MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING

MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING

April 14, 2003

PRESENT: Mayor Bob Jepsen; City Manager, Jerry Breazeale; Public Works Director, Craig Canham; City Attorney, Anne Spicer-Kuhn; MCSO Deputy Randy Rayburn; MCSO Deputy Justin Slinger, Council Members: Tom Wolff, Kay Robinson; Marian Murchison; Tim VanCleave, Cindi Doherty

ABSENT: Judy Buschke

VISITORS: Melanie and Richard Smith, Donna Schonbachler, Sherry Mahoney, Linda Schultz, Mr. and Mrs. John LeDoux, David Sykes

1. GENERAL BUSINESS:

A) Call to Order. The meeting of the Heppner City Council was called to order at 7:00 PM.

B) Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Mayor Jepsen led the Pledge of Allegiance.

C) Announcements.

(1) Five Council members are present.

(2) Mayor Jepsen welcomed all visitors to the meeting.

(3) Changes to the agenda:

(a) Animal Permit – Keshi Richmond, 570 Gale Street – 1 rabbit

(b) HUD Dollar Sale

(d) Due to other commitments by Deputy Rayburn, the Public Hearings section of the agenda will be held prior to the other items on the Agenda.

3. PUBLIC HEARINGS. Mayor Jepsen declared the Public Hearings open

A, C) Deputy Rayburn reported that the properties at 415 East Cannon Street and the property at 487 East Linden Way have been cleaned up.

B) 280 South Gilmore, Dale Munkers property, has not been cleaned up. Deputy Rayburn recommended that the Council send another letter giving them an additional 30 days to complete cleanup of the property. He will personally deliver the letter

C) 495 West Water Street, Spike Nash Property, Deputy Rayburn does not believe a letter has been sent to him, and recommended sending a letter to them.

D) Resolution of the City Heppner authorizing a loan from the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund by entering into a loan contract with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.

E) Resolution of the City of Heppner authorizing an interim financing loan from the Water Fund by entering into an interim financing loan contract with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.

Mr. Wolff requested that Items D and E, be closed until later in the meeting. Mayor Jepsen declared the Resolution Hearings closed. Public hearings are still open on the remainder of the items listed on this section of the agenda.

F) Reference the Smith Property at 487 East Linden Way, the garbage has been cleaned up. The main problem has been having their garbage cans tipped over by dogs.

This portion of Public Hearings closed and will be reopened for comments on the resolutions.

11. General Business (continued).

D) Approval of minutes of the February 4, 2003, Council Meeting.

E) Approval of minutes of the March 10, 2003 Council Meeting.

Mr. Wolff moved to approve the February 4 and March 10 Council with changes specified. Seconded by Cindi Doherty. Motion carried.

F) Report from the Planning Commission. Mr. Jepsen reported that Mrs. Jepsen stated that all Council members were in attendance at the Downtown Development session on April 4.

G) Correspondence:

(1) Request from Heppner Nazarene Church to use the City Park on Saturday, August 2, 2003 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM for the 50^th Church anniversary picnic. Mr. Wolff moved the request be approved, with the caveat that they check with Public Works so that they don’t drive over the sprinkler heads. Seconded by Marian Merchison. Motion carried.

(2) Thank you letter from Jackie McCauley thanking the City for participation in the sessions.

(3) Letter from Behavioral Health Services requesting sponsorship for a booth at the Morrow County Children’s Fair on May 15, 2003. No action taken.

(4) Letter from the League of Oregon Cities announcing a City Lobby Day at the Capital on April 29, 2003. Mayor Jepsen recommended that council members review the material and let City Hall know if they are interested in attending. This material also included an announcement for an Interactive Workshop on April 28, 2003.

(5) Mayor Jepsen also announced that the Mayor of Eugene, Jim Torrey, will be in Heppner on April 17 to discuss the school funding situation. He is planning on visiting each county seat in Oregon. Mr. Jepsen plans to meet with him. Eugene has a problem with homeless students who attend school but do not have homes.

2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

A) Communications not on the Agenda:

(1) Donna Schonbachler, Sherry Mahoney, and Linda Schultz are attending this meeting to request permission to hold a Freedom Parade in support of military personnel currently serving. They plan to hold the parade on April 21 at 6:00 PM. The parade will start at the Columbia Basin and go to Les Schwab Tire at the corner of Main and May Streets. Mr. Canham will meet with this committee to assist them. Included in the plans are to have participants assemble on the Court House steps for picture taking. This picture will be sent to the troops from this area. Lexington and Ione residents will also participate. After the parade, the group will decorate the tree in the mini-park next to the post office with yellow ribbons and requested the use of city equipment for this. Mr. Wolff asked when and who would remove the ribbons and was told by Mrs. Mahoney that the people who put the ribbons on the tree would remove them at a date to be determined. They would also like to install yellow ribbons on the trees on Main Street. Mrs. Schonbachler asked for a point of contact for music over the speakers. Mr. Wolff stated that he would work with them on this.

