolution No. 1051. Councilor Church seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    Councilor Church asked if Norwood Drive was included in the IGA. Ms. Leonard explained that this was not part of the project. However, the City plans on applying for Scenic Byways grant money, or possibly utilizing Urban Renewal Monies. Mr. McClintock noted that the City will be doing the waterline replacement on Highway 101 in 2004, and will be relocating hydrants closer to the sidewalk but still in the right-of-way. This will not have any impact on the downtown project. Councilor Church asked about decorative hydrants, Mr. McClintock explained that they are trying to standardize the style of hydrant used throughout town but the ones they are planning to install are not decorative. Councilor Welch asked if the undergrounding of utilities was still part of the project, and Ms. Leonard confirmed.
12. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Not needed.
13. ACTIONS, IF ANY, FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION: None.
14. ADJOURNMENT: At 7:46 p.m., there being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned.