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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2019)
SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 | 9A CODE from page 1A Dozens of changes have been made to the previous code, all of which were pro- vided to members of both groups and are available for viewing online at ci.flor- ence.or.us under the tab “Residential Code Update.” The Planning Commis- sion was first to act during the meeting as FarleyC- ampbell requested com- missioners to consider ap- proval of Resolution CC 19-03-TA-01, a proposal to recommend the city coun- cil approve the ordinance. There were few ques- tions for FarleyCampbell and, after a brief discussion clarifying changes to the parking space requirements KRAB KETTLE 280 Hwy. 101 M 541-997-8996 Fresh Seafood Market Open Daily 10-6 Cindy Wobbe Estate Sales LARGE ESTATE SALE Friday & Saturday, 9am-3pm 5592 Leanza (off Clear Lake Rd.) Liquidating contents of 2-story home and 6 garage bays. Household goods, kitchen wares, linens/bedding, lg. collections of holiday decor and crafting supplies, office supplies, collectibles, car memorabilia, furniture, auto & shop tools, paint & industrial supplies, Chevy & MG car parts, garden, too much to list! Directions: Take Canary to Clear Lake to Leanza. Photo inventory on website. ALL SALES FINAL. Credit cards accepted. We do not allow backpacks or pets in home. View Photos at www.CindyWobbeEstates.com and other minor details, the Planning Commission unanimously passed the resolution. Public comments were limited, but there was a concern expressed by one of the speakers that re- garded the height restric- tions in the new code. The desire to limit the height of buildings, particularly in low-density residential zones, was the intent of the proposed limit of 35 feet. The Planning Commis- sion had previously dis- cussed, at length, future height restrictions and had determined that a 35-foot limit was to be the stan- dard. After a brief discus- sion clarified the need for a sloped roof to deal with rain and moisture issues, the Commissioners changed their recommendation to allow for a 40-foot, sloped roof in limited situations. Next, FarleyCampbell guided councilors and commissioners through the numerous changes she had identified as needing clari- fications. After a brief round of questions and answers, the City Council voted unani- mously to adopt Ordinance No. 7. After a short recess, May- or Joe Henry made an un- scheduled announcement regarding Harlen Springer, Chairman of the Public Art Committee, who has been appointed to the Oregon Arts Commission by Gov. Kate Brown. The meeting then contin- ued with the consideration and approval of a series of consent items, which in- cluded an approval of a li- quor license for the Home- grown Public House and authorization was given to Public Works Director Mike Miller to purchase an emergency power genera- tor and a wastewater plant pump for his department, as well as contracting for engineering services related to the North Florence Sew- er Project. Action items were next addressed by the council with a short presentation made by Michael Titmus, a member of the Environ- mental Management Advi- sory Committee (EMAC), asking the council to apply for the designation of Tree City USA. The council ap- proved the request. City Recorder/Economic Development Coordinator Kelli Weese then request- ed approval of Resolution No. 26, Series 2019, which would authorize staff to accept a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant for continued support of coast- al entrepreneurship pro- grams. This request was approved as was a mem- orandum of understand- ing entered into between the Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network (RAIN) and the City of Florence. The last item of business for the evening was a re- quest from Florence Events Center (FEC) Director Kevin Rhodes to consider having the FEC provide in- house food and beverage services. Rhodes recapped the sev- eral ways that the events center has provided food and beverages in the past. He made the case that, with little capital outlay, the FEC could hire a part time kitchen manager and sup- port staff, which would be a more efficient way of pro- viding food and beverages in the future. After a few questions, the council approved Rhodes’ request. This was followed by Administrative Services Director Anne Baker, who presented the Quarterly Fi- nancial Report, and other committee reports were en- tered into the record. At the end of the meet- ing, City Manager Erin Reynolds reminded coun- cilors of the many open- ings on city committees and encouraged the public to attend a meeting of any committee they might be interested in joining. The next Florence City Council meeting is