10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
Local
City Council has
22-minute meeting
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Mayor Mosier called to
order Tuesday evening’s
City Council meeting as
the clock chimed the seven
o’clock hour in the back-
ground.
City Recorder Luke
Yeaton called role with all
councilors present. Coun-
cilor Ben Merrill tendered
his resignation approxi-
mately two weeks ago and
therefore was not present.
City Manager Mike Kee
was also absent.
Facilitating the meeting
was Public Works Director
Michelle Owen.
The first order of bus -
ness was the consent
agenda approving the
minutes from the regular
council meetings of August
25, 2015 and September 8,
2015.
Mosier asked if there
were any amendments to
which there were none.
Councilor Downing
moved to vote to accept the
consent agenda with a sec-
ond by Councilor Thomas.
A unanimous vote was
cast. Mosier then stated,
“This is the time in the
agenda where we reserve
time for citizen participa-
tion. Is there anyone here
who would like to speak to
anything not already on the
agenda?” Seeing none, she
moved on.
Ordinance #3344
Proposed Changes to the
Tree Board
Owen read the ordinance
by title only for the third
time. This ordinance is to
change the tree board from
five to seven members and
was brought in front of
the Council at the request
of the tree board. The last
City Council meeting saw
both the first and second
readings of this proposed
change in the ordinance.
Downing made the motion
to accept this third reading
with a second by Councilor
Abell.
Council voted unani-
mously to accept this
third reading, passing the
ordinance. “I ask anyone
interested in filling those
two new positions on the
tree board to contact Mr.
Yeaton,” said Mosier.
Ordinance # 3345
Amending Ordinance #
3264 Regarding Prohib-
ited Park Activities
Owen addressed council
stating that this ordinance,
amending the park rules
ordinance, was being
presented in an effort to
curb certain activities from
occurring in the Parks.
The ordinance states
specifically that no skat -
boards, bicycles, scoot-
ers, roller skates or other
conveyances be allowed
in the parks except on
pathways, prohibiting the
use of those types of things
on the structures such as
picnic tables, playground
equipment, the bandstand
or the Lyon’s shelter.
Councilor Augenfeld
questioned wording of
pathways in the ordinance.
“What about the grass?”
Owen responded, “That
would be unauthorized.
It is very clear in this
ordinance that they are to
use those conveyances on
paved pathways in the city
parks and the Leo Adler
Memorial Parkway itself.
So they are not to ride in
the grass. This ordinance is
just kind of clarifying that
and updating that.”
Owen then read the
proposed ordinance in full.
Included was an emergen-
cy clause.
Mosier asked if there
was any further discussion.
Downing moved to accept
the first reading with a
Second by Abell. A unani-
mous vote to accept the
first reading was made.
Mosier asked, “Do we
need to have an emergency
clause to have a second
reading?”
Owen responded, stating,
“We don’t. The idea of
the emergency clause is to
accelerate the passage of
this ordinance. With the
addition of the bandstand
we have has substantially
more activity in the park
with conveyances and we
would like to this updated
sooner rather than later to
discourage that. If it is the
Council’s desire it would
be appreciated to acceler-
ate the package by having
a second reading tonight.”
By a nodding of heads on
the Council, everyone with
Owen on the matter.
“In order to have that
second reading a unani-
mous vote of the Council
is needed,” she said.
Councilor Langrell said,
“I think you’ve got it.”
Owen informed the
Council she need and
actual motion and vote to
move forward.
Downing made a motion
that Council hear a second
reading of the ordinance
that was seconded by
Abell.
Council voted all in
favor of hearing a second
reading. Owen then read
the ordinance by title only
for a second time.
Thomas made a mo-
tion to accept the second
reading.
Downing made the
second and all councilors
voted to accept unanimous-
ly the second reading.
Owen indicated that new
signage would begin being
Gina K. Swartz/ The Baker County Press
Former City Council member Ben Merrill’s seat remains empty while Michelle
Owen filled in for City Manager Mike Kee at this Tuesday’s meeting.
prepared in anticipation
of the ordinance being
passed with the third and
final reading at the next
meeting.
