City Council

City Council Meeting Minutes ___________________________________________________________________________________________ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025 – 6:00 PM COLUMBIA CITY, CITY HALL – 1840 SECOND STREET CITY OF COLUMBIA CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, OREGON AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL: CONVENED: Mayor Alex Reed called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:00 pm. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Alex Reed Council President Rob Forman Councilor Gordon Thistle Councilor Connie Quick COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: Councilor Lyle Bluhm ALSO PRESENT: Kim Karber, City Administrator/Recorder Jerry Bartolomucci, Chief of Police Micah Rogers, PW Superintendent ATTORNEY PRESENT: None A quorum was present, and due notice had been published. AGENDA ITEM 2 PUBLIC HEARINGS: 2.1 Public Hearing: To receive public testimony regarding the name change of Harbour View Court to Black Hawk Court in the subdivision in Columbia City. Public Hearing opened. No Comments were heard from the public. Public Hearing closed. AGENDA ITEM 3 CITIZEN INPUT: None AGENDA ITEM 4 COUNCIL REPORTS: 4.1 Audit Committee: No Report. 4.2 Hazard Committee: No Report. 2 Regular City Council Meeting December 18, 2025 4.3 Parks Committee: Kim reported that Conservation Technix sent over the draft Parks Masterplan. Kim reviewed it and discussed it with Steve. Once he is done with some revisions, he will send the draft back over. 4.4 Streets Committee: No report. 4.5 Water & Sewer Committee: No report. AGENDA ITEM 5 CONSENT AGENDA: 5.1 Bills paid with check numbers 35764 through 35811 during the month of November 2025. 5.2 Expense vs Budget Report for the month ending November 30, 2025. 5.3 Combined balance sheet for the month ending November 30,2025. 5.4 Minutes of the November 20, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting. 5.5 Activity Report from the City Administrator for the month of November 2025. 5.6 Activity Report from the Public Works Superintendent for the month of November 2025. 5.7 Activity Report from the Chief of Police for the month of November 2025. THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE CONSENT AGENDA BY UNANIMOUS ROLL CALL VOTE. AGENDA ITEM 6 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None AGENDA ITEM 7 NEW BUSINESS: 7.1 Columbia City Library Report – Kit Gardes. Kit Gardes gave a report on what the library has done during 2025. It was their 25th anniversary! Some of the highlights included receiving grants, upgrading their kids’ corner, adding volunteers so they could increase the hours they are open, held crafting events, increased Friends of the Library memberships, donate books, partnered with the Astoria Maritime Museum, and hired their first part-time employee. Cathy Lundberg will be the Library President for the next two years and has been with the library since the beginning. 7.2 Council Bill No. 25-1014: An Ordinance Formally Changing the Name of Harbour View Court to Black Hawk Court in the Sommarstrom Subdivision in Columbia City, Columbia County, Oregon; Declaring an Emergency; Effective December 19, 2025. MOVED (QUICK), SECONDED (THISTLE), AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. MOVED (THISTLE), SECOND (QUICK) AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT COUNCIL BILL 25-1014 STARTING DECEMBER 19, WITH THE EMERGENCY CLAUSE. AGENDA ITEM 8 OTHER BUSINESS: 8.1 Sanctuary State Due to information circulating on Social Media that immigration enforcement is in the community, Council President Forman reminded everyone that Oregon is a sanctuary state. He stated in order to comply with the sanctuary laws on the books in Oregon, we are ‘prohibited from using public funds, personnel, equipment, or facilities to detect, apprehend, detain, or assist in the enforcement of federal immigration law, except where expressly required by law’. Following this keeps us in compliance and prevents the City from being sued. He also emphasized that he thinks it is important for us to follow this because it is ultimately a community safety issue. When there is a crime, if people are afraid to come forward and speak to police, then the entire community is less safe. 3 Regular City Council Meeting December 18, 2025 8.2 Community Economic Team (CET) Kim informed Council she received an email update from Paul Vogel that at the last CET board meeting the decision was made to dissolve CET due to financial/operational reasons. 8.3 Lignetics Update Kim provided an update on Lignetics. It has been approved on their budget to construct the new bigger bag house. They hope to have it completed before summer, but the current DEQ permit needs to be closed before they can apply for the bag house permit. The Port and Lignetics are in discussions to have someone come out and test what is actually in the dust pollution and will wait until the nicer weather to have it done. 8.4 Water & Sewer Contracts Kim & Micah met with some St. Helens staff members about the water & sewer contracts that we have with them. They want to update them and will put something together. 8.5 Michael Allen Harrison (MAH) Mayor Reed inquired about how we did at the MAH concert. Kim reported there were around 100 attendees and the final totals had not been calculated yet, but any profit earned is earmarked for the City’s Centennial Celebration. Mayor Reed stated it was the first concert of MAH he had been to and it was very impressive, not only the piano playing, but the way he interacts with the crowd. The nice set-up with the lights and the stage/piano being in the middle of the audience was thanks to Public Works hard work. MAH has already agreed to come out in 2026, and it will be his tenth year, so he said we need to do something big. 8.6 Shop with a Cop Chief Bartolomucci thanked Kim for her help with the Shop with a Cop program. He said they were able to help 19 kids this year from Columbia City, St. Helens, Scappoose, and Rainier. Kim thanked Chief Bartolomucci for all the work he does in coordinating with the parents of the kids, officers, and Walmart. Mayor Reed inquired about the number of kids and Chief Bartolomucci stated there is an opportunity to expand it, but we would need to get the other communities involved in raising funds and it is limited by the number of available officers on the day of the event. It is important for the kids to have the one-on-one time with the officers for that positive interaction. AGENDA ITEM 9 ADJOURNMENT: 9.1 There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 6:38 pm. APPROVED: _______________________________________ Alexander Reed Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________________ Kim Karber City Administrator/Recorder