Page 4
The INDEPENDENT, October 21, 2010
Council interviews attorney applicants without required public notice
Vernonia City Council mem-
bers put in a long day on Octo-
ber 18, starting at 4:30 p.m.
with a special meeting of the
council, held without proper
public notice as required by
ORS 192.640(3). The purpose
of the meeting was to interview
two candidates for city attorney.
Alexandra E. Sosnkowski,
P.C. and the firm Berry, Elsner
& Hammond, LLP, both re-
sponded to the city’s request
for proposals. The council
agreed with Interim City Admin-
istrator Bill Haack who said that
either applicant could handle
the city’s legal needs. The
council decided to consider the
information from the interviews
before making a final decision
at the November 1 council
meeting.
The council went straight
from those interviews into the
regular council meeting at 7:00
p.m., starting with a study ses-
sion on the monitoring of Com-
munity Development Block
Grant, Project D08017. At the
end of that session, council
agreed (with Councilor Cindy
Ball voting nay) to forward the
response letter prepared by
Community Action Team to the
Infrastructure Finance Authori-
ty. See article on page 1 for fur-
ther details.
Interim City Administrator Bill
Haack presented a compre-
hensive, three page list of items
identified during the past few
months as needing changes.
The list included City Council
Transition regarding potential
changes in council as a result
of the election; updating the
employee handbook, upcoming
labor negotiations, a city staff
compensation assessment, an-
nual work plan, staff evaluation
plan (including the need for po-
sition descriptions); the next
budget process, and a sched-
ule of special sessions to ad-
dress each area.
Interim Police Chief Mike
Conner’s report to council on
department activity included
that there had been 181 calls
for service in September.
Council approved two new
resolutions, 34-10 and 35-10.
Resolution 34-10 designates
council’s intent to permit recre-
ational use of all areas general-
ly regarded as outdoor recre-
ational areas (such as city
parks). This helps protect the
city against liability in the event
someone is injured in the
parks. Resolution 35-10 de-
clared the police department’s
2002 Ford Crown Vic (the red
car) surplus so it can be sold.
This vehicle was originally giv-
en to the city.
In other business, council;
• approved a request from
the
Vernonia
Community
Learning Center (VCLC) com-
mittee to allow use of the
VCLC, free of charge, twice a
month by St. Helens Child Wel-
fare Program for family visit
sessions.
• approved a Funds Verifica-
tion Request for $5,385.00 for
flood gates at the pump station,
to be reimbursed by FEMA at a
later date.
• gave consensus for a con-
cept plan for new hangars at
the airport to be brought to
council for consideration at a
future date.
Council finished the evening
by adjourning at 9:35 p.m. The
next meeting is scheduled for
November 1, at 7:00 p.m. in
City Hall.
CLARIFICATION
In the Vernonia Council arti-
cle on page 4 of the October 7
issue, information was unclear
regarding motions recom-
mended by the Public Works
Committee and approved by
the council.
There were two motions.
One directed, “the pro-tem City
Administrator to work with
DEQ, the city engineer and
Brown & Caldwell to adapt the
existing Brown & Caldwell con-
ceptual design report to meed
DEQ pre-engineering require-
ments so the City can issue an
RFP or RFQ for the design
process.” The second motion
directed, “the pro-tem City Ad-
ministrator to request that DEQ
allow the City to use loan funds
for the purpose of hiring a proj-
ect manager who will be ac-
countable to the City and will
focus on the wastewater proj-
ect and get it ready for funding
by spring of 2011.”
Community Calendar
VERNONIA
Alcoholics Anonymous
Mondays
6:30 p.m., 410 North Street
Alcoholics Anonymous
Thursdays (Big Book Study) 7:00 p.m., 410 North Street
American Legion Post #119
2nd Thursday
7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue
Booster Club
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., VHS Library
Boy Scout Troop 201
Tuesdays
7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin
Boy Scout Troop 860
Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., LDS Church
Cemetery Beautification Comm.