Council Member Res-
ignation
Luke Yeaton, City Re-
corder/Human Resources
Manager addressed council
on the resignation of Coun-
cilor Ben Merrill. He told
council, “Merrill resigned
approximately two weeks
ago stating ‘As the father
of two busy children, my
schedule does not allow
me to continue my com-
mitment to this elected
position.’”
As Yeaton advised the
Council, he cited city char-
ter that allows the Council
to appoint, by a majority
vote, a person to replace
Merrill.
Merrill was elected in the
November 2014 election
with his term not set to ex-
pire until December 2018.
With only three candi-
dates running for four posi-
tions in the last election,
the Council cannot fall
back on the next highest
candidate voted for as they
have in past when a situa-
tion such as this occurred.
Yeaton explained to
Council he had modified a
volunteer application that
could be utilized.
Yeaton also suggested
a letter of interest accom-
pany applications.
After some discus-
sion council agreed that
Yeaton’s revised applica-
tion would be used and
applications would become
available in the next couple
of days and remain open
for a total of 10 days.
Council is expected to
make their decision for the
replacement at the next
council meeting.
City Manager/Director
Comments
Owen said to Council, “I
was left a list.”
She advised Council
work with the planning
department on the City
owned Salmon Creek
property is moving forward
toward selling.
The City Council and
the County Commission-
ers had been scheduled to
have a combined meeting
together on October 13,
2015 at 6:00 p.m. for a
work session to discuss the
interchange management
plan.
However a county com-
missioner was not going to
be available so that meet-
ing has been canceled and
tentatively rescheduled in
November.
Owen asked all council-
ors to get back to her as
soon as they could to let
her know so a date could
be solidified
Owen also told Coun-
cil that the Sam-O-Swim
Committee would be
meeting again October 6
to go over bids for pool
resurfacing and Council
could expect to see the
committee recommenda-
tion, should they feel one
is worthwhile, at the Coun-
cil meeting following the
committee’s meeting.
Owen also said she had
secured a bid for the sand
filters at a lesser cost than
the council had approved
and those filters have been
ordered.
Council Comments
Mosier stated that she
hoped community mem-
bers stepped forward to
fill vacancies discussed
and encouraged her fellow
councilors to mention to
community members they
felt qualified to apply for
the open Councilor posi-
tion.
She said, “If anyone has
a question about what it
means to serve I’m sure
anyone sitting here would
be happy to answer any
questions and all of our
contact information is on
the city web site. With that
if there is not anything else
and this may be a record,
but we are going to close
this Council session.”
“22 minutes after sev-
en,” she added in disbelief.
NRAC talks weeds
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County
Natural Resource Advisory
Committee (NRAC) met
on Tuesday, at 3 p.m., in
the Commission Chambers
of the Courthouse, joined
by County Weed Master
Arnie Grammon, to discuss
proposed changes to the
County’s Natural Resourc-
es Plan (NRP).
Present were County
Commission Chair Bill
Harvey, NRAC Chair Doni
Bruland, NRAC Coordina-
tor Eric Wuntz, and NRAC
members Ken Anderson,
Jan Kerns, Alice Knapp,
Jan Alexander, Chuck
Chase, George Keister,
Lyle Defrees, Craig Ward,
Dick Fleming, Emily Bras-
well, Kody Justus, Eileen
Gyllenberg, Laurene Chap-
man, Jake Bingham, and
Cynthia Long.
Also in attendance were
Craig Bruland, Lorrie Har-
vey, Tork and Wanda Bal-
lard, and Bobbie Danser.
Bruland called the
meeting to order, and she
handed out copies of the
agenda, along with copies
of a draft Weeds section/in-
vasive species amendment,
proposed by Grammon,
and a draft Watershed sec-
tion/water and water rights
amendment, proposed by
Kerns.
