Page 14
The INDEPENDENT, December 17, 2009
Banks City Council considered traffic sign upgrades and costs
The once drafty Banks City
Hall building was noticeably
isolated from the chill, at the
December 8 City Council meet-
ing. While the weather outside
was frightful, the council area
was rather delightful. The new-
ly installed double paned win-
dows, and other energy-effi-
cient upgrades the city has in-
S TRASSEL ’ S A UTO R EPAIR
& H YDRAULIC H OSES
2-4-6 S PIRAL W IRE
S UCTION H OSES
A DAPTORS - 3/16” TO 2”
A MERICAN & M ETRIC F ITTINGS
B ULK O IL P RODUCTS
276 S UNSET , B ANKS
503-324-9808
Ye Olde
Dingheiser
stalled during 2009, gave
warmth and comfort to the
meeting.
Mayor John Kinsky pro-
claimed December 10, 2009,
as Humans Rights Day and De-
cember 7-13 as Human Rights
Week, and encouraged all citi-
zens to be mindful of human
rights principles and urged all
municipal, state, federal, and
international bodies to incorpo-
rate such principles into their
laws and policies to move to-
wards a stronger commitment
to human rights and diversity in
our communities. In 1948, un-
der the leadership of former
first lady Eleanor Roosevelt,
the General Assembly of the
United Nations endorsed the
Universal Declaration of Hu-
Just the finest in
collision repair
Pub & Restaurant
VISA - MC - ATM Access
BEER • WINE • FOOD
KEGS & ICE TO GO
Lunch, Dinner
and Cocktails
Served Daily
All Lottery Games
11:00 am to closing
Closed mondays
47100 NW Sunset Hwy.
Manning • 324-4848
No Custom Work
CHERRY
PRODUCTS
Auto Body & Paint
1875 E. Baseline
Cornelius
503-359- 5993
man Rights. The declaration
asserts the dignity of the hu-
man person; nondiscrimination
based on race, color, sex, age,
language, religion, political
opinion, nationality, social ori-
gin, birth, or other status.
On behalf of the City of
Banks, Kinsky presented the
proclamation to Allen Zaugg,
Human Rights Council and
Commander of Hillsboro Po-
lice. Zaugg expressed his ap-
preciation to the city for being
one of the ten of 13 jurisdictions
to read and present the procla-
mation to the Human Rights
Council.
Harry Bodine, of People for
Libraries Program, attended
the council meeting to discuss
the importance of early fund-
raising strategies for libraries.
The current library levy expires
in 2011. Bodine suggests do-
nating money through the Ore-
gon State Income Tax, a dollar
for dollar credit. Bodine talked
about the potential impact this
citizen-based political action
committee may have on the
2010 Levy Renewal Campaign,
and complimented the city of
Banks for exceeding the per-
centage of people, countywide,
using the library services .
Deputy Pat Chertude report-
ed that, during the month of No-
vember, there were 46 calls for
service and three arrests were
made. Thirty-six traffic stops re-
sulted in 15 citations being is-
sued.
According to Chertude, there
was a warrant service arrest,
and two arrests that resulted
from an assault incident. Other
calls responded to were theft
from vehicle, fraud, a domestic
situation, three criminal mis-
chief incidents, a hit and run, ju-
venile disturbance, theft, and a
burglary.
A bus driver complained to
Chertude about a daily traffic
safety issue and requested en-
forcement during the morning
hours. Chertude commented
that a good thing about working
in Banks is that he can adjust
his schedule to accommodate
community policing, which he
was able to do in this case, and
the situation has been re-
solved.
Planning Commission Liai-
son Sam Van Dyke told council
that the planning commission
has discussed their desire to
protect trees in the city when
future construction is under-
way.
City Manager Jim Hough
brought several items to coun-
cil's attention:
• The city is consulting with
the High Intensity Prismatic
street and traffic sign upgrade
throughout the city. Proposals
from sign fabrication and instal-
lation companies will soon be
underway. The goal is to com-
plete this project in early spring.
It is estimated that the cost will
be approximately $25,000, to
be paid for with identified gas
tax funds.
• The city has conducted an
initial review of the Energy
Trust audit of the city’s build-
ings. The city continues to work
with Partners for a Sustainable
Washington County Communi-
ty (PSWCC) and the city’s stu-
dent intern to formulate an en-
ergy plan for Banks. Hough is
forming a recommendation to
create a steering committee for
an environmental action plan
and will present it when the en-
ergy plan is completed.
• The City of Banks and
SWATCO are planning to re-
ceive the Washington County
Recycle at Work designation at
the January 7 meeting of the
Banks Chamber of Commerce.
• A glitch was discovered in
the water utility billing software
which has allowed under-billing
Please see page 15
Have you been good this year?
Ask Santa for a Stihl
Super Quiet
Portable Power
Put some power
under your tree.
PRECISION OUTDOOR
POWER EQUIPMENT
Banks Hardware
503-324-5221 • 150 N. Main Street, Banks
• Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm
• Saturday 8am to 5pm
• Sunday 10am to 4pm