BROWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL

MEETING MINUTES

November 19, 2007

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

ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS: Councilor Cole said that she would be reporting on the Council of Governments meeting she attended.

MINUTES: The Council reviewed the minutes of the October 15, 2007, City Council meeting. Councilor Cole moved that the minutes be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Brenner and was approved unanimously.

CITIZEN COMMENT: Ms. Janet Michael said that she would like to thank Mr. Mcdowell, Mr. Frink and Mr. Benavidez for their assistance with her sewer issues. Mr. Lou Monroe addressed the Council and said that he was concerned about the fill placed on the Swayze property across the river from him. Mr. Monroe said that he has been calling state and federal agencies about this and that Mr. Swayze did not obtain a permit from the county for the fill. Mr. Monroe said he wants to know what agency will be doing a study on the fill and who is paying for it. Mr. McDowell attempted to answer his questions. Mr. McDowell said that three property owners had obtained fill from the sewer project without first obtaining permits and that the City is working with all three. Mr. McDowell discussed the National Flood Insurance Program and the relationships of various agencies. Mr. McDowell said that the NFIP and the City’s regulations do not prohibit development in the flood plain and that the reason for the one foot above flood level requirement is to give room for some fill to be placed in the floodplain. Mr. McDowell said that he calculated that 2.7 million yards of fill in east Brownsville would raise the flood levels by six inches. Mr. McDowell explained the City’s permit process and said that staff has met with the three property owners and is working with them to go through the permitting process.

PUBLIC HEARINGS / PRESENTATIONS:

  1. Chris Brugato – Westech Engineering – Wastewater Project. Mr. Brugato was not present, Mr. McDowell said he would update the Council.

  2. Willamette Country Music Festival. Mr. Williamson had been scheduled to attend the meeting but was not present. Mr. McDowell told the Council that Mr. Williamson had told him that he thought the loss of alcohol sales and sponsorship money would be too much of a cost and had decided to relocate the festival to private property outside of town. Councilor Cole asked if Mr. Williamson had sent a written withdrawal letter. Mr. McDowell said he not received such a letter and Councilor Cole suggested he request one to formally close the matter.

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS:

  1. Administrator Report. Mr. McDowell submitted a written report to the Council. Mr. McDowell updated the Council on some change orders for the wastewater project. One generator had been upgraded and the waterline from Bishop Way to Vroman had been replaced.

  2. Public Works. Mr. Frink submitted a written report. In addition, Mr. Frink told the Council that the third and final filter in the water plant had been rebuilt with new sand. Public Works has started discharging from the lagoons to lower their levels. The crew spent quite a bit of time doing drainage work to prepare for winter. Pioneer Park is set up for the winter with the loop roads closed off and the buildings winterized. Mr. Frink gave a Powerpoint presentation of pictures of the wastewater project. Mr. David Erickson asked about the utility cuts in Kirk. Mr. Frink said that they will get patched but there will not be a general overlay as Kirk is scheduled to be rebuilt in the next couple of years. There was some discussion about this, Mr. McDowell said that he had spoken with Mr. Lane, head of the Linn County Road Department, and the project is still planned by Linn County. Mr. McDowell said that the City will need to do additional work on Kirk Avenue east of Putman before the street project. Mr. McDowell said he would be meeting soon with Mr. Lane to work out the necessary details to get the project moving.

  3. Planning. Mr. Sattler provided a written report and updated the Council on current projects around town. Mr. Sattler said that the new population estimate is 1755, showing a sizable jump in the last year. Mr. Sattler said that Population Research Center had underestimated growth for several years and was apparently making it all up this year. Mr. Sattler updated the Council on the status of the Olsen Fields project, saying that he had just received some revised civil plans so they seemed to be moving forward with the project and discussed the status of the Haney property on Blakely, which is for sale.

  4. Library Report. Mr. Smith provided a written report for the Council. Mayor Ware said that a group is considering taking on the library landscaping as a project but the matter is not yet settled so he didn’t want to go into detail yet.

