SEPTEMBER, 2007 COUNCIL MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 13, 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.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Joanne Cvar addressed the Council regarding
"Radio on the Edge", asking for endorsement of a project to put in for a new FM
full-power, non-commercial, educational radio station. She noted that the group
needed to show the FCC that they have community support, and asked for a letter
of endorsement from the City.
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Councilor Hanes asked to have the back parking
lot and the area around the back door cleaned swept, as it was looking rather
neglected. Councilor Woodruff asked about the letter of support for Ms. Cvar,
and it was noted that this could be discussed under "Other Issues" (Item 11 F)
on the agenda. Mayor Welch stated that the Urban Renewal Agency recently had a
positive discussion with Matt Garrett, director of ODOT, about a number of
different issues, one of which was the upcoming Downtown Revitalization project.
That project would be starting by the end of September, and ODOT indicated they
would be meeting periodically with the business community to keep them informed
of the progress.
4. MINUTES: The Council considered the minutes from the August 9, 2007 meeting.
Councilor Kelly moved to approve the minutes. Councilor Cutter
seconded. Councilor Woodruff asked to add "for the Crestline and Range Drive
paving project" to the bid award language under "Other Issues". The motion to
accept the minutes, as amended, then carried unanimously on a voice vote
Sgt. Bill Vanderberg, Oregon State Police, addressed the
Council about tactical planning in regard to enforcement activities. The
department reviewed ODOT statistics and identified nine "problem" areas
thoughout the county, based on incidents, time of day, and time of year. The
troopers are allowed to review the data and decide where they want to focus
their discretionary patrol time. Sgt. Vanderberg stated that the area between
Milepost 147 to Milepost 155 is the primary area in the county for crashes,
fatalities and injuries. Discussion ensued. It was noted that the study could be
used legislatively to justify additional funding and additional personnel. Sgt.
Vanderberg noted that in 1985 there were 25 troopers, currently the department
only has 5 troopers, but he was hoping to raise that number to 12 in the next
three years. Mayor Welch suggested that they consider a "Lights On For Safety"
designation, and Sgt. Vanderberg responded that he would like to talk to ODOT
about that. It was also noted that Highway 34 is rising on the tactical zone
list due to two fatalities since March.
Councilor Woodruff suggested the Council consider the
endorsement of the radio station project. She moved to put in a letter of
support, signed by the Mayor in representation of the Council. Councilor Hanes
seconded. Following a brief discussion, the motion carried
unanimously on a voice vote.
6. PUBLIC HEARING - Supplemental Budget for FY 2007-2008: Mayor Welch opened the
public hearing. There were no comments. Mayor Welch then closed the public
hearing.
7. STAFF REPORTS:
A. City Manager: Ms. Leonard noted that the Planning
Commission has spent many months working on revisions to the Development Code.
The Council now needed to direct staff to schedule a public hearing to consider
those revisions. Councilor Cutter moved to direct staff to schedule a
public hearing. Councilor Hanes seconded, and the motion carried
unanimously on a voice vote. Ms. Leonard reported that Philomath had just
completed their Highway 34 Scenic Byway application, and she had sent a letter
of support on behalf of the City several weeks prior. In regard to the County
Board of Commissioner’s ballot measure to raise the County’s transient room tax
to 9%, Ms. Leonard assured the Council that this would not impact the City’s
room tax in any way.
B. Public Works Superintendent: Mr. McClung reported that the
Crestline and Range Drive paving project was completed, including the striping.
They were able to put in a double line on Crestline, and a fog line on the east
side, as had been requested. Mayor Welch noted that he was still getting
accolades from residents on Range Drive regarding the walking path. Mr. McClung
stated that the sludge lagoon project was nearly complete, with only a little
cleanup remaining.
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Mayor Welch noted that the Community Issues Forum would be
having a meeting later on this month.
9. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The Council considered the following items: Municipal
Court YTD report, Planner’s report, Planning Commission minutes from July, 2007,
and Library minutes and circulation report. A lengthy discussion ensued
regarding the Municipal Court report. Councilor Kelly asked to have Sheriff
Dotson come to address the Council regarding their concern about the number of
speeding tickets.