(2) Mr. Breazeale is representing Karen Zeiler regarding the bike rodeo. They are looking at a $5,000 total program. Businesses will purchase the helmets to be given out. They are asking for a $500.00 donation to bring professional BMX riders to give a demonstration. Irrigon, Boardman, and Ione have each pledged $500.00. According to Mr. Breazeale the city has money available. Mr. Wolff stated that he didn’t think this was the kind of thing that the city should contribute to. Mrs. Robinson felt that if you give to one, you have to give to other things that come along. Mr. Jepsen stated that when people make requests, we have to analyze them. He would support this. Ms. Doherty moved that we donate the $500.00 to this project. Mr. Jepsen seconded. Motion carried.

(3) Mr. John LeDoux is attending the meeting to express his concern about anything that might be planned in the future as far as his property, and if there is anything planned, he would like to have time to rummage through his property as he demolishes it. He wondered if anyone could donate a dumpster to assist him in his demolishing. He has a burning permit for five days, but there are appliances, etc., that cannot be burned. He doesn’t want any action taken without his knowledge. He feels that he could have the property leveled in 90 days. The police department will be notified that he has 90 days to complete demolishing the property. In addition to a dumpster, Mr. Ledoux would also like disposal services. Mr. Canham suggested that Mr. LeDoux talk to the owners of the property on Cannon street about the charges for dumpsters, and said that they normally have a usage time of two weeks. Mr. Wolff stated that he would check on this. Mrs. LeDoux wondered where they would find out about rebuilding and was told they need to work with the City and County. Mr. LeDoux also asked if a low income loan was a possibility to rebuild the property. Mr. Jepsen stated that those loans are for remodeling, and not for completely building a home.

B) Animal Permit – Renewal – Russ Morgan/Dana Reid, 260 E. May Street, 2 Llamas

C) Animal Permit – New – Dewey Harvey, 235.5 Linden Way Alley , 2 Horses

D) Animal Permit – New - Keshi Richmond, 470 N. Gale Street. 1 Rabbit

Mrs. Robinson moved that we grant the animal permit renewal and the new requests. Seconded by Cindi Doherty. Mr. Wolff stated that he had looked at the properties on Linden Way and May Street. Motion carried.

Public Hearings Reopened on two resolutions.

e) Resolution of the City of Heppner authorizing a loan from the Safe Drinking Water revolving Loan Fund by entering into a loan contract with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. Mr. Wolff has some difficulty with the resolutions. On page 2, para 4E, he questioned item 2C, where it states “the Borrowers general fund including the general revenues of the Borrower or other funds which may be available.” He feels that the terms of the loan were not as presented to the public. Per Mr. Breazeale it is a revenue bond being purchased by the revenue of the water system. According to Mrs. Spicer-Kuhn, this does make it a general obligation bond. She recommends that that they talk to the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department for clarification before signing the document. Mr. Wolff also questioned why we are raising water rates to the level required and why the city is required to raise water rates per the bond documents. The council members recommended the attorney check this and clarify the terms. According to Mrs. Spicer-Kuhn, the action is overdue and needs to be signed. Mr. Breazeale stated that there are two different loans. Mr. Wolff stated that he thought the payoff of the loan was from water revenue. According to Mr. Breazeale, there are two different loans. Mr. Wolff stated that he has reservations on telling people that the water rates would pay the loan off. No decision can be made until the April 21 meeting. Mr. Wolff has no concerns on the interim financing loan. No decision will be made until we have a legal opinion.

Public Hearings closed.

4. City Council Action.

A) Determination Regarding Abatement of Nuisance at 415 East Cannon Street.

B) Determination Regarding Abatement of Nuisance at 280 South Gilmore Street.

C) Determination Regarding Abatement of Nuisance at 487 East Linden Way.

D) Determination Regarding Abatement of Nuisance at 495 MW Water Street.

Mr. Wolff moved that we discontinue action on items A and C and send letters to the residents in items B and D. Seconded by Ms. Murchison. Motion carried.

E) Resolution authorizing a loan from the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.

F) Resolution authorizing an interim financing loan from the Water Fund.

Mr. Wolff moved that we table actions E and F until April 21. Seconded by Ms. Murchison. Motion carried.

G) HUD Dollar Sale. The loan has closed and the funds being transferred to the City. The amount is $30,000+.

