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City of Columbia City 1840 Second Street,
PO Box 189, Columbia City, OR 97018 (503) 397-4010 |
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CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
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Thursday,
May 17, 2007
CITY
HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL:
CONVENED:
Mayor Young called the regular meeting
to order at 7:30 p.m. Mayor Young
delivered the invocation and led the flag salute.
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mayor Cheryl A. Young
Councilor Gary Hudson
Councilor Bill Guy
Councilor Sally Ann Marson
Councilor Bob Schmor
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:
None
ALSO PRESENT:
Jeff Anderson, Public Works Superintendent
Leahnette Rivers, City Administrator/Recorder
Micah Olson, Olson LLC (departed at 8:15 p.m.)
ATTORNEY PRESENT:
None
A quorum was present and due notice had been
published.
AGENDA ITEM 2 PUBLIC HEARINGS:
None.
Wayne
thanked the Mayor and Council for taking the time to hear him on this
issue. He said his commercially zoned
property consists of 4 acres, which he has cleared and planted in orchard
grass. He said it is bordered on two
sides by other commercial properties - the mobile home park's boat and
recreational vehicle storage area to the north and the Mini Market to the south. He said there are only two homes adjacent to
his property. He said the grass has
come commercial value and it is under contract to be baled. He said other cities, such as Hillsboro,
Scappoose and St. Helens, allow large or undeveloped parcels to grow grass for
harvesting when it matures. He said he
does not want to create a fire hazard and will have the grass cut before it
becomes one. He said he is willing to
cut a 10-foot break around the property for additional protection. He said the abatement ordinance refers to
blackberries. He said he dearly loves
Columbia City because he built a lot of it.
He said he drove the City earlier and saw many instances of blackberries
crossing property lines and tall weeds.
He said these properties are owned by individuals, ODOT, the railroad,
and the Port of St. Helens and it isn't a pretty site. He said his field of grass is due to be
harvested in 30 days. He said Jim Bundy
Memorial Park and the City shop site haven't been mowed either.
The
Mayor, Council and staff discussed this matter at length with Wayne. Wayne said several years ago he did learn
that the City ordinance was modified to delete the crop exemption from the weed
abatement process.
MOVED
(MARSON), SECONDED (SCHMOR) AND CARRRIED UNANIMOUSLY THAT WAYNE BE PROVIDED
WITH A ONE-TIME EXTENSION UNTIL JUNE 15, 2007, TO CUT HIS GRASS, AND THAT NO
FURTHER EXTENSIONS BE REQUESTED OR GRANTED AND NO EXTENSIONS IN FUTURE YEARS BE
PROVIDED.
Other Citizen Input: Casey Wheeler of Columbia City said he was
recently appointed to the Budget Committee, but he was out of town during the
process. He said he did read the entire
budget, and wanted to compliment Leahnette on the budget. He said he has reviewed a wide variety of
budgets over the years, and Columbia City's is one of the best put together,
easiest to understand and follow that he has ever had the pleasure of reading.
AGENDA ITEM 4 COUNCIL REPORTS:
4.1 Parks Committee: Chair
Marson said the plants in Jim Bundy Memorial Park will be marked and fenced off
so the inside of the park can be mowed because the weeds are hiding the
plantings and therefore the park has not been properly mowed.
Councilor
Schmor said it looks like the property just to the north of the park also needs
mowing.
Leahnette
said the Riverside Clean-Up Project will be held in Datis and Pixie Parks this
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Councilor
Guy said there is no convenient way to get from the parking lot to the picnic
shelter in Jim Bundy Memorial Park.
Jeff said they'll be installing an ADA accessible path in the near
future.
4.2 Water Source and Development Committee: Jeff said
our engineers are developing the final plans and bid documents for the larger
well project. He said we are waiting to
receive our water quality results on the temporary well, and as soon as we
receive them we'll turn the well on. He
said we'll be pumping the temporary well at 50 gpm.
4.3 Streets Committee: No report.
4.4 Sewer Committee: Jeff said
one of the "K" Street pumps went out again. He said it is the same pump that has given us a lot of trouble in
the past. He said the other pump is one
of the original pumps for that lift station, and it has never been a
problem. He said he'll be looking at some
options to solve this ongoing problem.
4.5
Library
Committee: No report.
4.6 Other reports: None.
AGENDA ITEM 5 CONSENT AGENDA:
5.1 Approval
of the Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of May 3, 2007.
5.2 Approval
of the Financial Reports for the period ending April 30, 2007.
5.3 Written
report from the Chief of Police.
