city/county news
june7
2018
5
Vernonia City News...
At the May 21, 2018 City Council
Meeting:
Medical Services system and the person-
nel that serve the Vernonia Community.
Council Hears “Save the Grand-
stands” Plan – The group working to
save the Grandstands at Greenman Field
presented their business plan to the
Council. (See full story on front page.)
Library Surplus Items – Council ap-
proved a recommendation from Library
Director Shannon Romtvedt that the fol-
lowing items be surplussed either for
sale or donation: various shelving, HP
4100n Laserjet Printer, large felt/white
board.
City Accepts Grant for Street Paving
– Council voted to accept a Small City
Allotment Grant from the State of Or-
egon to pave portions of Louisiana Av-
enue from south of Mississippi Avenue
to B Street and continuing on B Street
to Oregon Avenue. The estimated total
cost of the project is $88,000. The grant
will cover up to $50,000 of the project.
Council Approves Letter of Support
for CC Rider – Council approved a Let-
ter of Support on behalf of Columbia
County Transit for an upcoming grant
application to fund a growth manage-
ment plan and research for development
for future routes for the CC Rider public
transportation system.
EMS Week – Trish Smith, representing
Metro West Ambulance and the Verno-
nia Ambulance Association, was in at-
tendance as the Council recognized May
20-26 as EMS Week with a proclama-
tion, read by City Recorder Stephanie
Borst, that acknowledged the Emergency
Topics From the Floor – John Brewer
asked the Council when the City will be
able to lease properties, acquired follow-
ing the 2007 flood, to adjacent property
owners. Brewer was told the City is still
gathering letters of interest and will be
reviewing the program in June or July.
Del Allen asked the Council
to reverse their vote to demolish the
grandstands at Greenman Field. “If we
all work together we can turn this into
something great and something we can
all be proud of,” said Allen.
is $7,515,618. The Resolution also im-
poses property taxes of $5.8163/$1,000
of assessed value.
Department has received a used Humvee
vehicle at no charge to the City for use
during emergencies.
Council Instructs Staff to Plan for
Tree Removal at Airport Park – Based
on a recommendation from the Parks
Committee, Council instructed City staff
to create a plan for the removal of sev-
eral danger trees at Airport Park.
Topics From the Floor – Richard Stein,
representing the Vernonia Parks Com-
mittee, presented the Council with a
brochure to publicize Airport Park. He
suggested the City place better signage
for the park on Timber Road this sum-
mer to take advantage of the two month
Highway 47 detour. He also informed
the Council that the Parks Committee is
considering recommending a change to
the name of Airport Park to something
more welcoming to campers. He said
the Parks Committee will be discussing
the idea at their June meeting and may
return to Council with suggestions in
July.
Brett Costly addressed the
Council on several issues. He applaud-
ed the Budget Committee and Council
for creating reserve funds in the budget.
He said he agreed with Mr. Stein about
the idea to change the name of Airport
Park to something more welcoming. He
said he likes the pattern of the bricks
that are being laid along Bridge Street in
the downtown corridor. He thanked the
City for fixing the broken water fountain
on the back side of the Lake. He said
he was glad to hear the City would be
discussing the parking fee issues at the
Lake.
City to Increase Parking Enforcement
at Vernonia Lake – Council agreed to
begin placing flyers on vehicles parked
at Vernonia Lake that do not show either
a resident sticker, or proof that they have
paid a day-use fee. Councilor Bruce
McNair suggested the idea as a way of
encouraging visitors to pay for their day-
use and ensuring the City is capturing all
revenue they are due for use of the park.
At the June 4, 2018 City Council
Meeting:
Library Surplus Items – Council ap-
proved Resolution 8-18, officially de-
claring Library property, previously ap-
proved at the May 21 meeting, as Sur-
plus.
Council Approves 2018-19 Budget –
Following a Public Hearing, at which
there was no testimony either in favor or
against, Council passed Resolution 7-18,
adopting the Fiscal Year 2018-19 Budget
recommended by the Budget Commit-
tee. The total of all funds in the budget
Police Chief Report – Police Chief
Mike Conner told the Council he will be
interviewing five applicants for the new
School Resource Officer (SRO) position
that will be shared with the Vernonia
School District.
Conner said the Vernonia Police
County to Change Rate Structure for Permitting, Inspection Fees
Fee increases to more
adequately cover cost of services
After an extensive study of Columbia County’s
permitting and inspection fees found the cost of ser-
vices, in many cases, were not being met, County staff
recommended a number of changes to bring payments
more in-line with actual costs. The Board of Commis-
sioners has scheduled a public hearing on the matter
for June 20 during its weekly meeting, which begins at
10:00 am.
The County’s Land Development Services De-
partment charges a wide variety of fees for its building,
planning, and on-site sewage permitting and inspec-
tion functions. These fees fund several needs essen-
tial to public safety, from electrical, plumbing, septic,
and home occupancy permits, to road name changes,
cannabis-related operating permits, and property line
adjustments.
The study found that current fees charged by
the County recover from 24 to 94 percent of actual
costs. These costs include overall staff time as well as
Vernonia City
Council Meetings
and Closures
City Council Meetings
are scheduled for 7:00 pm:
Monday, June 18, 2018
Monday, July 2, 2018
City Closures
are scheduled for:
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Independence Day
Dates and times subject to change
the direct costs associated with the different services
such as reviewing and approving applications or con-
struction plans for compliance with applicable codes,
issuing permits, and inspecting sites and construction.
“While it is essential that we cover the costs of
the most common public needs,” said Todd Dugdale,
Director of the Land Development Services Depart-
ment, “not all fees will be increased as a result of this
study.”
Dugdale noted that a variety of factors were
considered when the new fee structure was set, includ-
ing the public versus private benefit provided by the
service.
“Some common activities that provide public
benefit, such as amendments to the Comprehensive
Plan map and text, zoning appeals, and hardship dwell-
ings are more appropriately partially subsidized by the
County’s general fund,” he said. “Conversely, we deter-
mined that it was more appropriate for activities with
more private benefits, such as new septic lot evalua-
tions, building construction permits, and lot partitions
and subdivisions, to be supported by fee increases.”
The Vernonia
Transfer Station
is scheduled
to be open on the
2nd and 4th Saturday
January - October
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
June 9 & 23
July 14 & 28
Dates and times are subject
to change due to weather
Building fees, including those for structural,
mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and manufactured
housing are currently covered at 94 percent, however,
with proposed staff changes, cost recovery would have
decreased to 74 percent.
On-site/septic fees currently recover 49 per-
cent of costs, but with proposed increases in staffing,
cost recovery would decrease to 47 percent.
The Planning area is the most subsidized by
the County’s general fund, with only 24 percent of its
costs being recovered from fees charged. Proposed
increases, however, would bring that to an average of
about 53 percent for the most common application fee
types.
A full description of current and recommended
fees can be found on the County Land Development
Services website by clicking on the link FY 2019 Pro-
posed Development Fees.
The proposed fee changes for FY 2019 are to
be effective on July 1, 2018.
$300/ Cord
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