MARCH 13, 2008
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, Cutter and Havens answered the roll. A quorum was present.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: John Maré addressed the Council regarding
wrecked cars and whether they could be removed from property in the City. He
wondered if progress has been made in regard to this issue, and whether there
was a process in place for identifying such vehicles. City Manager Leonard noted
that letters are sent to property owners in violation, and noted that there are
complaint forms available to be filled out if someone notices abandoned vehicles
or other Code violations.
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: None.
4. MINUTES: The Council considered the minutes from the February 14 and February
21 Council meetings. Councilor Kelly moved to approve the minutes as
presented. Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried
unanimously on a voice vote.
5. CORRESPONDENCE: None.
6. PUBLIC HEARING(S): None.
7. CITY MANAGER REPORT: Ms. Leonard reported that the emergency supplies have
been ordered and will be delivered to the Crestview Elementary School. There
will be some fencing installed around the generator on Range Drive for aesthetic
purposes. The South Sewer project is moving forward, with the City’s engineer
working on the LID report for the Council’s review. Councilor Hanes asked about
the Highway 101 project and Ms. Leonard responded that they were still on
schedule, and would be starting work on the east side shortly. They are
hopefully going to start pouring the sidewalks on the west side in the next week
or so, depending on weather. Councilor Cutter asked about the bulbout on Highway
34 and Ms. Leonard noted that the same contractor that did the sidewalk on Cedar
Street would be completing that bulbout, but a week of dry weather was needed
before the project can be done.
8. COMMITTEE REPORT: Councilor Hanes noted that the Traffic and Public Safety
Committee had met, and had discussed the Peterson Park speeding situation. The
citizens attending the meeting expressed their concerns about the situation, and
the Committee offered suggestions for gathering additional information, such as
taking down license numbers and vehicle descriptions. The Sheriff’s Department
is considering whether they can provide some radar "guns" and train persons in
how to use them. The additional information will then be considered by the
Traffic and Safety Committee prior to making a recommendation to the City
Council. The Committee will meet again in June to discuss this issue, and also
to talk about educational concepts for tsunami preparedness.
9. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The Council considered the City Planner report, Library
minutes and circulation report, and the minutes from the Lincoln County Public
Safety Council. No action was needed.
10. CONSENT CALENDAR: No items.
11. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
A. Lincoln County Aquatic Center Request for Approval to Form
District: Katherine Pedersen addressed the Council regarding this request and
provided a Power Point presentation. Jeff Bertuleit, Newport
City Councilor, also addressed the Council, noting that the current pool is
fully utilized, with no time slots open. The proposed multi-use pool will
increase overall usage, with the additional size and varying types of
facilities. A lengthy discussion ensued, regarding how the proposed tax amount
had been calculated, the advantages of membership, project cost, budgeting,
funding, accessibility, location, and the effect of the tax on compression. It
was noted that if the tax is approved by the voters, collection would begin in
July of 2009. Councilor Campbell moved to approve Resolution No. 1119,
Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried, with Mayor
Welch and Councilors Kelly, Campbell, Cutter and Havens voting "Aye", Councilors
Woodruff and Hanes voting "Nay".
B. Planning Commission Vacancy: Ms. Leonard stated that a
resignation had been received from Commissioner Balen, so there were two
vacancies on the Planning Commission. Following a brief discussion, Councilor
Woodruff moved to appoint both Sherrie Smolen and Charles Johnston to the
Planning Commission. Councilor Cutter seconded, and the motion carried
unanimously on a voice vote.
C. Endorsement for County to Collect School Excise Tax:
Councilor Woodruff moved to take the issue off the table and to approve
the endorsement of the County collecting the excise on behalf of Waldport.
Councilor Kelly seconded. Discussion ensued. Councilors Hanes and Cutter
wondered why the issue was brought to the Council and Ms. Leonard explained that
it was at the request of one of the County Commissioners, who thought the cities
should have the option of collecting the tax themselves rather than having the
County collect it. Councilor Woodruff restated her concern about the impact on
low income housing. Ms. Leonard noted that the School Board has postponed their
adoption of the resolution until April, and they will be meeting at the
Crestview school. She will distribute the notice of the meeting, so Councilors
can attend the meeting and make their concerns known. The Council also asked Ms.
Leonard to send the endorsement with a letter clarifying that the Council was
not endorsing the tax, just authorizing the County to collect the tax. The
motion to approve the endorsement then carried, with Mayor Welch and
Councilors Kelly, Hanes, Woodruff, Campbell and Havens voting "Aye", Councilor
Cutter voting "Nay".
D. Draft Agreement re Logging Operations: Seth Sanders,
Engineer for Forest Services, was present to address the Council regarding the
agreement. He explained that they were asking consideration on allowing the
operations to begin at 5:00 a.m. rather than 7:00 a.m., as the mill in Willamina
is only open from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If the trucks have to wait until 7:00
a.m., the operation may have to be extended several weeks. A lengthy discussion
ensued. The Council noted that the citizens in Peterson Park were already
concerned about speed and pedestrian traffic, and will certainly not be pleased
about having to allow logging trucks to use their street, so it would be
difficult to expect them to tolerate an earlier start time as well. Ms. Leonard
explained that the company had spent considerable time researching alternatives,
but had concluded that Merten Drive provided the only reasonable access. The
City Attorney and she had drafted the agreement to address the numerous issues
related to the logging activity, and she would also be forwarding the
statutorial language to the Council to assist them in answering citizen
questions. The company would be responsible for notifying the residents of the
starting dates and also of any significant delays. The Council suggested that
the company also set up a meeting with the residents, and Mr. Sanders indicated
that this could be done as part of the notification process. Councilor Cutter
moved to approve the agreement, with the stipulation that the starting time
be at 7:00 a.m. Councilor Havens seconded, and the motion carried
unanimously on a voice vote.
E. Law Enforcement Review: Mayor Welch explained that he had
asked this item to be put on the agenda for discussion, as it was a major
expenditure of the City. Discussion ensued about performance review, reports,
and the feasibility of increasing hours in conjunction with Yachats. Ms. Leonard
was asked to add large vehicle inspection to the next contract, as Deputy
Gulbranson had certification to do this. It was suggested that Sheriff Dotson be
invited to the next Council meeting, and that the Council forward any questions
and concerns to Ms. Leonard prior to the meeting.
F. Other Issues: Mayor Welch noted that he and Councilor
Havens had attended the disaster preparedness meeting in Yachats, and found it
to be interesting and informative. Councilor Cutter noted the presence of a
couple of trailers in his neighborhood that were parked on the street in
violation of the City’s Code, and asked that the City Planner check them out.
Councilor Woodruff noted that the Planning Commission minutes had not been
included in the packet, and staff indicated that they would be in the packet for
the next meeting.
12. ADJOURNMENT: At 4:38 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 10th day of April, 2008.
SIGNED by the Mayor this 10th day of April, 2008.
Herman Welch, Mayor