  5. Sheriff’s Report. Sgt. Lawler was present and gave a brief report to Council. Sgt. Lawler said that things had been fairly quiet and noted that the Liquor Store had been closed by the State.

  6. Council Report. Councilor Cole said that she had attended a meeting at Cascades West Council of Governments on November 15 and that the COG is in good financial shape. Bill Wagner, the Director of the COG, is resigning. Councilor Cole said that the Meals on Wheels attendance had been declining in many areas and distributed a survey which hoped to find what would make it more attractive to clients.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION: NONE

ACTION ITEMS:

  1. Employee Handbook. Mr. McDowell told the Council that he made some changes in the Employee Handbook regarding guidelines for corrective action and performance evaluations. Councilor Cole asked if he wanted the Council to adopt the changes by resolution. Mr. McDowell said that he had been told not to do so for legal reasons. Councilor Cole moved that the Council approve the changes recommended by Mr. McDowell. The motion was seconded by Councilor Hoyer and was approved unanimously.

  2. Personnel Classifications and Evaluations. The Councilors stated that they liked the changes. Councilor Cole moved that the recommended changes be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilor Pinnock and was approved unanimously.

DISCUSSION ITEMS:

1. Economic & Community Development. Mr. McDowell said that he and the Council have been discussing this matter for several months and that they are now at a point where they need to discuss where they want to go with the discussion. Mr. McDowell said that staff has made a new community bulletin board in City Hall and will be fixing up the literature rack in the lobby. Mr. McDowell said that the first step is a Council commitment to working with other groups as a facilitator. One example is that of the Seniors needing a better site for their pot luck meals. Mr. McDowell said the City Administrator has the power to put together ad hoc committee and he wants to do. The next step is to put together a list of community members who are potential committee members. Mr. McDowell said he would speak with the Councilors individually over the next month and discuss it at the December Council meeting.

2. Meeting Night. Mr. McDowell said that he had been thinking about moving the Council meeting night for a number of reasons and had been considering Tuesday nights. This would give the Councilors more time to review the packet and ask questions before the meeting. The Councilors discussed the idea and Mr. McDowell will ask Councilor Hoffman about her preference. The matter will be discussed further at the next meeting.

3. Transient Room Tax. The Council discussed how the City will use the funds collected. Mr. McDowell said the original intent of the tax was to use the funds collected to promote Brownsville. He said that the City could do that itself or could use the funds to pay someone else to do so. If the funds are paid to another person or group the City has the option of either awarding the funds to them or reimbursing them for expenses. Councilor Cole said that if it is done by reimbursement there needs to be guidelines. Councilor Cole said that the City might want to ask the Chamber of Commerce for a proposal for what they could do for the amount of available funds. Mr. McDowell said there’s about $1200 available as the City has never disbursed any of the collected tax revenues. Mayor Ware said that the reimbursement system would require more staff time to manage. Councilor Shepherd asked if anyone else besides the Chamber could access the funds. Mr. McDowell said the ordinance does not set any limits on who is eligible. Ms. Rikki Gutierrez spoke from the audience saying she wanted to see hard proof of how the promotion strategy worked. Councilor Cole agreed with her. Mayor Ware said that from the Chamber’s perspective they were asking for too much work for the relatively small amount of money available. The Council discussed how outcomes could be measured, such as by measuring attendance at events. Mr. McDowell said he would discuss this with the Chamber and have a response at the next Council meeting.

COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilor Brenner asked Mr. McDowell about his discussions with the Extension Service. Mr. McDowell said that he didn’t have any information at this time but that they would be sending him some. Councilor Cole said that she wanted to look at park use policies and possibly do an update to the regulations.

HANDOUTS:

1. Westech Monthly Report.

2. October Financials.

EXECUTIVE SESSION: The Council adjourned to an executive session pursuant to ORS 192.660 at 9:00 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT: The Council returned from Executive Session and the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. with no further action being taken.

 

 

 

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City Administrator S. Scott McDowell Mayor Don Ware