sched- uled for Monday, Dec. 16, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Florence City Hall. The completed revision of the Florence residen- tial Housing Codes can be viewed in its entirety at www.ci.florence.or.us. DMV from page 1A this week. “That’s because these drivers are contribut- ing much less (or nothing) in fuels tax while driving just as much.” This argument was per- suasive during the debates surrounding HB 2017, with the bill passing thanks to support from members of both parties on a final vote of 39 to 20. Oregon currently has approximately 27,000 EVs registered. All these vehi- cles will be eligible to join a program designed to low- er the higher registration fees for 2020 — OReGo, a mileage payment and re- imbursement system, ap- proved by the legislature’s passage of HB 2018, which was designed to allow own- ers of EVs to pay the in- crease in registration fees over time. OReGO also permits drivers to monitor their mileage and pay the 1.7 cents per mile ODOT has determined is the proper usage rate for roads and highways in the state. Par- ticipation in the OReGo program requires drivers to sign up on the website, providing a digital payment method and Vehicle Iden- tification Numbers (VIN). There are also GPS-enabled options available through two of the vendors con- tracted by the state to par- ticipate in the OReGo pro- gram. According to ODOT, “Vehicle registration fees, title fees and other motor vehicle-related fees, such as fuels taxes and motor carriers’ weight-mile taxes, are set by the legislature and help support Oregon’s transportation system — statewide and at the local levels. The increased fees are part of the major fund- ing package to improve our state’s transportation sys- tem and to strengthen our economy.” Beginning Jan. 1, vehi- cle registration fees are in- creasing based primarily on the combined MPG rating determined by the DMV’s VIN decoding software. This software will assign mileage rates for each vehi- cle registered in the state. Passenger vehicles are el- igible for two- or four-year registration. least partially on battery power and is charged using electricity. • Battery electric vehicles: Run entirely on an electric motor and rechargeable battery. This is also referred to as an all-electric vehicle. • Plug-in hybrid elec- tric vehicles: Combine two propulsion modes in one vehicle. They have an elec- tric motor and rechargeable battery but can switch to gasoline once the battery power is depleted. • Hybrid Electric vehi- cles: Use a gasoline engine with an electric motor. Al- though these vehicles have an electric motor and bat- tery, they don’t plug in to be recharged. All these types of vehi- cles will be subject to the change in the registration fee structure that will take effect in Jan. 1. Some increases will be due to the new mileage-based formula for registration and others will be based on the EV fee requirements of the new Transportation Fund- ing Bill. Oregon is not the only state to create an alternate manner to compensate for the reduction in gas tax revenues, as 20 other states have enacted a similar spe- cial electric vehicle registra- tion fee. For more information on the changes to the registra- tion structure, which also includes minimal increases in other ODOT fees, see Oregon.gov. after purchase are signif- icant due to traditional long-term fuel costs being much higher than electrical costs. There are also tax in- centives in place to encour- age EV purchases. There are more than 1.2 million EVs on American roads this year, in compar- ison to less than 50,000 a decade ago. It is unclear whether hikes in the cost register an EV will diminish the growing public appetite for the cars. “Drivers of more effi- cient vehicles will pay more to register and renew their tags so they contribute more for use of the roads,” ODOT said in a public statement released earlier Cottage Theatre presents Lio ionel Bart’s Lion Book, Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart Directed & Choreographed by Janet Rust Music Direction by Mark VanBee ver Sponsored by: PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center 541-942-8001 • 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove www.cottagetheatre.org The new fees for regis- tering a vehicle are: • Passenger Registration 0-19 mpg: $122/$244 • Passenger Registration 20-39 mpg: $132/$264 • Passenger Registration 40 + mpg and not enrolled in OReGo: $152/$304 • Passenger Registration 40 + mpg and enrolled in OReGo: $86/$172 • Passenger Registration Electric and not enrolled in OReGo: $306/$612 • Passenger Registration Electric and enrolled in OReGo: $86/$172 Hybrid and electric vehi- cles generally fall into the following categories: • Plug-in electric vehi- cles: Any car that runs at