10. CONSENT CALENDAR: Ms. Leonard noted that the proclamation for the "Cruisin’
for Crab" festival had been distributed at the meeting. Councilor Cutter
moved to approve the Consent Calendar. Councilor Woodruff seconded,
and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
11. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
A. Presentation by Sgt. Bill Vanderberg, OSP: Previously
addressed.
B. Ordinance Amending Nuisance Ordinance: Ms. Leonard
explained that the current language required the Council to declare the nuisance
before anything could be done, but often time is of the essence in addressing
many nuisance violations. This revision would expedite the process. Following a
brief discussion, consensus of the Council was to revise the first line
of 8.08.120 (A) to read: "Upon determination by the Council, City Manager or
designee that a nuisance exists....". Hearing no objection from the Council,
Mayor Welch read Ordinance No. 715 by title only for the first and second
readings. Councilor Woodruff then moved to adopt Ordinance No. 715.
Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. Ms.
Leonard provided a brief update of the progress on the Mercantile building,
noting that she had met with the City Attorney to discuss the issue, and would
be following up with a letter to formally declare the property to be a nuisance
and begin the process of imposing sanctions.
C. Appointment of Planning Commissioner: Noting that
Commissioner Streeter had been absent for several consecutive meetings, and that
he had verbally indicated that he would be resigning, Councilor Cutter moved
to declare Mr. Streeter’s position vacant. Councilor Hanes seconded, and
the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. The City will send a
letter to Mr. Streeter, notifying him of the decision and thanking him for his
time of service. A letter of interest from Gregory Holland was included in the
packet materials, and Mr. Holland was present to answer any questions. Mayor
Welch noted that Mr. Holland appeared to be a worthy successor to the position.
Councilor Woodruff asked Mr. Holland for his opinion on Oregon land use laws. He
responded that he was impressed with the overall direction that Oregon had
taken, though he was still in the process of reviewing the impact that recent
legislation may have. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Hanes moved
to appoint Mr. Holland. Councilor Kelly seconded, and the motion
carried unanimously on a voice vote.
D. Disaster Emergency Supplies: Mayor Welch noted that from
his perspective the Disaster Preparedness group had made progress in the area of
understanding the need for supplies, and he felt it was important to move
forward to budget an allocation of at least $8000 and apply for the matching
funds of $2500. He estimated that would be the amount of money needed to supply
1000 people for a week. The other entities involved were working on various
issues such as storage facilities, but Mayor Welch noted that the school had
completed their supply shed and have purchased water barrels for preserved
water. If the money were budgeted now, it might be possible to purchase the
supplies in November or December. Fire Chief Derek Clawson addressed the Council
and gave a brief review of the activities of the group, noting that each entity
was planning to apply for the matching funds, then meet as a group to decide how
the monies would be spent. One thing that the group agreed on was the need for
multiple caches of supplies. COCFRD was planning on allocating monies to apply
for the matching funds for public supplies, as well as allocating money to
purchase supplies for their personnel, and Mr. Clawson noted that Yachats was
pursuing a similar course. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the amount of
money to be allocated, the type of supplies or equipment that could or should be
purchased, strategic location of emergency vehicles, and the storage locations.
Following the discussion, Councilor Campbell moved to allocate $2500 to
the Public Safety line item, from General Fund Contingency, to be used for
matching monies for the grant application. Councilor Woodruff seconded,
and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. At 4:25 p.m. the
Council took a five-minute break. The meeting resumed at 4:30 p.m.
E. Budget Resolution: Ms. Leonard explained the need for the
supplemental budget resolution. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Woodruff
moved to approve Resolution No. 1114. Councilor Campbell seconded,
and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
F. Other Issues: Previously addressed.
12. ADJOURNMENT: At 4:37 p.m., there being no further business to come before
the Council, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Reda A. Quinlan, City Clerk
APPROVED by the Waldport City Council this 9th day of
October, 2007.
SIGNED by the Council President this 9th day of October, 2007.
Susan Woodruff, Council President