6A • October 27, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Ballot measure marked by vigorous campaigning
Ballots from Page 1A
Another challenge for the
city was the absence of an or-
dinance requiring inspections
or spelling out occupancy lim-
its for vacation rentals .
An acute countywide hous-
ing shortage also drove the
conversation.
Increased online rental
activity and reports of loud
parties, overcrowding and
blocked roadways drew great-
er calls for action.
By 2015, an increase in
online bookings led to more
than a doubling of book-
ings in Gearhart, through
companies
like
Vacasa,
HomeA way and Airbnb.
Complaints that out-of-town
management was unable to
promptly reply to public safe-
ty concerns led to an increased
call for regulation, particularly
a provision requiring 24-hour
owner contact information.
After a series of hearings,
including standing-room-only
public workshops in the Gear-
hart Fire Hall, the Planning
Commission crafted rules in
May 2016 detailing occupan-
cy limits, parking rules and
property management contact
information.
According to rules, rent-
al properties must maintain a
“residential appearance,” and
provide weekly garbage ser-
vice. Homes are required to
conduct fi re and safety inspec-
tions, and post a tsunami evac-
uation map in the dwelling.
The proposed regulation
capped registration to existing
short-term rental properties
and established a $600 permit
fee.
Provisions included permit
transfer only by inheritance,
not sale. Applicants had to
show proof of having paid the
lodging tax in 2016.
In early September 2016,
after what City Planner Carole
Connell said were “30 meet-
ings and eight draft reports,”
the City Council passed Ordi-
nance 901 unanimously with-
out discussion.
Property owners who met
the conditions faced a Dec. 16
permit application deadline.
As of Oct. 1, 81 vacation
rental dwelling permits have
been issued, 57 of which are
complete and processed, six
pending parking plans, 15
working on upgrades after
inspection and three awaiting
initial inspection, according
to the city administrator.
Measure 4-188
QUESTION
SHALL GEARHART’S
VACATION RENTAL
DWELLINGS
ORDINANCE BE
REPEALED AND
REPLACED?
SUMMARY
IF APPROVED, THE ORDINANCE WOULD:
• Require $600 annual permit fees dedicat-
ed to police and fi re departments;
• Permit transfers to new dwelling unit
owners;
• Change maximum occupancy from two
persons over 2 years old per bedroom to
two persons over 12 years old per bed-
room, plus three additional people over
12 per dwelling unit, no limit on children
under 12;
• Repeal ordinances imposing special regu-
lations on vacation rental dwellings related
to off street parking, residential appear-
ance, garbage service, septic sewer capacity
inspections and cesspool prohibitions.
• Require compliance with Gearhart city
Appeals, petition
After the new regulations
were adopted , two separate
groups sought to overturn the
rules in the state’s Land Use
Board of Appeals.
They said they were not
against some aspects of the
rules, but opposed what they
said were plans to eliminate
short-term rentals altogether.
They cited inconsistencies in
how the city defi ned “residential
character,” among other issues.
Before a decision was ren-
dered, property owners David
Townsend, Joy Sigler, Bri-
an Sigler and Sarah Nebeker
in March fi led a challenge
seeking a ballot initiative that
would repeal and replace the
ordinance. Nebeker serves on
the Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners.
Their proposed 15-point or-
ordinances that apply generally to all resi-
dential dwelling units;
• Eliminate requirement that a 24-hour rep-
resentative be able to physically respond to
the site within 30 minutes;
• Allow safety inspections to be conducted
by any licensed home inspector;
• Make dwelling unit owners responsible
for self-reporting inspection issues, and
provide a six month cure period, for any
defi ciencies;
• Remove current limitation on the number
of vacation rentals;
• Require public vote for amendment
of the vacation rental ordinance or any
subsequent ordinance relating to vacation
rentals.
dinance sought to “assure that
the interests of vacation home-
owners and permanent residents
remain in a sustainable balance
that is good for the communi-
ty, that every property owner’s
rights are fairly protected and
that no property owner is eco-
nomically harmed by excessive
rules and regulations.”
A city summary of the bal-
lot initiative was changed as
a result of a decision issued
by Circuit Court Judge Dawn
McIntosh in May.
Their ballot petition received
more than 200 signatures, bring-
ing the matter to voters.
On May 30, the Land Use
Board of Appeals upheld provi-
sions of the ordinance .
Vigorous campaigning, in-
cluding lawn signs, newspaper
and radio debates and door-to-
door outreach, have marked the
election so far.
Food bank scheduled to reopen Nov. 7
Food Bank from Page 1A
Gooch said the closure
provides an opportunity to fo-
cus on “future sustainability.”
The food bank, located at
2041 N. Roosevelt Drive , is a
private nonprofi t serving the
hungry in Seaside. It survives
on contributions from indi-
viduals, organizations, foun-
dations, businesses and cities.
Board member Alan Evans
said the food bank will work
to guarantee no break in ser-
vices. There will be changes
to some management and vol-
unteers, as well as paperwork
and internal policies .
“We have realized that the
need for our services becomes
more important daily as more
people fi nd themselves in
need,” Evans said. “With that
increase in need becomes a
bigger responsibility for us to
be sustainable. We realize that
stronger policies are needed
to be enforced to our man-
agement, volunteers and the
foundation of our services to
our partnering agencies and
the people we serve.”
Board members said any
delivery changes would be for
the purpose of better service.
Regional food banks will
supplement private food do-
nations, Evans said. Food
donations will be accepted
during the restructuring.
