City Council

City of Durham CITY COUNCIL MINUTES February 25, 2025 A. OPEN REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. Council President Joshua Drake opened the meeting at 7:34 PM at Durham City Hall. B. ROLL CALL OF COUNCIL MEMBERS. Councilors present: Mayor Joshua Drake, Council President Leslie Gifford, Councilors Gary Paul (Phone), David Streicher (Zoom), and Sean Lee (Zoom). Councilors absent: None Staff present: City Administrator Jordan Parente and Administrative Assistant Kait Garlick Visitors: Citizen Doyle Welch; Kristin Leichner Representing PRIDE Disposal C. COUNCIL MINUTES. Council President Gifford moved to approve the minutes from the January 28, 2025, regular City Council meeting. Councilor Paul seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-01 D. Mayor Drake read the CALENDAR OF MEETINGS. ➢ Tuesday March 4, 2025, Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission at 7:00 PM ➢ Tuesday March 18, 2025, Regular Meeting of the City Council at 7:30 PM E. PUBLIC FORUM. None. F. PLANNING COMMISSION UPDATE. City Administrator Parente gave the Council an update on the last Planning Commission meeting, which included a sign permit, with specific conditions outlined, for the Durham Heights development. Four tree removal permits were also approved for a resident on Ellman Lane. Lastly, Mr. Parente informed Council that interest was expressed in finding ways to enhance community engagement within the City, with several ideas suggested such as increased communication via email or community events at the park. G. WASTE ORDINANCE UPDATE - DISCUSSION BY KRISTIN LEICHNER FROM PRIDE DISPOSAL. Kristin Leichner, president and co-owner of Pride Disposal Company (Pride), addressed Council to propose updated language for the City’s waste hauling code. Ms. Leichner noted that Durham’s solid waste code had not been updated since the 1990s, aside from minor amendments required by Metro ordinances. Through conversations with the City Administrator, it became clear that there was a need to clean up outdated language and introduce an enforcement mechanism, by Pride, into the code. Pride has an exclusive franchise agreement to haul solid waste and recycling in Durham. However, unauthorized third-party haulers sometimes operate in the city, avoiding franchise fees and rate regulations. Due to the City's limited enforcement capabilities, this issue has been difficult to address. Ms. Leichner proposed adding third-party enforcement language, modeled after the city codes of Tigard and Sherwood. This would allow the City to take enforcement actions, or, allow Pride to take legal action on behalf of the city. Beyond enforcement, Ms. Leichner outlined the following updates to the current city code: ➢ First, remove outdated language from the original franchise period, which allowed for a phased transition for existing haulers provisions that are no longer relevant. 1 ➢ Second, revise the section requiring businesses to obtain permits for installing compactors that the City does not currently issue. Replace this with language requiring businesses to ensure compatibility with Pride’s equipment before purchasing compactors. It is important for businesses to understand the requirements of the compactors they purchase and avoid spending money on equipment that Pride is unable to service and no option for post-purchase retrofitting exists. ➢ Lastly, a Metro-mandated business recycling requirement would be formally incorporated into the code, ensuring compliance with existing regulations. Additional minor cleanup revisions included reordering definitions alphabetically and updating the language regarding the City's annual bulky waste collection. The existing code mandates that this event take place before April 1st each year, but in practice, it is often scheduled in late April or early May in coordination with the City. The revision would align the code with actual practice. The discussion also touched on the distinction between legal and illegal waste collection. While companies are not permitted to collect solid waste, they can perform full property clean-outs where waste hauling is incidental to the service. Similarly, construction companies can remove their own debris but cannot hire third-party haulers that do not have a franchise agreement. Ms. Leichner used these examples to clarify that there are specific instances where it is not required to use Pride for waste hauling, however, having a strong enforcement mechanism would help deter situations where the City’s agreement with Pride is violated. The conversation concluded with an agreement to review the proposed code amendments in detail at a future session before a formal vote takes place. The Councilors expressed general support for the proposed changes and appreciated the PRIDE’s efforts in keeping the code up to date. H. APPOINTMENT OF PATRICIA SAAB TO A FOUR-YEAR TERM ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION. Councilor President Gifford moved to approve the motion. Councilor Streicher seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-02 I. APPOINTMENT OF CHUCK VAN METER TO A THREE-YEAR TERM ON THE BUDGET COMMITEE. Councilor Streicher moved to approve the motion. Councilor Paul seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-03 J. APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR AND ALTERNATE TO WASHINGTON COUNTY COORDINATING COMMITTEE. Appointments delayed until the next regular meeting of the City Council on March 18, 2025. K. APPOINTMENT OF CITY COUNCILOR AND ALTERNATE TO TIGARD WATER ADVISORY BOARD (WAB). Councilor Streicher was appointed to WAB, with Councilor Lee being appointed as the alternate. Mayor Drake moved to approve the motion. Council President Gifford seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-04 L. APPOINTMENT OF CITY COUNCILOR AND ALTERNATE TO WASHINGTON COUNTY CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY (WCCCA). 