No comment was of-
fered by those present
during either the initial or
final segment for public
participation (each member
of the public is granted five
minutes to speak on natural
resource topics only).
Bruland informed the
group that Bob Parker and
Leticia Varelas, from the
Oregon State University
(OSU) Extension Service,
were scheduled to be guest
speakers, but were unable
to attend.
Grammon began with an
overview of the County
weed program, and said,
“This is my 15th year
working for Baker County.
I have a background in
noxious weed ecology, and
I enjoy my job. I have a
passion about it, I really
care about the people, and
dealing with their noxious
weed issues. I am rep-
resented, or directed by,
the three Commissioners
(Harvey, Mark Bennett,
and Tim Kerns), as well
as my Weed Board. Craig
Ward is Vice Chair of my
Weed Board, and, he’s
been on it ever since I can
remember. A lot of very
good individuals, with a lot
of collective knowledge,
work on my Weed Board.”
Weed Board meet-
ings are held during nine
months of the year, Gram-
mon said; they’re not held
during November, De-
cember, and January). He
said the weed program is
funded primarily through a
local, four-year, voter-ap-
proved weed options levy,
similar to a Vector Control
mosquito levy, and it will
be included on the May
2016 elections ballots.
“I have three or four
major (weed) programs I
work with. I spray road
sides for the County, and
generate some income that
way, for the County Road
Department. I also work
with the general public,
and go out to meet differ-
ent landowners, as they
try to address their weed
issues. We have a cost
share program through the
County, and supplied by
those County weed levy
dollars, and it’s supported
by those, and we only cost
share herbicides…We also
have a herbicide giveaway,
that, in my view, is one of
the more effective ways
we can provide just good,
solid, basic herbicide use
for landowners, at the
right time, with the right
method, using the right
mix, and they go out and
take care of white top, or
spotted knap weed, as the
case is in Sumpter, here,
in three weeks or so. I’ll
be giving away herbicide
there.”
He noted the decision
recently by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service not
to list the Greater Sage-
Grouse as an endangered
species, and said, “I heard
that the sage-grouse is
not going to be listed, and
that’s a great thing, but,
on the other hand, it’s
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Members of Baker County’s NRAC heard updates from Arnie Grammon on
weeds and herbicides before moving on to additional topics.
going to right there, and
hovering over us. The
concerns associated with
sage-grouse habitat, almost
exclusively, deal with the
loss of sagebrush, but, the
invasive species are huge
issues, especially with
medusa head. We have got
to address medusa head in
a proactive manner.”
Ward interjected that
educating the public about
invasive species and weed
control has been, and
will continue to be, very
important, and he praised
Grammon and the Weed
Board for their efforts so
far regarding that goal.
Grammon spoke about
the local effort, and said,
“There are a lot of folks
who have spent a lot of
money--thousands of
dollars--even on my Weed
Board, I might add, on
weed control, that I know
about, and they’re doing
a good job with what they
have, and the message
needs to be, ‘Yes, we have
an answer here, folks. To
anybody who wants to
listen to us, even federal
agencies, and so on. We’re
starting to get a pretty
good approach on how to
deal with some of these
tougher, hard-to-deal-with
issues.’”
Chase said he thinks
the herbicide giveaway
is a good program, and
Grammon said, “We have
pretty good overall support
of that. People really like
that…We’re not here to
kill every weed personally,
myself, I can’t, in Baker
County. I can’t do it. But,
I can affect change through
getting people to get that
concept in their mind.”
Harvey asked Grammon
about issues with the
Tri-County Weed Man-
agement Area (TCWMA)
partnership, and Grammon
responded that, “There
have been some bumps
in the road recently, and
you know about them, and
what I would like to see in
the future is better commu-
nication, as it relates to Tri-
County and federal agen-
cies. It hasn’t been very
good recently, with federal
agencies dealing with nox-
ious weeds…What I’d like
to see, is more coordina-
tion and cooperation with
local counties, and right
now, it‘s minimal.”
SEE NRAC PAGE 11