FEBRUARY 15, 2007

1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Mayor Welch called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. Mayor Welch and Councilors Kelly, Hanes, Woodruff, Campbell and Cutter answered the roll. A quorum was present.
    Mayor Welch asked to move the Sheriff’s report up on the agenda to accommodate a presentation. There were no objections. Katie Woosley & Sydney Alfano provided a Powerpoint presentation entitled "No Need For Speed", done by the Waldport High School Executive Council and the Waldport Highschool Artistic Coalition, and sponsored by State Farm Insurance Company. The Council complimented them on their presentation.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: John Maré expressed concern that the roads, trails and walkways being proposed for the new developments remain accessible to the public. Ms. Leonard assured him that the developers are publicly dedicating those easement and accesses.
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Mayor Welch noted receipt of a letter regarding a proposal to conduct a landscape architectural design studio entitled "High Water, High Ground", which would involve having students survey and interview the community to create an historic inventory. Following a brief discussion, consensus of the Council was favorable. Mayor Welch also noted he had emailed a "State of the City" address to the Council members, and with their approval he would provide a copy to the media. Councilor Hanes reported that at the last Library Board meeting it was asked if it would be possible to remove the yellow-painted "no parking" zone along the western edge of the library property, to allow for additional parking. Public works will take care of the issue. Councilor Hanes also wondered if the street sweeper ever goes down Starr Street, and Mr. McClung indicated he would check the schedule. Councilor Woodruff mentioned that the Siletz Tribe had recently given a grant to the Central Coast Fire and Rescue District for the purchase of fire hose, and had been pleased to receive a nice thank-you in return. She suggested the City do the same for the grant given to the Library, and Ms. Leonard noted she would do so. Councilor Cutter expressed concern regarding the intersection of Crestline and Cedar Street, which is currently a two-way stop. With the new house being built on the corner, he suggested the City take a look at making it a three-way stop, with a sign on Crestline to prevent through traffic heading south or making a left turn onto Cedar from doing so without stopping.
4. MINUTES: The Council considered the minutes from the January 11 and January 25, 2007 meetings. Councilor Kelly moved to approve the minutes as presented. Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
5. STAFF REPORTS:
    A. Sheriff: Previously presented.
    B. City Manager: Ms. Leonard noted that Deputy Bruster has come up with a detailed activity report that will be provided to the City on a regular basis. A copy will be placed in the Council Chambers for review. Dahl Disposal responded favorably to the suggestion for a downtown glass recycling station and have located two possible areas, either at Ray’s Food Place or the Fire Hall. Ms. Leonard is continuing to work on obtaining an easement to the parcel of donated property north of town. In regard to the Mercantile building, the Fire District has written a letter to the owner, advising him that there is a heavy fire load (garbage, etc.), and asking him to take care of the situation immediately. If no action is taken, the City will need to follow up with a citation into Municipal Court, or fines, or other actions allowed by the Code. Ms. Leonard noted that the City issued an RFP for auditing services, as it is good policy to do so every five years or so. Six applications have been received, and staff is busy checking references and the State Board of Auditors. A selection should be made in the next couple of weeks. In response to a query from Councilor Hanes, Ms. Leonard noted that no letters of interest have been received for the vacant Council position. Mayor Welch noted that in regard to the speed ramp petition from Peterson Park, he had reviewed the area with Sheriff Bruster and saw two potential areas where a ramp might be effective. Mr. McClung will obtain a cost estimate for the ramps, and the issue will be referred to the Traffic Safety Committee for review.
    C. Public Works: Mr. McClung reported that ODOT was supposed to be bringing in Jersey barriers for the southwest corner of Norwood Drive and Highway 101 to catch the rocks and debris. Public Works will be out the week before, cleaning debris and removing brush and trees from the hillside. The rain puddle in the crosswalk near the Moose Lodge will be taken care of by sawing the pavement and notching it for drainage. Completing the bulbout in that area will also help to ensure that the problem does not recur. Councilor Kelly noted that after Public Works removed some trees at the intersection of Ball Boulevard and Crestline Drive, he noticed a fence had bowed in. Mr. McClung indicated that the condition had been preexisting, but not as noticeable until the trees were cut down.
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
    CIF: Both Mayor Welch and Councilor Woodruff had attended the last meeting, where County Commissioner Bill Hall led a discussion on homelessness and affordable housing in Lincoln County.
    Councilor Campbell indicated he had attended the last Chamber of Commerce meeting, and had a question in regard to the use of the room tax monies apportioned to the Chamber by the City. Staff explained that the money was to be used for promotional purposes, but there is no requirement that the monies be spent in a particular time frame or for a particular purpose.
    Councilor Hanes stated that she had assured the Library Board that the Urban Renewal monies would be dispersed as promised. Ms. Leonard confirmed, noting that some of those funds have already been expended. It was also noted that the Library Board deserved a great deal of credit for moving the remodel project forward.
    Ms. Leonard noted an item had been inadvertently omitted from her report. It has been ascertained that the tsunami siren in Old Town is frozen in place - it goes off as it should, but no longer turns. It will cost about $3500 to repair, and she noted that the other two will probably need similar repairs in the future. It was suggested that she check with the PUD to see if they could help with the project, which may reduce the cost. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Hanes moved to have Ms. Leonard look into making the required repairs. Councilor Campbell seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
9. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The Library Board minutes and circulation report were included in the packet materials. No action was necessary.
10. CONSENT CALENDAR: There were no items.
11. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
    A. Consideration of Budget Resolution: Ms. Leonard explained that an updated version of the resolution had been distributed at the meeting. She noted that the City would be getting a better rate than expected on the USDA loan, which will save the City approximately $250,000 over the life of the loan. Councilor Kelly moved to approve Resolution No. 1102. Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    B. Appointment to Planning Commission: Ms. Leonard stated that she had worked with John Maré on a number of committees, and felt he would be an asset to the Planning Commission as well. Councilor Woodruff moved to appoint Mr. Maré as Planning Commissioner. Councilor Hanes seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
    C. Council Committees & Board Memberships: Ms. Leonard reviewed her memo. A brief discussion ensued regarding maintaining Infrastructure Planning and Finance and Administration as standing committees, or if ad hoc committees could be appointed to review issues. Councilor Woodruff moved to remove the two standing committees and amend the Council Rules to reflect the change. Councilor Kelly seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Consensus of the Council was to continue the Traffic and Public Safety Committee, as Ms. Leonard pointed out it was necessary to have such a committee in place in order to qualify for grant monies. Councilor Hanes indicated her willingness to chair the committee, and Mayor Welch appointed her as such, instructing her to seek new members. Councilor Cutter asked to join the committee as well.
    D. Discussion Re Meeting Time: Ms. Leonard reviewed her memo, noting that the change in time does not seem to present a hardship, and appears to better accommodate people with disabilities or who cannot attend night meetings. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Campbell moved to make the time change permanent. Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Councilor Woodruff commented that it had been nice to see an audience attending for the past several meetings.
    E. Other Issues: Mayor Welch reported that he had attended a meeting last week with representatives from the School District and the Fire District to talk about supplying the refugee center at the grade school. They are looking at the costs for storing several days worth of food and water. He will bring more information to the next Council meeting.
12. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Not needed.
13. ACTIONS, IF ANY, FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION: None.
14. ADJOURNMENT: At 3:25 p.m., there being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned.