The regular meeting was called to order by Mayor Young at 7:30 p.m. Mayor Young delivered the invocation and led the flag salute.

COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:

Mayor Cheryl A. Young

Councilor Bob Schmor

Councilor Marian Calnon

Councilor Bill Guy

COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:

Councilor Gary Hudson

ALSO PRESENT:

Micah Olson, Public Works Superintendent

Leahnette Rivers, City Administrator/Recorder

ATTORNEY PRESENT:

None

A quorum was present and due notice had been published.

AGENDA ITEM 2 PUBLIC HEARINGS: None.

AGENDA ITEM 3 CITIZEN INPUT: James E. Hays of Columbia City said City ordinances state that trucks cannot be parked on public right-of-way with the exception of being actively unloaded. Mr. Hays said he moved to the area of Pacific Street in August of 2002, and there are truck drivers residing in two of the houses located across the street from him. He said the problem is that one of the truck drivers brings his rig in and parks it on the street and lets it sit there for 30 minutes to an hour. He said the first night he and his wife spent in their new house in Columbia City, this same individual started his truck at 4:30 a.m. and let it run for about an hour. He said the noise from the truck was disturbing, and the diesel smoke was filling his house and aggravating his health issues. Mr. Hays said he and his wife love this community, but this has been an ongoing problem and this individual does not seem to care, even though he has been issued citations. Mr. Hays said this individual continues to violate the law. Mr. Hays said he called to report that this individual had his truck parked on Pacific Street just a few days ago, and the police officer drove right by the violation and did nothing about it, even though he has issued this man a citation before. He said this is a residential neighborhood, not a commercial enterprise area. Mr. Hays said the Officer told him that he would be talking to the Judge about the violation.

Mr. Hays said there is also a City ordinance prohibiting the use of Jake brakes in town, yet there are no signs posted, and he hears them all of the time. Mr. Hays said he was in the trucking business himself, and he would never use his Jake brake in a residential community. He said this has been an ongoing problem that should be addressed and taken care of.

Lewis Castro of Columbia City said he would like to complain about the very same problems. Mr. Castro said Jake brakes are for use in the mountains, not in towns. He said they can be very loud.

Mr. Castro said his neighbor's truck weighs 105,000 pounds. He said he cannot cross the Sauvie Island Bridge, and he cannot drive on a lot of roads in Oregon, Washington and California. Yet he can drive on Pacific Street, and the new section of Fifth Street, and that is not right. He said his neighbor's wife suggested the City should issue her husband a pass so he can park his truck on the street. Mr. Castro said he was in the trucking business for years, and removing a two-by-four from a truck, or taking your laundry into the house, does not constitute "unloading" as intended by the ordinance. He said the ordinance is very clear, and this problem should not be continuing. He said his neighbors told the City Council that there are 8 or 10 trucks in their neighborhood on a regular basis. Mr. Castro said that other than delivery trucks, he has only seen two trucks in his neighborhood, and they are the ones owned by his two neighbors.

Leahnette Rivers explained that a citation was issued to the owner of the truck several months ago, and he did appear in court. She said his fine was refunded by the Judge, and he was put on probation for a period of one year. She said when the officer was on his way to City Hall to discuss this complaint with City staff, he passed the truck, which was parked on Pacific Street with its headlights on and the engine running. She said the City Council has not yet imposed a load limit on Pacific Street. She said the Officer did make contact with each person that had called to complain, and he also contacted the truck driver. She said the truck was moved within about 20 or 30 minutes, and staff is currently checking with the Judge to find out how this activity might affect the truck driver's probation. Leahnette noted that this is the first complaint she has received about this activity since the truck driver appeared in court.

Mr. Hays said the truck driver continues to park on Pacific Street for periods of 30 minutes to an hour on a fairly regular basis.

Leahnette suggested Mr. Hays and Mr. Castro contact City Hall when the truck is parked on the street so that the activity can be logged.

Regarding Jake brakes, Leahnette explained that the City has made several attempts during the last 10 years or so to obtain permission from ODOT to place signs on Highway 30 that prohibit the use of Jake brakes. She said she will check again with ODOT regarding the placement of signs.

4.1 Parks Committee: Chair Calnon said Jim Shinkle refurbished the park bench in Harvard Park, and it is really beautiful. She said the Parks Committee is ready to order bark dust for the walkways in Bundy Memorial Park. She said the trilliums are in full bloom right now.

4.2 Water Source and Development Committee: Chair Guy said the bids for the 1.0 million gallon reservoir construction project are due on the 8th of April, and will be opened at 2:00 p.m. He said the Water Committee will meet on April 14th.

The Council and staff discussed various aspects of the City's water system and water projects at length with Mr. Hays.

Leahnette Rivers recommended the City hire a water rate consultant to review the issues City staff has raised with the St. Helens Water Rate Cost of Service Study. She said she has talked with three consultants, and will obtain proposals if the Council is in favor of this next step. It was the consensus of the Council that proposals be obtained for this work.

Leahnette Rivers said our water loss is up over 30% again. She said Public Works staff members have repaired several leaks during the past months, but the water loss continues to be above 30%. She suggested the City hire a leak detection company because our crews have not been able to locate any other leaks, and the warm weather is on its way. Micah Olson said American Leak Detection has provided a quote of $100 per hour, and USA Leak Detection has submitted a quote for $950 per day. He recommended we hire USA Leak Detection to complete the work based upon their outstanding past performance.

MOVED (GUY), SECONDED (SCHMOR) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO HIRE USA LEAK DETECTION AS RECOMMENDED BY MICAH OLSON.

4.3 Streets Committee: Leahnette Rivers reported that the City did not receive funding for the Highway 30 Enhancement Project. She said ODOT received 80 applications, and 34 applications survived the technical review. She said she has requested additional details about the rejection of our application.

4.4 Sewer Committee: Micah Olson reported that the back-up pump for the River Club Estates lift station has been ordered. He said the City is still monitoring the hydrogen sulfide levels, but they have not arrived at any conclusions because they are still gathering data.

4.5 Other Reports: None.

5.1 Approval of the Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of March 20, 2003.

MOVED (SCHMOR), SECONDED (CALNON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

Leahnette Rivers said she and Micah Olson recently met with Russ and Joan Thackery to review the proposal to cut off certain areas of curb and add gravel shoulders along the "M" Street extension. Leahnette reviewed a diagram showing the area to be modified with the Council. She said Mr. and Mrs. Thackery are in agreement with the proposal, which calls for cutting curbs along the north side of "M" Street, and along the east and west sides of "M" Street, and lowering two meter boxes and replacing them with traffic-rated meter boxes. She said gravel shoulder would be added in the right-of-way area to the north of "M" Street, and on both the east and west sides of "M" Street. She said the work is expected to be completed by June 30th. Micah Olson will obtain a quote from another contractor that cuts concrete.

The Council reviewed a memo dated April 1, 2003, from Leahnette Rivers regarding proposed increases to the Community Hall rental fees. The Council discussed the proposed fee schedule at length. It was the consensus of the Council that the proposed fees be modified to read as follows:

Leahnette said a public hearing for the fee increase will be scheduled for the May 15, 2003, City Council meeting.

The Council reviewed a quote from WWS Builders, Inc., for repairs to the front of the Community Hall. Leahnette Rivers explained that the extent of the dry rot damage behind the siding is unknown at this time. She said the contractors she has talked with, along with the City's Building Official, are cautioning that the dry rot repairs may cost up to twice as much as the repairs to the siding, the porch, and the pillars. She said the severity of the dry rot damage cannot be determined until the lap siding is removed from the front of the building. The Council discussed various repair and design options at length with staff. Leahnette said additional quotes will be obtained, and she'll know more about the City's ability to pay for the necessary repairs as she gets further into the budget process.

The Council reviewed a memo dated April 1, 2003, from Leahnette Rivers regarding a citizen request that an amendment be made to include paint balls guns as a prohibited weapon under the Discharge of Weapons section of Ordinance No. 516. Council discussed the request at length with staff. It was the consensus of the Council that the citizen be invited to discuss the reasons for his request with the Council.

This item was postponed until the next City Council meeting.

OAWU Board Member: Micah Olson said he has been appointed to complete a term on the Oregon Association of Water Utilities Board. He said his appointment will require travel to a board meeting on a monthly or bimonthly basis. He said it is an excellent educational opportunity because the board is involved in a lot of policy making and legislative issues. He said Jim Bundy and George LeMont were also active in the organization and served on the board. He asked Council if they would support his time on the board, or if they would prefer he travel on his own time.

Leahnette Rivers recommended Micah use the City truck for his travel to avoid mileage charges.

MOVED (CALNON), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO SUPPORT MICAH OLSON'S PARTICIPATION ON THE OAWU BOARD.

Pacific Terrace II: Micah Olson reported that Mr. Booker recently told him that Pacific Terrace II has been sold to a competitor of Arbor Homes, and the new developer may pull all 41 building permits at one time. Micah noted that some of the septic tanks don't fit in the easement area, and Mr. Weigandt will need to provide additional easements to cover the tanks.

Columbia County Council of Senior Citizens (CCCSC), Inc.: Mayor Young reviewed letters dated March 18, 2003, from Merri A. Reamer, Executive Director for CCCSC, with the Council. In the letters, Ms. Reamer requested financial support from Columbia City for their Housekeeping, Information & Assistance, and Outreach programs, as well as for ColCo Public Transportation. The Council discussed the requests at length. It was the consensus of the Council that Ms. Reamer be asked to supply additional information to the Council about specific services provided to Columbia City residents, including rates, in order for the requests to be considered.

Engineering Fees: The Council reviewed an explanation from Matt Hickey of Murray, Smith and Associates (MSA) regarding additional design engineering fees in the amount of $9200. It was the consensus of the Council that the explanation was acceptable and the additional fees be paid to MSA as requested.

Inflationary Adjustment for Water and Sewer System Development Charges: The Council reviewed a memo dated April 1, 2003, from Leahnette Rivers regarding a proposed formula for the calculation of an inflationary adjustment to the City's Water and Sewer System Development Charges covering the period of February 2001 through February 2003. It was the consensus of the Council that the proposed formula be used, and that a public hearing be scheduled for April 17, 2003, to consider the adjustment. It was the consensus of the Council that the adjustment be enacted as soon as possible because SDC's should be adjusted annually to keep up with the cost of inflation.

Morse Bros. negotiations: Leahnette Rivers said she, Mayor Young and Lisa Smith will be meeting with representatives of Morse Bros. in an on-going effort to reach a compromise to the satisfaction of the City. She asked that a Council Member also participate in the negotiations. Councilor Schmor volunteered to serve in this capacity.

Audit Services for the year ended June 30, 2003: Leahnette Rivers recommended the City Council extend the current contract with Pauly, Rogers and Co., to cover auditing services for the year ended June 30, 2003, for a fee of $6,115 as described in their letter of understanding dated April 1, 2003. Leahnette explained that the fee includes a 3% increase over last year.

MOVED (SCHMOR), SECONDED (CALNON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE THE AUDIT PROPOSAL.

MOVED (GUY), SECONDED (SCHMOR) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO EXTEND THE MEETING TO 9:30 P.M.

The Council recessed at 9:04 p.m.

The Council reconvened at 9:13 p.m.

The Council convened in Executive Session at 9:13 p.m.

The Council reconvened in Open Session at 9:20 p.m.

There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m.

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