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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2004)
The INDEPENDENT, May 6, 2004 Page 15 Banks council continues move toward position of administrator The potential benefits and costs associated with some form of city administrator were discussed by the Banks City Council at their April 13 meet- ing. A committee composed of council members Pete Edison and Ryan Birr, city employee Tim Grossnickle and communi- ty members Mark Ward and Wes Wingship was formed in November of last year to deter- mine whether a change was needed and if it is affordable, and to set a timeline for making the change. Birr reported that help from the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) and other cities has been invaluable and prevented the committee from being over- whelmed by the scope of the project. Presently, Banks oper- ates under a strong mayor sys- tem, with the mayor directly in- Sign up for Banks Little Guy Football Sign-ups for Banks Little Guy Football will take place May 11 and May 18, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Banks Elemen- tary School. Eligible players will be in- coming second through sixth grade students. The cost will be $80.00 per player. For more information, call 503-324-3614. volved in the day-to-day run- ning of city affairs. However, examination of the city’s charter reveals that the mayor should have fewer duties and not be directly involved with the ad- ministration of the city. Consid- ering the population forecast and the strength of the city’s budget, Birr said, the commit- tee unanimously agreed that now is the time to consider such a move. Edison continued the pres- entation, saying the committee needed direction from council and the budget committee in order to proceed, particularly in view of unapproved levies for li- brary services and the police department. The current budg- et has a large ending fund bal- ance that will be used to meet the needs of the library and po- lice department in the 2004- 2005 fiscal year, if necessary. However, once these holes in the city’s budget are filled, the committee felt that money would be available to fund a full-time city manager’s position in 2005-2006. The committee concluded that the city has the money, during the next fiscal year, to begin the process and prepare for a city manager. Edison and Birr reported that success in completing this sys- tem change was greatest in cities where a citywide coordi- nator was hired. A coordinator would serve as a central com- munication point, from the council and mayor to city em- ployees, and vice versa. A co- ordinator would also be respon- sible for developing employee manuals and job descriptions. This position would not neces- sarily be a new hire, but could be an internal adjustment for one year. Council approved the addition of a budget line item for this purpose. The amount budgeted will be determined by the budget committee. Officer appointed Robert Richards was ap- pointed as a new member of the police department. Roberts, a member of the Banks Police Reserve for the last year, has worked in New- berg as a municipal court bailiff and reserve officer. Initially Roberts will be working with Of- ficer Brian Bringman. Mayor Bob Orlowski told council that, following training, the depart- ment will move to a ten-hour day schedule in order to im- prove coverage and overlap shifts at critical times. ments that impede perform- ance. He recommended re- placement of all city computers with new $500-600 machines which can be networked to- gether. He provided prelimi- nary figures for the replace- ment of the computers, soft- ware upgrades and develop- ment of a network that will make the system more secure and easier to use. Technology Report In other business, council: – Appointed Kevin Strummer to the planning commission. – Approved population fore- cast update (3749 by the year 2024). – Granted Verizon access to city water tank property for 30 days for evaluation purposes. John Thies reported on his inventory of information assets and software for city hall, the police department and the li- brary and noted that he found “a few things that were kind of scary.” Thies’ goal is to simplify the system and remove ele- Friends of the Banks Public Library Annual Plant and Book Sale Friday, May 7, 2004 3 pm - 7 pm Saturday, May 8, 2004 9 am - 4 pm Banks Public Library 111 Market St., Banks 503-324-1382 Perennials, Vegetables, Shrubs, Flower Baskets Gifts, Garden Art and Books galore Bring this ad for a free used book !"#$%&'! (( '! ))*+ !"#$%&'($)%$)*$+, -)*##$) A vailable with bike or loop handles, a primer bulb and starting throttle lock ensure fast reliable starts. 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