FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 11
Local
Development code changes, airport plan and
Rural Fire Protection withdrawals among
topics at City Council
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
L-R: Baker Rural Fire Chief Dan Weitz, City Manager Mike Kee, Councilor Rosemary Abell, Councilor Richard Langrell, Councilor Benjamin Merrill, Mayor Kim
Mosier, and Councilor Mike Downing.
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Tuesday evening’s City
Council meeting began
with Councilor Langrell
leading the pledge of al-
legiance and invocation.
With all councilors pres-
ent, Mayor Kim Mosier
called for any citizen
participation of anything
not on the agenda.
Deborah Hannah ap-
proached council regarding
the most recent spraying in
Geiser-Pollman park.
“Signs were inadequate.
A sign is expected at each
corner and each of the
entrances. I only saw two
small signs at the entrances
at Campbell and Grove and
one at Grove and Madi-
son. One inch by one and
a half inch in size. None
at the main entrances and
the entrance by the library.
None listing of the chemi-
cal used. Many sprays are
required by law to have
signs saying ‘warning:
chemical’ date applied and
date to reentry, when it is
safe to come back in. That
knowledge is necessary to
make an informed decision
as to exposure,” Hannah
said.
She expressed concern
that she saw children play-
ing in the area, one a very
young child clad only in a
diaper. She also mentioned
that young children also
touch affected areas and
then put their hands in their
mouths possibly exposing
them internally.
“All citizens, pet own-
ers and especially parents
deserve the opportunity to
make an informed deci-
sion,” she said.
Mayor Mosier asked
Public Works Director
Michelle Owen to ad-
dress Hannah’s concerns
and speak to the signage
requirements imposed on
the Public Works or the
contractors.
Owen said, “It is re-
quired that they (the city
contractor) post notice and
they did. Certainly there
are other improvements—
we can put larger signs.
We can put billboards.
There is a range of things,
but we can certainly make
improvements to the sig-
nage. We did ask them to
put notices at the entrances
to the park keep in mind
the spray that is used is a
concern until it is dry so
we typically try to spray
when the park is unoc-
cupied. I will confer with
our contractor. We can use
larger signs if that is the
direction of Council.”
Mosier asked Hannah,
“Have you seen signs that
you felt were adequate?
Something that is differ-
ent than the signs you saw
here?”
Hannah said she had but
not regarding the spe-
cific chemical in question,
Glyphosate (Round Up).
Mosier asked, “So, what
you’re wanting to see is
larger signs that include
what was sprayed?”
Hannah indicated she
would also like to see the
date the spray was applied
as well.
Owen said the date was
not on the signs currently
so the signs could be re-
used and not incur added
expense creating new signs
every time.
She did suggest adding
words like “today” or “this
morning” on those signs to
give a time frame to park
users.
Council then turned its
attention to the remainder
of the agenda.
Appointment of Volun-
teers to Board Vacancies.
Three of the City
boards and committees had
vacancies to be filled; the
Tree Board, the Parks and
Recreation Board and the
Public Works Advisory
Committee each needed
one vacancy filled.
The Tree Board had
two applicants, Lyle
Kuchenbecker and William
Albrecht. Kuchenbecker
received two votes and
Albrecht five votes.
The Parks and Recre-
ation Board also had two
applicants, Mike Clark and
Steve Adams.
Clark Received five
votes while Adams re-
ceived two.
Only one applicant,
Jim Bruce, applied to fill
the vacancy on the Public
Works Advisory Commit-
tee. The Council chose
to appoint Bruce unani-
mously.
Human Resource Man-
ager Luke Yeaton men-
tioned that one vacancy
remains on the Public Arts
Commission.
Ordinance 3341 De-
velopment Code was next
on the agenda. Council
next heard from Planning
Director Holly Kerns. She
updated council on revi-
sions and changes being
made to the code.
The current develop-
ment plan was adopted in
2009 a review that began
in 2012 unveiled a number
of updates needed. Most of
which were housekeeping
items such as spelling or
references to sections that
had been updated.
Eight public hearings
were held before a recom-
mendation for approval
of the document before
Council was reached.
Property owners were
mailed notices and Kerns
advised Council, “We have
had a lot of public contact
aside from getting caught
at the grocery store or
kids’ ball games. I have
highlighted portions of the
changes that drew the most
discussion.”
The revised code out-
lines steps needed to be
taken should a conditional
use permit need to be re-
voked if there is one found
to be in violation.
“There has never been
an issue in the time that
I have been with the pro-
gram but it is good to have
that tool in the toolbox if
it is ever needed,” Kerns
said, and noted clarifica-
tion of the Kennel Permit
Code, to bring it more in
line with Municipal Code
as being one of the most
discussed topics.
Kerns said she and her
staff were careful not to
create a conflict by clarify-
ing a commercial kennel,
requiring a land use permit
and private kennel which
is for personal use but
would still need to comply
with the kennel permitting
process.
After Kerns’ initial in-
troduction, Mayor Mosier
opened a Public Hearing.
No one came forward to
speak and after a few ques-
tions from Mosier clari-
fying questions she had
about revoking conditional
land use permits.
Kerns assured that it was
complaint driven and not
something the planning
department would begin
seeking out the need to do
City Manager Mike Kee
read the ordinance in its
entirety.
