Mayor Cheryl A. Young called the regular meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Harold Olsen delivered the invocation and Mayor Young led the flag salute.

Mayor Cheryl A. Young

Councilor Marian Calnon (outgoing)

Councilor William G. Guy

Councilor Gary Hudson

Councilor Bob Schmor

Councilor Tyra A. Schroeder (incoming)

COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:

None.

ALSO PRESENT:

Shera Taylor, Municipal Court Judge

Micah Olson, Public Works Superintendent

Leahnette Rivers, City Administrator/Recorder

ATTORNEY PRESENT:

Harold Olsen, City Attorney

A quorum was present and due notice had been published.

Judge Taylor delivered the Oath of Office to William Guy and Tyra Schroeder.

Mayor Young presented outgoing Councilor Calnon with a framed certificate of appreciation and thanked her for her years of valuable service to the City.

Mayor Young noted that she would like to continue with the current Committee appointments. She said Councilor Guy will continue to serve as Chair of the Water Committee, Councilor Hudson will continue to serve as Chair of the Street Committee, Councilor Schmor will continue to serve as Chair of the Sewer Committee, and Councilor Schroeder will serve as Chair of the Parks and Building Committee. No objections were heard from the Council.

Councilor Schroeder introduced her husband, Steven Schroeder, to the Mayor, Council and audience. She said they've lived in Columbia City since 1998, and she currently works in the Human Resources Department for Boise. She said she was previously employed with Coastal Chemical.

None.

Gabriele Peterson of Columbia City complained about people letting their dogs run loose. She said she cannot even walk her dogs because of the loose dogs. She said people don't pick up after their dogs, and that's a bad thing.

Leahnette Rivers encouraged Ms. Peterson to report violators to City Hall if she knows who they are so that we can make contact with the individuals.

Ms. Peterson said she will pepper spray anyone that comes near her when she is walking her dog. She asked the Council to consider an ordinance that would require trash and recycle cans to be placed out of site the day after trash service. She said the cans being left on the street are unsightly.

AGENDA ITEM 4 COUNCIL REPORTS:

4.1 Parks Committee: Leahnette Rivers said the Parks Committee plans to apply for grant funds to extend the trail system through the new park property along McBride Creek. She said the Committee would like to extend the paved bike path along the top of the bank, and run some natural trails down the bank to the creek. She said the Parks Committee recently walked the property and it is very pretty.

Leahnette Rivers said the Parks Committee will be meeting in February with representatives from ODOT, ODOT Rail, Portland and Western, Port of St. Helens, and Morse Bros. to discuss access options for Trestle Beach.

Marian Calnon noted that the Parks Committee will also meet next week.

4.2 Water Source and Development Committee: Chair Guy said the Water Committee met last night to review the results of the Ranney Collector Well investigations. He said the well appears to be drawing out of the same aquifer as the Coastal well was because the water quality is about the same. He said the results of the investigations were very positive. He said the well can supply up to 500 gallons per minute, and there are two pumps in the well. He said purchase of the well will include a generator, a chlorine injection system, water rights and transmission piping. He said we still need to clarify some water rights information and water quality issues with the Health Division and Water Resources Department.

Leahnette Rivers said Micah Olson made contact with both agencies today, and the information he gathered from each agency is contained in an e-mail message she copied for each Council Member. She said the transfer of water rights is a very simple procedure.

Micah Olson said this Ranney Collector doesn't require treatment because the water quality tests haven't indicated that it is influenced by surface water. He said unless something significant changes the water quality, the water from this well will not require treatment.

The Council discussed the Ranney Collector well at length with staff.

Chair Guy said the Water Committee recommends we pursue negotiations with St. Helens for the purchase of the collector well once our engineer's written report on the Ranney Collector investigation work is received.

MOVED (HUDSON), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WATER COMMITTEE.

Leahnette Rivers said the reservoir project is essentially finished, with the exception of some defective paving that needs to be replaced at the corner of Ninth and "K" Streets. She said the contractor will bond for the defective pavement and replace it in the spring, and we will be finalizing the project.

4.3 Street Committee: Chair Hudson said the Committee met on December 21st to discuss the possible permanent closure of the north end of Fourth Place at "L" Street. He said it was the consensus of the Street Committee to recommend the permanent closure to the City Council. He said the Committee believes the closure will improve traffic safety, reduce the impacts of the new bridge construction on some of the property owners, and simplify the construction process. He said the property owners were contacted and did not object to the closure.