Board members will also
take the time during the clo-
sure to clean, organize and
deal with inventory.
‘Totally devastated’
The South County Food
Bank was launched with do-
nations from a Seaside gro-
cery in 1981 and incorporated
as a nonprofi t in 1986. It is
associated with Clatsop Com-
munity Action and an affi liate
of the Oregon Food Bank Net-
work. It was housed in a loca-
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Gearhart Fire after a shift in California.
Gearhart and Seaside
fi refi ghters return
from Santa Rosa
Fire from Page 1A
COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP
The South County Food Bank is closed until Nov. 7
tion in a building provided by
the Moose Club for 28 years,
until the Moose Club disband-
ed in 2013.
Gann, who is unsalaried,
took over as the food pantry’s
managing director in 2013, re-
placing Norm McLaren.
From 390 to 470 families
use the food bank each month .
Gann said changes in the
board, including departures
of key members, changed its
composition. “It’s all a big
clique of friends now,” she
said.
Gann, who said she’d
worked 70 to 80 hours a week
at the food bank, clashed over
a request by board members
to provide personal informa-
tion on food bank patrons.
The board cut Christmas
and Thanksgiving dinner box-
es because of the belief that
patrons were “double-dipping
and getting stuff everywhere,”
Gann said.
“We’ve got a room in the
back of my offi ce of Christ-
COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP
South Clatsop County Food
Bank Regional Manager
Karla Gann at the food bank
in August.
mas presents for kids people
already sent in, and they’re
going to get rid of it all,” she
said.
An aisle offering patrons
free shoes, clothing, blankets
and cookware was also an is-
sue . “They’re getting rid of all
that stuff,” she said.
‘Rotting in
the fridges’
Of the 240 people to lose
service at the food bank this
month, about 100 who need
to walk for their food “are
going to suffer” because they
can’t get to food banks in
Gearhart or Cannon Beach,
Gann said.
“Food is rotting in the
fridges because they did
this,” she said.
Regular donation pickups
from North Coast Family Fel-
lowship in Seaside — yield-
ing 1,000 pounds of food a
month — will be interrupted,
she said.
Gann does not expect most
of the 60 volunteers to return
after the food bank’s reopen-
ing, she said.
“My people are up in arms
and 90 percent of my volun-
teers are not coming back,”
she said. “I’m totally devas-
tated. This is the busiest time
of the month and there will be
a week-and-a-half people will
go hungry. I am so sorry for
these people. I am so upset.”
The food bank is sched-
uled to reopen Nov. 7.
Crews cleared brush fi res
and put out hot spots in an
effort to contain blazes driv-
en by the wind, reaching
speeds of 60 mph at times.
“Until the wind dies
down you are just trying to
keep it at bay, or to redirect
it so it does not take out
more,” Daniels said. “They
just had an awful wind.”
Turning the tide
It wasn’t until rain fell
overnight, Thursday into
Friday, that crews could be-
gin cleaning up the last hot
spots.
“They were glad to see
it,” Daniels said. “And boy,
they got some rain.”
With help from precipita-
tion, Oregon fi refi ghters de-
mobilized and returned after
11 days in California.
Eddy and Daniels re-
turned Saturday.
As of Tuesday, the Tubbs
fi re in and around Santa
Rosa was 94 percent con-
tained, Cal Fire reported, but
not before growing to more
than 36,000 acres.
The fi re killed 22 people,
destroyed 7,000 homes and
buildings and damaged an-
other 500. Five percent of
homes were destroyed and
damage reached more than
$1 billion in Santa Rosa
alone.
This summer, California
sent resources to Oregon
to fi ght blazes in the Chet-
co Bar Fire in Brookings
and the Eagle Creek Fire in
the Columbia Gorge. They
joined teams from as far
away as Victoria, a state in
Australia.
“Everybody helps sup-
port everybody else,” Eddy
said.
“Firefi ghters are fi re-
fi ghters,” Daniels added.
“We all do the same job.”
WE’LL SAVE YOU A BUNDLE
AND QUITE A FEW LAYERS.
Rotary gala fundraiser is the ‘bee’s knees’
The Roaring 20s
this year’s theme
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
Flappers, gangsters and
their molls came to Seaside’s
convention center Saturday
night to celebrate the Rotary
Club of Seaside’s annual fund-
raiser dinner and auction, the
Roaring 20s Gala.
The special appeal raised
$12,450 for holiday programs
including Shop with a Cop,
Rotary President Raven Brown
said, with about 280 people in
attendance. Final tallies will be
available next week.
Guests wore period cos-
tumes and bid on auction items
in a night geared to local char-
ities, including the Shop With
a Cop program. This year, the
program expands to 20 students
and the law enforcement part-
ners will include Clatsop Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Offi ce deputies and
an Oregon State Police offi cer
who serves the local area, in ad-
dition to offi cers from the local
police departments.
Funds raised also support
community projects including
the Rotary Youth Exchange,
academic scholarships and the
Christmas Wishing Tree pro-
gram.
Internationally,
Rotary
Foundation supports clean wa-
ter throughout the world and
eradication of polio.
The gala, Seaside Rotary’s
main fundraising event, is put
on each fall featuring a differ-
ent theme. This year’s event
committee was chaired by Ro-
tary members Al Peinhardt and
Greg Sawyer.
Additional gala funds will
go toward creating a new
scholarship to help a local
student acquire vocational
training or attend trade school.
Rotary gifts about $20,000 in
scholarships to Seaside High
School graduates pursuing ed-
ucation.
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