5.4 Written
report from the City Administrator/Recorder.
MOVED
(GUY), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE TO APPROVE
THE CONSENT AGENDA.
AGENDA ITEM 6 UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
6.1 Second
reading of Council Bill No. 07-439; Ordinance No. 07-634-O: An Ordinance making Third Street between
"F" and "E" Streets a one-way street.
The Council completed the second reading of Council
Bill No. 07-439.
Councilor Schmor asked what purpose this change
would serve.
Jeff said the intersection of Third and
"E" Streets is very close to the railroad tracks. He said when the arms come down for a train,
motorists that are on Third Street making a left onto "E" Street can
easily drive through the gap between the crossing arms. He said this change will reduce the
opportunity for motorists to "shoot the gap."
Leahnette said she sent letters to the three
property owners within the block of Third Street between "E" and
"F" Streets notifying them of the proposed change. She said she has not heard from any of
them. However, she said the tenant that
lives at the corner of "E" and Third Streets is very much in favor of
the change and is looking forward to the Quiet Zone.
MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 07-439.
6.2 Second
reading of Council Bill No. 07-440; Ordinance No. 07-635-O: An Ordinance restricting turns on Fourth
Street.
The Council completed the second reading of Council
Bill No. 07-440.
Councilors Schmor and Marson said they were surprised
that this change wasn't required when the crossing arms were first installed at
"I" Street.
Leahnette said she notified the residents on Fourth
Street between "I" and "L" Street of the proposed change,
and she heard from two that were opposed.
She said one of them was very much in favor of the Quiet Zone, but
opposed to making any changes because he thought the railroad should quiet
their whistles and cut their bushes and weeds, and he didn't think the buses
would be able to negotiate the turn.
She said the other resident said she didn't care about the Quiet Zone,
the buses would never be able to make that corner, and she was opposed to the
change. She said they both claimed it's
safer to enter Highway 30 from "I" Street than it is from
"L" Street.
Councilor Schmor said the buses may need to look at
making a change in their route.
MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (SCHMOR) AND CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 07-635-O.
6.3 Second
reading of Council Bill No. 07-441; Ordinance No. 07-636-O: An Ordinance prohibiting westbound truck
tractor and truck trailer traffic on "I" Street between Second Street
and Highway 30.
The Council completed the second reading of Council
Bill No. 07-441.
Councilor Schmor questioned the purpose of this
change.
Leahnette explained that the intersection of
"I" Street and Highway 30 does not have a traffic light. Therefore, she said trucks and truck
trailers must sit across the railroad tracks at the stop sign while they wait
for an opportunity to get onto the Highway, which is a safety hazard. She said this change will prohibit trucks
from exiting "I" Street onto Highway 30.
Leahnette said ODOT will also be installing a
left-hand arrow green light at the light on "E" Street and Highway 30
as a condition of the Quiet Zone. In
addition, she said trucks and truck trailers will not be able to exit from
Pacific Street onto Highway 30 during the hours of the Quiet Zone (10 p.m. to 7
a.m.) because the intersection does not have a traffic light.
MOVED (HUDSON), SECONDED (MARSON) AND CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 07-441.
6.4 Second
reading of Council Bill No. 07-442; Ordinance No. 07-637-O: An Ordinance declaring the City's election
to receive state revenues.
The Council completed the second reading of Council
Bill No. 07-442.
MOVED (SCHMOR), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 07-442.
6.5 Lower
Reservoir Maintenance Painting:
Review and discussion of bids received for the 0.2 MG Lower Reservoir
Maintenance Painting project.
The Council reviewed a letter dated May 15, 2007,
from Jim Garvison of Purcell Painting & Coatings explaining that he had
unintentionally made a mathematical error when adding the total bid items, and
requesting that his bid be withdrawn and his bid bond be returned.
The Council also reviewed a letter dated May 17,
2007, from Matt Hickey of Murray, Smith & Associates, Inc., recommending
the City allow Purcell's bid to be withdrawn and the bid bond returned, and
that the City contract with the next lowest bidder, S&K Painting, Inc., to
paint the reservoir for the amount of $79,000.
MOVED
(HUDSON), SECONDED (GUY) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE THE WITHDRAWAL OF
PURCELL PAINTING & COATINGS' BID.
Leahnette
said the next lowest bid from S&K Painting, Inc., of $79,000 is within the
engineer's project estimate of $65,000 to $85,000. She said a visual inspection of the tank leads us to believe that
we have about 5 years remaining on the interior paint, which is the bulk of the
cost. She said staff will be
recommending the inclusion of seismic upgrades to the water tank in next year's
Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan, so we could postpone the interior painting
until that time if we so choose.