Leahnette Rivers said the Committee thought a portion of Fourth Place should be widened to better accommodate two-way traffic if the north end is closed. She said it may not be cost effective to include this work in our project costs for the bridge project because of the Federal Funding requirements.

It was the consensus of the Council that the north end of Fourth Place be closed with the "L" Street bridge project as recommended by the Street Committee.

4.4 Sewer Committee: Chair Schmor asked what we'll do with the sewer line across the railroad tracks when the bridge is out. Micah Olson said they are currently working out those details.

4.5 Library Committee: No report

4.6 Other reports: None.

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

AGENDA ITEM 6 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None.

Leahnette Rivers said the City received another unqualified opinion this year.

MOVED (SCHMOR) SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE THE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2004.

MOVED (GUY), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO AUTHORIZE SIGNING THE FY 2003 LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT (LLEBG) AWARD CONTRACT.

The Mayor and Council reviewed applications for the position of Planning Commission Member received from O. Michael Carroll, James M. Molski, and Robert L. Campbell. The Council discussed the applications at length.

MOVED (SCHMOR), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPOINT JAMES MOLSKI TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

Leahnette Rivers explained that this last summer the City Council voted to increase the number of hours an employee must work per week from 24 to 32 in order to qualify for insurance benefits, but the Personnel Policies were not amended by resolution to reflect the change. She said this Resolution formalizes the change, and also clarifies the time in which a floating holiday must be used.

MOVED (HUDSON), SECONDED (SCHMOR) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 05-343.

Leahnette Rivers suggested this item be postponed until the next meeting due to the absence of the Police Chief. She also asked Harold Olsen to please review and comment on the proposed policies. Councilor Schmor suggested our insurance representative also be asked to review and comment on the Ride-Along Policy.

MOVED (SCHMOR), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL 05-345.

MOVED (HUDSON), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 05-346.

Subdivision Fees: Bob Fredrickson, representing the McBride Meadows Subdivision, said the City asked them to install a 12-inch waterline instead of an 8-inch waterline in their subdivision. He said they agreed to do that, and they were told by the City that they would be compensated for the difference. He said they've met to negotiate a price with the City's engineer several times. He said they lost a lot of money in the deal because it cost them $119,000, but the City's engineer only agreed to $57,000. He said they were told during a construction meeting that the City wanted ductile iron instead of PVC, but now the City denies it. He said the City's engineer bills them every time they talk about it. He said now they've agreed to an amount of $87,000.

Leahnette Rivers explained that the City Council just approved the $87,000 credit.

Bob Fredrickson said he's been building for 37 years, and in any other City he's worked in they have a set price for an application and permit, which includes inspection fees. He said the City's engineer charges for everything, and there is no cost certainty. He said the City should be able to give the developer a fixed price.

Leahnette Rivers said when a certain development requires more time, they pay more because we bill our engineering fees directly to the developer. She said we have an engineer on contract, and therefore we pass those charges on to the developer rather than the taxpayers. She said larger cities that have engineers on staff frequently have a fixed fee.

Bob Fredrickson asked the Council to please consider adopting a fixed fee for these applications.

Request to waive fees for Community Hall: The Council reviewed a letter from Jodi Gustafson of the St. Helens Neighborhood Girl Scouts dated January 4, 2005. In the letter Ms. Gustafson requested free use of the Community Hall for the annual distribution of Girl Scout Cookies on Saturday, February 12, 2005.

MOVED (SCHMOR), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO WAIVE THE RENTAL FEES FOR THE COMMUNITY HALL AS REQUESTED.

Police Services: Councilor Hudson asked if the audit report of Police Services is available. Leahnette Rivers said it is, and she will make copies for the Council.

Lewis and Clark signs: Micah Olson explained that they recently found three informational Lewis and Clark signs in the Public Works shop. The Council discussed where the signs should be placed. It was the consensus of the Council that the Parks Committee come up with an appropriate location for the signs.

The meeting recessed at 8:30 p.m.

The meeting reconvened at 8:50 p.m.

The Council convened in Executive Session.

The Council reconvened in Open Session.

AGENDA ITEM 9 ADJOURNMENT:

There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

Return to Columbia City home page