BROWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL

MEETING MINUTES

February 20, 2007

WORK SESSION: None

ROLL CALL: Mayor Ware called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with Councilors Brenner, Pinnock, Shepherd, Hoyer, Hoffman and Cole present. Also present were City Administrator Scott McDowell, City Planner Bill Sattler and Public Works Director Karl Frink.

ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS: NONE

MINUTES: The Council reviewed the minutes of the January 15, 2007, City Council meeting. One addition was suggested to record that Councilor Hoyer had been elected Council President. Councilor Cole moved that the minutes be approved with that addition The motion was seconded by Councilor Brenner and was approved unanimously.

CITIZEN INPUT:

Julie Shoemaker addressed the Council and asked them to implement a new law requiring all cats and dogs to be spayed and registered with the City as well as other requirements. She said that there is a cat population problem and that some dogs are not cared for properly. The Council instructed staff to look into the issue and report back at the next meeting.

PUBLIC HEARINGS / PRESENTATIONS: NONE

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS:

1. Administrator Report. Mr. McDowell submitted a written report to the Council and answered questions. Mr. McDowell discussed an amendment to the CDBG grant agreement to extend the completion date and modify the work plan. Mr. McDowell said that Pat Biesinger had applied to join the Parks & Open Spaces Committee and also he requested an Executive Session to be held at the end of the regular Council meeting.
2. Public Works. Mr. Frink was present and updated the Council on recent activities of the Public Works Department. Mr. Frink said that they had had to use auxiliary pumps for five weeks this winter due to the heavy sewage flows. This problem should be corrected with the new lift stations planned to be constructed. However, there were no recent surcharges in the mains and no sewage spills as a result. Councilor Compton said that he was concerned about the fact that gates had been left open at the lagoons. Mr. Frink said that they had been in and out of the lagoons frequently servicing the auxiliary pumps and for other reasons and had not been closing the gates for that reason. Mr. Frink said that new street signs had been installed around town to replace ones that were getting worn. The public works department has scheduled some time to do maintenance on the library in March, including building a new computer table that will be wheelchair accessible. Mr. Gorsline asked about painting the buildings in the park. It was suggested as a good topic to take up with the Parks and Open Spaces Committee.
3. Planning. Mr. Sattler provided a written report and updated the Council on development activities around the City.
4. Sheriff's Report. A written report was submitted and distributed to the Council.
5. Library Report. A written report was submitted and distributed to the Council.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION:

Resolution No. 573 – Pro Tem Judges. Mr. McDowell explained that each year the Council named judges to fill in for Mr. Lemhouse in the event he is unavailable or has a conflict. Councilor Hoffman moved that Resolution No. 573 be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Hoffman and was approved unanimously.

ACTION ITEMS:

1. HVAC System for City Hall. Mr. McDowell said that the proposals had come in slightly higher than he had anticipated but that a possible solution would be to do the upstairs this year and possibly do the downstairs next year. Mr. McDowell recommended that the Council accept the bid from Ries & Sons as it was the most complete and the lowest overall price. In addition, Mr. McDowell said that he had received a very reasonable bid to add insulation above the ceiling in the upstairs meeting room and recommended that the Council accept that proposal as there was more than enough money budgeted for the work. Councilor Hoyer moved that the Council accept the bid from Ries & Sons for the HVAC work and authorize the installation of insulation. The motion was seconded by Councilor Cole and was approved unanimously.
2. Authorize Contract for CDL Testing. Councilor Cole moved that the contract be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Hoffman and was approved unanimously.
3. Authorize Pacific Power Contract for Electrical Service To North and South Lagoons. Mr. McDowell explained this was a standard contract for Pacific Power to guarantee a minimum billing to recover their cost for installing new electrical services. Mr. McDowell said that the current billings are far higher than the guaranteed minimum in the contract so there should be no impact to the City. Councilor Hoyer moved that the contract be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Cole and was approved unanimously.
4. Rec Center Operation Agreement. Mr. McDowell said that the agreement is due for renewal and it has already been approved by the Rec Center Board. A question came up concerning a provision in the agreement calling for a payment by the City. It was not possible to clarify the exact meaning of the provision and the agreement was tabled until the next meeting so more information could be obtained.
5. Lease Agreement with Eric & Carla Gerber. Councilor Cole asked about potential liability issues. Mr. McDowell said that CIS had agreed to include liability coverage for this property at no additional charge. Councilor Brenner said that he hoped that this would be a temporary arrangement with the goal of ultimately having the community garden area in the park. Councilor Shepherd expressed his disagreement with subsidizing the water cost for the community gardens. Councilor Brenner replied that the City subsidizes a number of projects it believes are beneficial to the community. The Council discussed the issue. Councilor Cole then moved that the lease agreement be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Hoffman and was approved 6 to 1 with Councilor Shepherd voting no.
6. Budget Committee Vacancies. Mr. McDowell informed the Council of vacancies on the Budget Committee and recommended advertising for volunteers. The Council agreed by consensus.
7. CWCOG Representation. Mandy Cole volunteered to be the City representative to CWCOG.
8. Westech Stream Gauging Station. Mr. McDowell explained that the recently received NPDES permit for the City’s sewer system has imposed a new requirement that the City construct a gauging station to measure river levels. This was not part of the engineering agreement with Westech Engineering and would be an addendum at an extra cost for them to design it. Mr. McDowell recommended that the Council approve the addendum. Councilor Shepherd moved that the addendum to the engineering services agreement be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Hoyer and was approved unanimously.
9. Appointment to Parks & Open Spaces Board. Due to the fact that there are several vacancies on the Board and they are having trouble getting a quorum, Mayor Ware went ahead and appointed Ms. Biesinger to the Board. The City will continue to advertise for additional volunteers.

DISCUSSION ITEMS:

1. Legal Services. Mr. McDowell noted that the Council has discussed looking at alternatives for legal services a number of times in the past and discussed some of his concerns about the current situation. The Council directed him to look into possible alternatives.
2. Orientation. Mr. McDowell said that Julie Messmer from the League of Cities will provide an orientation for the Councilors for a very reasonable fee. The normal orientation is about two hours long. The Council instructed Mr. McDowell to make arrangements for the orientation.
3. Councilor Hoyer – Recognition. Councilor Hoyer noted that two local residents, Shirley Sullivan and Earl Keith had recently passed away and he wished to publicly recognize their contributions to the community.

CITIZEN INPUT:

HANDOUTS:

1. Westech Monthly Report.
2. January Financials.

EXECUTIVE SESSION: The Council moved into Executive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(e) to discuss matters related to real estate acquisition.

ADJOURNMENT: The Council returned from Executive Session and adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m. without taking any further action.

___________________________ ____________________________

City Administrator S. Scott McDowell Mayor Don Ware