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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2012)
city news Vernonia City News... At the January 23, 2012 City Council Meeting: february14 2012 5 new ordinance which would organize all City Committees in a similar manner and give them all similar general powers and duties. The new ordinance would establish standard rules for member- ship, organization, reporting, meetings, communication and code of conduct for committees. No action was taken, but a final version of the Ordinance is expect- ed to be presented at a special February 13 City Council meeting. Westlake Receives Certificate of Ap- preciation—Mayor Josette Michell flood recovery including: how homes in Vernonia were found to be Substantially Damaged--a key component in receiv- ing Federal Assistance for buyouts and demolitions or the lifting of damaged homes; a progress report on mitigation efforts and the City’s obligation to per- form Flood Plain Enforcement. Coun- cil and Brown discussed homes in the community that have not been brought into Federal compliance and the need to speed up the process, as being in non- (pictured above left) presented a Certifi- compliance will effect Flood Insurance cate of Appreciation to Ginger Westlake, rates for the entire community. City Utility Specialist/Receptionist for her outstanding work to recover past Tice Appointed to Budget Commit- tee—Mayor Josette Michell, with the due utility accounts for the city. consent of Council, appointed George Guyett Appointed to Budget Com- Tice to serve another term on the City mittee—Mayor Josette Mitchell, with Budget Committee. consent from Council, appointed George Guyette to serve on the City Budget Council Approves Cemetery Inscrip- tion Application—Council approved Committee. a new procedure for anyone wishing to At the February 6, 2012 City Council have a name inscribed on the Avenue of Flags at the Vernonia Memorial Cem- Meeting: etery. Cost is $125 and a flag may be Council Hears Update on Flood Re- purchased for $48. covery—Council heard a presentation from Dan Brown, representing Co- Council Discusses City Committee lumbia County Flood Recovery. Brown Ordinance—Council held a lengthy dis- updated Council about several areas of cussion of over an hour about a proposed On January 28, 2012 City of Vernonia and Columbia County leaders gathered with local citizens at the Ver- nonia school cafeteria for a Town Hall meeting to discuss Emergency Prepared- ness and Vernonia’s ability to respond to natural disasters. The meeting, titled “Storm Watch 2012, Preparedness,” was hosted by the City of Vernonia and organized by Vernonia City Administrator Bill Haack in direct response to the recent area snowstorm and power outage in mid- January. Marc Farmer, General Man- ager at West Oregon Electric Coopera- tive discussed the process WOEC uses to reinstate power after a major outage and the specifics of this particular storm situation, including the fact that BPA, who supplies WOEC with power, had a downed line and was unable to re- pair that immediately. Farmer also de- scribed the difficulty WOEC faces in governmental agencies to speed up the process to procure needed resources and cut through “red tape.” It is also a clear indication that the City’s resources for dealing with the situation may be overtaxed and that additional help is re- quired. A declaration of an emergency notifies the County that they need to be monitoring the situation and may need to mobilize resources. Vernonia Police Chief Mike Conner and Vernonia Rural Fire Depu- ty Chief Dean Smith discussed the role of a City Emergency Operations Cen- ter. Conner explained that in a situation when it is unknown how long power will be out, the City will contact Red Cross and request assistance in opening Emer- gency Warming Shelters. St. Mary’s Church and Lincoln Grade school have been designated as shelters in the case of flooding. Conner discussed that there was difficulty in informing citizens and that citizens are always welcome to call the Vernonia Police Department non- emergency phone line where they can receive updated information and leave a recorded message. That number is 503- Council Holds Study Session on Per- sonnel Policies Handbook-- Council held a Study Session with City Attorney Alex Sosnkowski to review proposed changes to the City’s Personnel Policies Handbook. Council will be presented with a final version of the Handbook for adoption at an upcoming Council meet- ing. School District Makes Fundraising Presentation—Vernonia School Su- perintendent Ken Cox briefly updated Council on current fundraising efforts. Pam Weller, representing Wauna Fed- eral Credit Union presented a check for $6,000 that her organization raised in support of the new school. Weller noted that much of those funds came directly from Wauna employees. Gordon Smith told Council that the $10,000 Business Match Challenge that he organized and funded has been met and that the school received all $20,000. Smith thanked numerous businesses making donations and meeting his challenge. Council Declares Police Property as Surplus—Council passed Resolution 3-12, declaring two ICOP Video sys- tems as surplus and authorizing the sale of this property. VPD Chief Mike Con- ner informed Council that he is currently testing a newer and less expensive re- placement unit. Council Approves Intra-fund Trans- fer—Council approved Resolution 4-12 for a transfer of funds from Contingen- cy to Personal Services in three funds: General Fund--$16,803; Water Fund- -$10,629; and Sewer Fund--$11,729. The transfers were necessary to cover costs for Insurance Benefits that were in- correctly figured during the preparation of the 2011-12 Budget. City of Vernonia Hosts Emergency Preparedness Town Hall Upcoming Vernonia City Hall Closures and City Council Meetings City Hall will be closed: February 20, 2012 President’s Day Upcoming City Council Meetings are scheduled for: Tuesday February 21, 2012 Monday March 5, 2012 Monday March 19, 2012 Dates and Times subject to change due to conflicts of schedules Need body work? Time to call Meyer’s Auto Body Meyer’s Auto Body 493 Bridge Street, Vernonia. 503-429-0248 dealing with large amounts of snow in a largely rural service area and the need to bring in expensive outside crews to as- sist. Farmer also discussed that the new WOEC headquarters was built with the ability to serve as an emergency shelter in the event of a major emergency, but will not act as a warming shelter during smaller events. Vernonia Mayor Josette Mitch- ell described the process the City goes through to officially declare an emergen- cy. Mitchell explained that in the event of an unusual weather situation that looks like it will impact citizens, City Council gathers to consult with Police, Emergency Responders and the City Ad- ministrator about the severity of the situ- ation. If needed, Council then gathers in an emergency meeting and declares the emergency by Resolution, which notifies the County and State and marks a place in time in case the City expends extra resources and wants to request funding assistance for those extra expenditures. Peter Tassoni, Director of Co- lumbia County Emergency Manage- ment Department explained that when the City declares an emergency it allows continued on page 7