The
Council discussed the project at length with staff, and it was the consensus
that we should proceed with the full project at this time if funds are
available, unless the seismic upgrades will have a large impact on the new
paint. Leahnette confirmed that the
funds are available to complete the project, and she'll check with the engineer
to make sure the seismic upgrades won't have a large impact on the new paint.
MOVED
(SCHMOR), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
S&K PAINTING, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $79,000.
It
was the consensus of the Council that we are not interested in putting a mural
on the tank at this time.
AGENDA ITEM 7 NEW BUSINESS:
7.1 Nuisance Determination: City Council determination of whether or not
a nuisance exists with regard to Tax Lot 5121-000-00430 in Columbia City as
owned by Wayne Weigandt.
Mayor
Young explained that the Council had already addressed this situation during
the Citizen Input portion of this meeting.
Therefore, no additional action was taken by the Council.
7.2 Road Maintenance Agreement: Road Maintenance Agreement between Voris D.
Probst and Mildred C. Probst Revocable Living Trust and Columbia City.
The
Council discussed this matter at length with staff.
MOVED
(SCHMOR), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE SIGNATURE TO THE
ROAD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE VORIS D. PROBST AND MILDRED C. PROBST
REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST AND COLUMBIA CITY.
7.3 Intergovernmental Agreement: Intergovernmental Agreement between Columbia
County, the City of Columbia City and other governmental entities for Homeland
Security and Emergency Management Services.
Leahnette
said Harold Olsen has reviewed the proposed changes and has no objections. She said we will not be making a
contribution to the County for Emergency Management Services during the 2006-07
fiscal year as originally thought, and our first contribution will be during
the 2007-08 fiscal year.
MOVED
(GUY), SECONDED (HUDSON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO AUTHORIZE SIGNATURE TO THE
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH COLUMBIA COUNTY AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL
ENTITIES FOR HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
7.4 Executive Session: Executive Session to consider records that
are exempt from public inspection pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f); and to consult
with legal counsel about litigation likely to be filed pursuant to ORS
192.660(2)(h).
It
was the consensus of the Council that this item be postponed until the next
meeting.
AGENDA ITEM 8 OTHER BUSINESS:
Public Works: Jeff said he took his water exam today, and
they've been busy putting a drip system and benches in Harvard Park and working
on the temporary well. He said they'll
be fabricating drinking fountains and barbecue pits for the City parks. He said the electricians have been working
on the shop to move some of the power in preparation for the demolition of part
of the shop for the shop expansion project.
He said they put a new vault in a River Club Estates, and the
electricians have completed the wiring there.
He they also fixed a water leak in Tahoma Street.
Franchise Fee: Leahnette said there was an error in some of
the information she had previously provided to the Council with respect to the
franchise fee amounts charged by other cities within Columbia County to their
electric utility companies. She said
the City of St. Helens charges a 5% franchise fee, not a 6% franchise fee. She said there are several cities within the
State of Oregon that charge franchise fees in excess of 5%, so she doesn't
believe there is a 5% cap any longer.
She said the Columbia River PUD utility rates includes the first 4% of
the franchise fees paid to all cities with all of their customers, regardless
of whether or not the customer resides within a City. She said the PUD justifies the sharing the costs associated with
the 4% of the franchise fees with all customers because county customers are
typically more expensive to provide service to due to their distance and tree
trimming requirements.
Meal Reimbursement: Leahnette discussed the meal reimbursement
amounts contained in the City's Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual with
the Council. It was the consensus of
the Council that we proceed with amendments as proposed in the City
Administrator/Recorder's Activities Report dated May 11, 2007.
Enterprise Zone Incentives: Leahnette said she recently
realized that the City Council did not discuss whether or not they wanted to
adopt any other incentives in addition to the standards incentives already
included in the Enterprise Zone. After
a lengthy discussion it was the consensus of the Council that a paragraph be
adopted to indicate that the City Council would consider other incentives on a
case-by-case basis.
West Oregon Wood sawdust event of May 16, 2007: Mayor
Young said Mike Knoble, the new Director of Operations for West Oregon Wood
Products, did a good job of communicating with affected residents when the mill
erroneously released some sawdust yesterday.
She said he offered to have several vehicles washed and to pay one
housekeeper for an extra cleaning.
AGENDA ITEM 9 ADJOURNMENT:
There
being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at
9:26 p.m.
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