After the reading Coun-
cilor Merrill moved to
approve the first reading of
the ordinance seconded by
Councilor Downing.
Council voted unani-
mously to accept the
first reading with Mayor
Mosier stating that the
public would be given
another chance to speak
before final approval at the
July 28 meeting.
Council was then given
an informational presenta-
tion from Oregon Climate.
Oregon Climate is a
rural-led, rural-started
organization aiming for a
timely global transition to
a clean energy.
Emma Ronai-Durning
addressed Council saying,
“Oregon has a history of
solving hard problems. We
have to dig deeper wells
and find a way to grow our
crops no matter what hap-
pens to our climate.”
She said Oregon Cli-
mate wants to see com-
panies that are adding to
the carbon pollution pay
for what they are doing to
our environment. They are
proposing these companies
be taxed and a portion
of the revenue collected
be divided up among the
citizens of Oregon.
“Just like we have to
pay for our trash to be
collected they should have
to pay for putting that into
our air,” Ronai-Durning
said.
Mayor Mosier told
Ronai-Durning that council
would take the information
provided under advise-
ment.
Council then looked the
Task Order TO Engineers
(Airport).
“Before you tonight
is a task order for your
approval for our airport.
We recently entered into
an agreement with TO
Engineers they have been
our aviation engineers for
the past five years and
we entered into another
five-year agreement,” said
Michelle Owen.
She introduced Kevin
Bissell, project manager
from TO Engineers who
spoke to Council about
the project and task order
that was before them for
redesigning and improving
airport aprons.
Owen and Bissell ad-
vised council that cost for
the apron rehabilitation is
set at 158,225.
The task order referred
to a FFA grant that could
be secured only if a signed
agreement and approval by
Council was obtained.
Mayor Mosier asked if
there was a timeline and
was told to expect approxi-
mately one year. Coun-
cilor Downing moved for
approval of the task order
with a second by Councilor
Merrill. A unanimous vote
in favor of approval was
carried.
Ordinance 3340 – Re-
move Annexed Properties
from Rural Fire District
was up next.
City Manager Mike
Kee advised council he
had written a staff report
in April of 2015 regarding
residences that had been
annexed in 2005.
Those residents waived
city taxes by signing an
agreement that will expire
this year.
There was a statement
in those agreements that
the city could eventually
withdraw from the rural
fire protection district.
“Properties in the coun-
try are often in a district
that they fund themselves
for fire protection. That is
what is currently in agree-
ment and the residents
pay taxes to the district
rather than the city for that
protection,” Kee explained.
“As those properties
withdraw from that district,
rural fire loses those taxes
and the city gains. In this
case we will gain some
property tax from those
properties and they will be
protected primarily by the
city fire department.”
Kee estimates 20 letters
were sent to the property
owners that will be af-
fected and he had heard
back from only two who
just asked some questions
but has not heard any
objections.
Kee explained that
Council had the authority
to bring in all properties
or just certain properties if
there were objections.
Dan Weitz, fire chief if
the Baker Rural Fire Pro-
tection District said, “We
have no objection with the
withdrawls.”
Kee read the ordinance
for the first time and
Councilor Downing moved
for approval of the first
reading with a second by
Councilor Merrill.
Councilor Langrell,
who lives in this area told
fellow Councilors “I will
not vote on this.”
The rest of Council
voted unanimously in
favor.
Mayor Mosier thanked
Baker Rural Fire for their
“Collaborative spirit.”
Resolution 3757 Oregon
Savings Growth Plan.
City Manager Kee told
council he would like
to add Oregon Savings
Growth Plan as an option
to city employees and
Council would need to
authorize participation in
this plan.
“The plan has become
very popular in the last
several years due to the
low fees. There is no cost
to the city. Several cities
around us offer this as well
as Baker County and the
Prisons. It is a good way to
self-fund retirement,” Kee
said.
Councilor Augenfeld
voiced his concerns. “I
don’t know if the other
plans we offer are the
same in nature I assume
that they are but it seems
a shame to offer another
one. My reservation about
this sort of thing is I don’t
know if at this level it is
appropriate for the em-
ployer to somewhat control
the investment options.
I wonder if the investor
will be buying a share or
whether they will have a
choice of picking their own
investments like through a
broker.”
Kee explained that the
program is overseen by
Oregon PERS the broker-
age that is used is ING, a
nationwide company. They
will allow representatives
to broker for individuals
or The Oregon Growth
Plan can pick for them,
and there are more options
are available as far as how
aggressive the investor
chooses to be.
“I realize this is com-
mon practice but I’m going
to have to vote against it. I
just don’t feel it is appro-
priate to offer,” Augenfeld
said.
For clarification Mosier
asked, “This is after tax,
like a Roth IRA?” to which
Kee said yes.
Councilor Downing
made a motion to adopt
that was seconded by
Councilor Merrill. All
Councilors voted in favor
with the exception of
Augenfeld.
The meeting wrapped
up with a mention to buy
Jubilee buttons for this
upcoming weekend.
Councilor Abell an-
nounced to everyone that
HBC is selling Ducks and
Beavers for the races on
Sunday.
Mayor Mosier reminded
everyone that Turbo pins
were also for sale and
those proceeds will go to
fund a new drug sniffing
dog, specifically trained to
detect only illegal drugs.
With that she adjourned
the meeting wishing all a
safe and fun Miner’s Jubi-
lee weekend.