MAY, 2006 COUNCIL MINUTES

MAY 4, 2006

1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: In the absence of Mayor Beckstead, Council President Welch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Council President Welch and Councilors Kelly, Hanes, Woodruff and Campbell answered the roll. Mayor Beckstead and Councilor Church were excused. A quorum was present.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Genie Papas addressed the Council regarding citizen’s concerns she has heard throughout town. These concerns included issues such as demographics, charitable donations by the City, rates for water and sewer, the reclaimed water project for the golf course, the appearance of the skatepark, supervision of children at the parks, street conditions, fees, and animal control. Jackie Wolfe addressed the Council regarding the Natural Step program, inviting interested members to attend a presentation at the Hatfield Marine Science Center on June 8. The program promotes self-sufficiency, pursuing alternatives to fuel and other methods for lessening the impact on natural resources.
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Councilor Woodruff noted that the Downtown Development Zone code revisions are being forwarded to the City Council from the Planning Commission. She hoped that some sort of analysis will accompany the information to assist in understanding the impact of the proposed parking requirements. Ms. Leonard suggested scheduling a workshop to review the information prior to the public hearing. Councilor Kelly noted the speed monitors have been installed, and it appears that people are responding to their presence. Councilor Welch mentioned that a recent recommendation from the Cascades West Council of Governments Transportation Committee was to allocate about $650,000 to begin air transportation to this area, which was exciting news for the entire county.
4. MINUTES: The Council considered the minutes from the April 6, 2006 meeting. Councilor Kelly moved to approve the minutes as presented. Councilor Campbell seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
5. STAFF REPORTS:
    A. Sheriff: Deputy Miller addressed the Council, and reviewed the activities of the department in the previous month. He noted that the officers were working under a seatbelt grant and handing out quite a number of citations. Councilor Kelly expressed concern about whether offenders actually spend any time in jail and Deputy Miller responded that all but one of the adult arrests in the previous month had been jailed, though the length of time they spent there was unknown. Juvenile arrests were either released to parents or referred to the Juvenile Department. It was noted that Deputy Miller had received a Crime Victim’s Advocate award for his work with victims.
    B. City Manager: Ms. Leonard noted that the Planning Commission did approve the code revisions to be forwarded to the City Council. Consensus of the Council was to have Ms. Leonard schedule a workshop in May. Another recommendation from the Planning Commission was in regard to having a transportation study done on the area between Starr Street and Range Drive on Highway 101, to assist in long-range planning for development of that area. She noted that ODOT should be interested in helping with the study, and the City Planner is looking to see if grant money might be available from DLCD as well. In regard to the recent condominium proposal on Yaquina John Point, Ms. Leonard noted the appeal period was almost over, but reminded the Council that the applicants could still put in an application that met the Code criteria and would not have to go through a public hearing process. She had looked into the MHHW line, which has not changed and was still 7.7' of elevation. Discussion ensued regarding making a different requirement for the density calculation, which would not allow for vertical property to be considered in calculating the gross lot area. Councilor Woodruff moved to forward the issue to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation. Councilor Hanes seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Ms. Leonard noted that Derek Hoyt has begun submittal of his annexation requests, and the issue may be coming to the City Council in June. Councilor Welch asked about the status of the Mercantile building and Ms. Leonard stated that the owner had not directly contacted the City yet, but she had heard he expressed interest in the idea of the Urban Renewal Agency making an offer to purchase the property under threat of condemnation. The Council requested that Ms. Leonard keep them advised.
    C. Public Works Superintendent: Mr. McClung noted that the traffic monitors are installed and can download information from each site. On the first day, 1000 cars crossed the seawall heading north. The highest percentage of the vehicles were right at the speed limit, with only one or two clocked at 55 mph. Public Works was coordinating with the Sheriff’s Department for optimal locations for the portable monitor. The Council noted that Highway 101 on the weekends and near the seawall going south were two particular areas that needed monitoring. Councilor Welch mentioned the commending letter from Mr. Corrinet regarding Mr. McClung that was included in the packet materials. Mr. McClung reported that the crew would be doing some work at Keady Wayside to remove the stumps and roots from the winter’s storms. The pump for the South Sewer project that has been giving problems should be taken care of in the next couple of weeks. Mr. McClung informed the Council that a large tree had fallen at the Public Works shop, completely totaling one employee’s car, badly damaging his car, and slightly damaging a third vehicle. The wind had blown the tree down, and the property owner is contacting their insurance company to see what can be done. Councilor Welch noted that during the recent budget meeting the issue was raised about the potential cost for refinishing the streets affected by the South Sewer project. He asked if Mr. McClung would find out the least cost for bringing those streets back to their original condition. Mr. McClung said that he was working on this, and that Road and Driveway will be filling the potholes and gouges.
6. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Councilor Welch attended the last CIF meeting, which was a review of potential ways to improve tourism on the coast.
7. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The Council considered the following items: Library minutes and circulation report, Municipal Court report, Planning Commission minutes from March 28, 2006, and the Planning report. There were no comments.
9. CONSENT CALENDAR: The Council considered proclamations for Emergency Medical Services Week, the Great Garage Sale, and Older Americans Month. Russ Harper from PacWest noted appreciation for the Council’s support of emergency services and presented the City with a plaque of appreciation. Chief Vince Stafford from Central Oregon Coast Fire and Rescue District also thanked the Council for their support, and then gave a brief report regarding recent activities in the City, including the drunk driving presentation at the school and an update on the Five Rivers station. He noted that a request was being reviewed by Darlene Hooley regarding a turn lane at the Forest Service property, which should be kept in mind while doing the transportation plan for that area. Mr. Stafford also invited the Council to a demonstration of the new air ambulance service that would take place on May 9. Councilor Campbell moved to approve the Consent Calendar. Councilor Woodruff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
10. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
    A. Street Vacation Request: Ms. Leonard explained the unintentional encroachment on the right of way on Alder Street next to Meridian Park, and the process that the property owner had gone through to correct the problem. She noted the offer from Mr. Remmers to donate $5,000 to the Park Fund to be used at Meridian Park. Councilor Campbell moved to approve proceeding with the vacation process. Councilor Kelly seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    B. Annexation Request: Ms. Leonard explained that these properties were included in the South Sewer LID, but had coordinated with Public Works to enable them to hook up to existing sewer in the area. In order to receive the service, the properties had to be annexed. Hearing no objections, Council President Welch read Ordinance #707 for the first and second times by title only. Councilor Woodruff moved to adopt Ordinance #707 as read. Councilor Hanes seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    C. Council Meeting Time: Ms. Leonard explained that the issue has floated around for a while, and she had individually polled to see if the Council would like to consider a change. Meeting times are not set by the charter, it only requires that the Council meet once a month. She noted that Yachats had changed from evening meetings to daytime meetings, and had not noticed any decrease in citizen participation. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of the issue. Councilor Hanes moved to table the issue to the next Council meeting to allow for citizen input. Councilor Woodruff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
    D. Other issues: None.
11. GOOD OF THE ORDER: Nothing further.
12. ADJOURNMENT: At 8:35 p.m., there being nothing further to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned.

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