2nd Thursday
6:30 p.m., Library
CERT
4th Wednesday
For Info Call 503-429-3018
Chamber of Commerce
2nd Wednesday
For Info Call 503-429-6081
Community Coalition
2nd Monday
12:30 p.m. School District Ofc.
Cub Scout Pack 201
Scout Cabin
For Info Call 503-429-4250
Friends of the Library
1st Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library
Girl Scouts, Neighborhood 4-2
For Info Call 503-819-0143
Izaak Walton League
3rd Thursday
For location call 503-429-7193
Kiwanis Club
2nd & 4th Wednesday
6:30 p.m., New Hong Kong
Lions Club
1st & 3rd Tuesdays
6:30 p.m., New Hong Kong
Municipal Airport Committee
1t Wednesday
6:30 p.m., City Hall
Pioneer Museum
For Info Call 503-429-3713
Public Works Committee
4th Tuesday
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Cares Directors
For Info call 503-429-1414
Vernonia City Council
1st & 3rd Mondays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Community PTA
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., WGS Library
Vernonia Garden Club
2nd Tuesday
1:30 p.m., Vernonia Library
Vernonia Grange
3rd Monday
7:00 p.m., Grange Hall
Vernonia Health Center
3rd Thursday
6:30 p.m., 510 Bridge St.
Vernonia Learning Center
1st Wednesday
6:00 p.m., VLC
Vernonia Parks Committee
3rd Wednesday
6:30 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Planning Comm.
1st & 3rd Thursdays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Pride
2nd Thursday
1:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Ridge Riders
Last Thursday
7:00 p.m., Senior Center
Vernonia RFPD Board
2nd Tuesday
6:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia School Board
2nd Thursday
6:00 p.m., District Office
Vernonia Sr. Center Board
2nd Friday
10:00 a.m., Senior Center
Vernonia Transfer Station
2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Behind VHS
Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st, 3rd & 4th Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters
2nd Monday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
WOEC Directors
3rd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., WOEC
MIST-BIRKENFELD
M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg.
2nd Tuesday
M-BRFPD Board Workshop
4th Tuesday
M-B Ambulance Drill
1st & 2nd Thursdays
M-B Fire Drill
1st & 2nd Wednesdays
M-B Helping Circle
2nd Monday
M-B SAR Drill
3rd Wednesday
M-B Volunteer Assoc.
1st Tuesday
Natal Grange
2nd Wednesday
T.O.P.S.
Mondays
Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-0869
BANKS
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
American Legion Post #90
Banks City Council
Banks Fire District #13
Banks Library Commission
Banks Planning Commission
Banks School Board
Banks Youth Group
Chamber of Commerce
CPO 14
Everybody’s Hometown Band
Friends of the Library
Lions Club
Sunset Park Assoc.
T.O.P.S.
Friday
Wednesday
2nd Tuesday
2nd Tuesday
2nd Wednesday
3rd Tuesday
Last Tuesday
2nd Monday
Sunday, Wednesday
1st Thursday
3rd Monday
Tuesdays
2nd Tuesday
1st & 3rd Mondays
3rd Wednesday
Wednesday
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall
9:00 a.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
7:30 p.m., Main Street Post
7:30 p.m., City Hall
7:00 p.m., Station 13
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., City Hall
7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library
7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg.
12:30 p.m., Fire District Office
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., BHS Music Room
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., Brown Derby
8:00 p.m., Gun Club
7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg.
COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.)
Board of Commissioners
Wednesday
10:00 a.m., Courthouse
Citizens for Senior Justice
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church
Columbia Comm Mental Health
1st Tuesday
5”30 p.m., 58646 McNulty Way
Columbia Soil & Water District
3rd Wednesday
7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes
County Fair Board
2nd Monday
6:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg.
County Parks Commission
3rd Tuesday
Times vary, 1054 Oregon St.
Mental Health Advisory Comm.
Quarterly
For Info call 503-397-7211
Comm. on Children & Families
3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 505 N. Hwy. 30
Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm.
Quarterly
For Info call 503-397-7211
Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.