City Council

City Council Meeting Minutes ___________________________________________________________________________________________ THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS CITY OF COLUMBIA CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, OREGON AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL: CONVENED: Mayor Young called the regular meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Cheryl A. Young Councilor Sally Ann Marson Councilor Josh Fromm Councilor Nell Harrison Councilor Gordon Thistle COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: Michael McGlothlin, Chief of Police 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: Kannikar Petersen extended an invitation to a workshop entitled Grant Writing for Non- Profits hosted by the Columbia County Cultural Coalition on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at the Columbia Soil and Water Conservation District. Council Members reviewed written input from Kirsten Bailey in an email dated March 6, 2015, regarding the placement of a basketball hoop at 3200 Fifth Street. Council discussed the placement of the basketball hoop at length. Mayor Young said she stopped and visited with one of the neighbors about this issue. Councilor Marson expressed concerns about the placement of the hoop due to its proximity to the corner and the curvature of the street, and said she does not see any other place along their curb that would be suitable. She said it appears to be a safety issue more than anything else. 2 - Regular City Council Meeting March 19, 2015 Leahnette said the map that the applicant presented with the permit application did not show the curvature in the street, and it was an oversight on the part of staff that a corrected map had not been included when the Council originally considered the approval of this permit. Mayor Young said she recently drove past the hoop several times, and she thought it felt awkward to try to maneuver around the hoop in its current placement. She said it appears as though they have several other options for placing the hoop on their private property. She said she did receive input from one of the neighbors that the hoop doesn’t seem to bother other residents within the neighborhood. Chief McGlothlin said in general he does not think it is good policy for the City to issue permits for the placement of hoops on the street, although he does understand the Council’s desire to be responsive to the vast majority of citizens that don’t have a problem with the hoops being placed on the street. Leahnette said it is a unique situation because Pacific Street is not a good place for the hoop due to the amount of traffic, and the shape of the lot frontage along Fifth Street makes it awkward. Chief McGlothlin agreed that the shape of the lot is a contributing problem. He said the hoop is currently placed in accordance with the requirements of the permit and the Ordinance. He said of all of the available curb space they have, the current location of the hoop is actually the safest curb space available to them. He agreed that they appear to have space available for the hoop on their own private property. Leahnette reminded the Council that the Ordinance provisions do provide the Council with the ability to revoke a basketball hoop permit for no cause at any time. Members continued to discuss this matter at length. Councilor Thistle noted that Kirsten Bailey has complained about her fear of property damage that may occur from a wayward basketball, but she has not provided any evidence of any damage that has actually occurred. Staff confirmed that is the case. After further discussion, it was MOVED (FROMM), SECONDED (THISTLE) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO RECOMMEND KIRSTEN BAILY PURSUE MEDIATION SERVICES IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE BASKETBALL HOOP. AGENDA ITEM 4 COUNCIL REPORTS: 4.1 Parks Committee: Chair Marson reported that the new flag poles have been secured in place. She said a local Boy Scout is currently heading up a landscaping and lawn seeding project in an effort to earn an Eagle Scout badge. Nell said the Garden Club just planted 92 more roses along the bank, and another 55 have been ordered. 4.2 Water and Sewer Committee: Chair Fromm said the Water and Sewer Committee met last week and discussed each of the projects contained in the Master Plans, and with Micah’s valuable input they prioritized them and used the prioritized list to update the Five Year Capital Improvement Plan. 4.3 Street Committee: Chair Marson said the Street Committee also met last week and updated their street project list. She said they are hoping to receive some grant funding. 4.4 Audit Committee: No report. 4.5 Hazard Mitigation Planning Group: Councilor Fromm said the Group will meet next Monday. 3 - Regular City Council Meeting March 19, 2015 4.6 Other Reports: None. AGENDA ITEM 5 CONSENT AGENDA: 5.1 Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of February 19, 2015. 5.2 Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of March 5, 2015. 5.3 Bills paid during the month of February 2015. 5.4 Financial report for the month ending February 28, 2015. 5.5 Activities report for the months of January and February 2015 from the Chief of Police. 5.6 Activities report from the City Administrator/Recorder. MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (FROMM) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. AGENDA ITEM 6 UNFINISHED BUISNESS: None AGENDA ITEM 7 NEW BUSINESS: 7.1 Intergovernmental Agreement: Intergovernmental Agreement between the State of Oregon, acting by and through its Department of Transportation, and the City of Columbia City, by and through its Police Department, related to commercial vehicle, driver and cargo inspections. Chief McGlothlin explained that there will be no supplemental funding through ODOT under this new agreement, but we will have the ability to complete truck inspections as needed and receive training for the program. If the funding for the program is reestablished, we’ll be ready to participate again. MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (THISTLE) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO AUTHORIZE SIGNATURE TO THE AGREEMENT. 7.2 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Recommendation: Recommendation from the City Administrator regarding a 2.0% COLA effective July 1, 2015. MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (HARRISON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S RECOMMENDATION OF A 2.0% COLA EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2015. 7.3 Council Bill No. 15-750; Resolution No. 15-1138-R: A Resolution adopting Policy Goals and Objectives for the City of Columbia City, Oregon, for fiscal year 2015-16. Councilor Fromm recommended Policy Goal and Objective number 1J be expanded to address the pursuit of safe pedestrian crossings over Highway 30 at Trestle Beach/Veterans Park and at “I” Street, as well as pursuing a reduction of the speed limit to 45 in order to permit the installation of pedestrian crossings. He said the crossing at “I” Street is an essential need, especially in light of the grade school re-opening this fall. Council Members expressed agreement with the recommended amendment. MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (THISTLE) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 15-750 AS AMENDED. 7.4 Council Bill No. 15-751; Resolution No. 15-1139-R: A Resolution adopting a Five-Year Capital Improvement Program for the 2015-16 fiscal year for the City of Columbia City, Oregon. 4 - Regular City Council Meeting March 19, 2015 Leahnette recommended changes to several pages of the draft plan to reflect the current Sewer Improvements Project for RCE pump and power improvements, manhole lining, septic tank abandonment/replacement, and telemetry, monitoring and alarm system. She th said the project is currently in design and will not be finished by June 30 . No objections were heard. MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (HARRISON) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL NO. 15-751 AS AMENDED. AGENDA ITEM 8 OTHER BUSINESS: Council Chambers meeting table: Councilor Fromm suggested we look into investing in a nice conference table for the Council Chambers. Leahnette will work on this. City Attorney services: Leahnette said the City Attorney Hiring Committee has come to a consensus. She said they are recommending Steve Petersen of Rainier, who has served as the City Attorney for Rainier for a very long time. She said he will provide his services at the discounted rate of $150.00 per hour. She said the Committee made contact with six different attorneys, and met with four, before making a recommendation. MOVED (MARSON), SECONDED (FROMM) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO INVITE STEVE PETERSEN TO SUBMIT A PROPOSED CONTRACT FOR CITY ATTORNEY SERVICES. AGENDA ITEM 9 ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned 7:06 p.m. APPROVED: _______________________________________ Cheryl A. Young Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________________ Leahnette Rivers City Administrator/Recorder