5. Communications from the County Sheriff. Activity reports reviewed by the Council.

6. Communications from the Public Works Director.

A) Mr. Canham stated that the community service workers performed very well. They were used to clean up Main Street for St. Patrick’s Day. He tried to make this a positive experience for the workers. Mr. Wolff stated that he had heard positive comments on the productive work they were doing. Mr. Canham stated he saved the city approximately $1800.00.

Sewers will be cleaned next week. The sewer system is working well. On Water Street they have a problem and will replace it with new equipment.

D, E) Proposed purchase of a 1990 Chev 4x4 Pickup. Mr. Canham would like the authority to surplus out existing equipment and use the money to buy new equipment. He has been attending auctions to find a replacement vehicle. He has purchased a truck for himself and has made the city an offered the vehicle to the city for $5100. He needs council approval to allow the city to purchase this vehicle. Mr. Wolff moved to authorize the city to purchase the vehicle but only after declaring the existing vehicle surplus and selling it. Seconded by Mrs. Robinson. Motion carried.

F) Additional Discussion.

(1) The city will be renting a large handicapped-access restroom to be installed at Hager Park from May 21 until September 9. The cost is $100.00 per month. The restroom will be cleaned once a week.

(2) The Forest Service parking lot will be striped.

7. Communications from the Fire Chief. No report.

8. Communications from the City Manager.

A) Resolution No. 522-03, A Resolution Approving Accounts Payable for Payment. Mr. Wolff moved to approve Resolution No. 522-03, Accounts Payable for payment. Seconded by Ms. Doherty. Motion Carried.

B) Agreement for Engineering Services – Water Improvement Project. This is the contract on the USDA Rural Development form. Mr. Kuhn has reviewed it and has comments. These have been sent to USDA Rural Development. They didn’t want to make changes and we don’t have options on the form. Mr. Breazeale stated he had worked with Ace Engineering in Madras and they were best firm he worked with. Mr. Wolff wonders if there is a time element to allow Mr. Kuhn to look at some of the material he had questions on. He feels that since our attorney has reviewed documents, he should be allowed time to have his questions answered. He also wondered who would our attorney talk with and according to Mr. Breazeale, it is the USDA attorney. Mrs. Robinson also feels that Mr. Kuhn’s concerns need to be addressed before anything is signed. Mr. Wolff moved that this item be tabled until April 21 and that the city attorney contact the company and address his concerns. Seconded by Mrs. Robinson. Motion Carried.

C) Resolution No. 523-03. A Resolution Establishing Pay Ranges and Policy for Employees Compensation for Fiscal Year 2003-2004. This resolution was developed using a 2.4% increase. Maximum incentive potential is assuming everyone got maximum ratings. The base salaries have been checked against the average LPGI and are on the low side. Mr. Wolff wondered if there has been any feedback from employees, and there has not. Mr. Wolff moved that Resolution 523-3 be approved. Seconded by Cindi Doherty. Motion carried.

D) City Hall Remodel Committee meeting. Three designs have been submitted and will be discussed at the April 18, 2003, meeting.

E) Financial Statement for March. The City is still in good shape.

F) Downtown Development Plan. The next meeting will be held on April 21, 2003, at St. Patrick’s Center. There will be a short City Council/Planning Commission meeting followed by a review of the Transportation System Plan.

G. Downtown Development Plan Working Group. This meeting will be held on April 28, 2003, at the Columbia Basin Electric Coop. Final details of the plan will be discussed.

9. Communications from the City Attorney. Mayor Jepson stated that he likes being able to have Mr. Kuhn review all documents before final actions are taken.

10. Communications from the Mayor/City Councilors.

A) The Beautification Commission minutes of the March 13, 2003 meeting should be corrected as follows: Item 7, Para B should read “…the Munkers property on Gilmore street.”

(1) Some cleanup of the property on Jones and Water Streets has been started. The owners have begun removing some of the debris.

(2) Mr. Wolff stated that he has had comments that the trees on Main Street need trimming on the top.

B) Heppner Housing Authority. There are 8 people on the waiting list for the St. Patricks Center. The Assisted Living Facility has 8 residents, all from the local area.

C) Additional Discussion.

(1) Mr. Wolff stated that May 17, 2003, will be the grand opening of the ATV park at the reload site. The Governor and other dignitaries will be in attendance. This will be the biggest state park in Oregon, and belongs to Morrow County. Mr. Wolff stated that he would like to have Mayor Jepsen give remarks at the opening. Mr. Wolff would also like to give Mr. Breazeale a tour of the park and also speak at the opening on behalf of the city. The park is primarily aimed for four-wheel ATVs.

(2) Mayor Jepsen encouraged council members to read the article in the April 13 issue of the East Oregonian on Pilot Rock becoming a “bedroom community” for Pendleton. Mr. Jepsen stated that there are currently 103 people commuting out of Heppner every day.

Meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.