2  Council President Gifford was appointed to WCCCA, with Councilor Paul being appointed as the alternate. Mayor Drake moved to approve the motion. Councilor Streicher seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-05 M. APPOINTMENT OF CITY COUNCILOR TO WASHINGTON COUNTY POLICY ADVISORY BOARD (PAB). The City Council chose to leave this appointment vacant. Mayor Drake moved to approve the motion. Councilor Streicher seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-06 N. APPOINTMENT OF ALTERNATE TO METROPOLITAN AREA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (MACC). Councilor Paul was appointed to MACC, with Council President Gifford being appointed as the alternate Mayor Drake moved to approve the motion. Councilor Paul seconded the motion. The vote passed (5- 0). MO 022525-07 O. RESOLUTION 672-25; A RESOLUTION OF THE DURHAM CITY COUNCIL, OREGON, AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A LEASE AGREEMENT FOR PROPERTY TO BE USED AS DURHAM CITY HALL. City Administrator Parente presented Council with a resolution authorizing Durham’s Mayor to execute a lease agreement. This led to a discussion regarding the circumstances of the upcoming lease renewal for the property used as Durham City Hall. The City has occupied the building since 1991, with the lease currently set at $900 per month. The property owner requested an increase to $1,100 per month. While the rent remains below market value, council members expressed concern that the property owner only offered a two-year lease extension, suggesting a possible future sale or redevelopment of the site. To address this, the Council is requesting a first right of refusal clause in the lease renewal, ensuring that if the owner decided to sell, the City would have the option to purchase the property before it was offered to other buyers. The estimated property value is $1.4 million, but council members questioned whether the City could afford such a purchase without financing or a voter-approved bond measure. Ideas included the possibility of creating a dedicated fund to start saving for a potential purchase. Council also considered alternative options, such as relocating City Hall to a commercial office space in the area. However, office space in Durham is limited, and no suitable vacancies are currently available. To keep options open, the Council suggested language being included for a lease exit clause in case a better location became available before the lease expired. After the discussion concluded, it was decided that the first step would be to adopt the proposed resolution 672-25 and continue the conversation once a final draft is prepared for the lease renewal. Council President Gifford moved to approve the motion. Councilor Streicher seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-08 P. RESOLUTION 673-25; A RESOLUTION OF THE DURHAM CITY COUNCIL, OREGON, TO CONTINUE AUDIT SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH PAULY, ROGERS & CO. AND REPEALING RESOLUTION 187-88. 3  City Administrator Parente presented Council with a resolution continuing the City’s contract with Pauly, Rogers & Co for annual audit services. Mayor Drake moved to approve the motion. Councilor Gifford seconded the motion. The vote passed (5- 0). MO 022525-09 Q. CITY EMAIL DISTRIBUTION DISCUSSION BY COUNCILOR STREICHER. Councilor David Streicher led a discussion regarding the implementation of an email subscription feature on the City's website to improve communication with residents. The goal being to allow residents to sign up for email updates, enabling the City to send out notifications about important news, volunteer opportunities, and events. To accomplish this, Councilor Streicher suggested the City hire an IT consultant rather than adding the task to existing staff workloads. The funding for this project would come from the City’s IT budget. The Council explored various options, including paid services like MailChimp, which charges around $20–$30 per month for up to 500 subscribers, as well as free alternatives that could accommodate larger audiences. They agreed to let the IT consultant determine the best platform for the City’s needs. The discussion then shifted to the frequency of email updates. While some Councilors suggested a monthly newsletter, others argued that emails should only be sent when necessary to avoid overwhelming residents with excessive communication. The Council also considered alternative communication methods, such as using the City’s website more effectively or exploring text-based notification services. However, they were hesitant to create a social media presence, as platforms like Facebook and Nextdoor often invite unproductive debates and negativity. Ultimately, the Council agreed that adding an email subscription feature would be beneficial, especially for sending timely updates and occasional surveys. They determined that a formal resolution was unnecessary and instead passed a motion directing the City Administrator to hire an IT consultant to implement the feature. Councilor Streicher moved to approve the motion. Councilor Lee seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-10 R. ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT ➢ The tree ordinance review has been completed by the City’s attorney and the revised document will be presented to the Planning Commission at the next regular meeting on March 4. It is anticipated Council will do a first reading at the March 18 regular meeting. ➢ City Administrator Parente informed Council that migration to the new accounting platform would be completed this week, and that the City intends to streamline efficiency around finances by moving recurring monthly bills to autopay. This will free up staff time and ensure timely processing. ➢ Mr. Parente informed Council that the wages for the Administrative Assistant position have been increased from $25.14 to $27.52 in an effort to improve retention and to recognize the evolving nature of the role. ➢ A gratitude celebration for retired councilors Chuck Van Meter and Keith Jehnke is scheduled for April 19. ➢ There will be a Metro mixer event held at the Oregon Zoo on March 13. This would be an opportunity to meet newly elected officials within Metro. ➢ Mr. Parente informed Council of a recent encampment located within the Treed Lot, which has now been removed. He also let the Council know that signs pertaining to the off-leash area at Durham City Park were illegally removed and new ones will be ordered. ➢ Lastly, Mr. Parente gave an update on the two major developments for Durham Heights and Durham Estates. Both projects are moving along smoothly. 4  S. FINANCIAL REPORTS Council President Gifford moved to approve vendor checks 17675-17699 and ETFs totaling $15,207.29. Councilor Streicher seconded the motion. The vote passed (5-0). MO 022525-11 T. COUNCIL COMMENTS & MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIONAL ITEMS. None U. ADJOURN. Mayor Drake adjourned the meeting at 8:40 PM. Approved: __________________________________________ JOSHUA DRAKE, MAYOR Attest: _______________________________________________ JORDAN PARENTE, CITY ADMINISTRATOR/RECORDER 5