Page 14 The INDEPENDENT, October 19, 2011 Council told Banks participating with PGE on LED streetlights From page 13 Banks. Hough anticipates the program being operational later this year. The program is ex- pected to be useful to inform residents of short notice water utility shutdowns, etc. • The city has two openings on the Banks Tree Advisory Board. • Hough advised council that the city is beginning its annual Tree City, USA recertification process. • The city entered into the LED streetlight Pilot Program with PGE. Hough anticipates that the new fixtures will be in- stalled along Banks Road be- fore the end of the year. Council adopted a revised Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to Water System Master Plan because three of the four highest priority water system improvement have been com- pleted. The city engineer draft- ed the proposed revision that updates the plan appropriately. Council approved having city staff begin researching for a future water rate study. The current water rate study pro- jected needs through a five year period, with the final water rate increase to be effective July 1, 2014. Councilor Pete Edison urged that “we [the city] go down the road of seeking grants.” Patty Barber, Senior Advisor for EnergyPros, gave a brief follow-up presentation to coun- cil on the project for installing solar panels on City buildings. At the September 13 meeting, Council expressed a desire to proceed with a solar panel proj- ect on one or more of the City buildings. EnergyPros LLC pro- poses to install and service solar panels, as a lease: City Hall Council Chambers $16,975, City Hall Administra- tion Building $16,975, Banks Public Library (without reroof- ing) $36,051, Public Works Building $16,975, and Four- Building Package (plus reroof- ing Public Library) $87,000. Council moved to award the Public Works Building installa- tion, service and lease solar array project to EnergyPros LLC, at an amount not to ex- ceed $16,975. The motion passed by a 4-1 vote. Council unanimously author- ized an Emergency Response Program agreement between Servpro of Hillsboro/Forest Grove and the City of Banks. The local franchise assisted city staff in conducting pre-dis- aster planning for city build- ings, and has produced an Emergency Ready Profile for the library, city hall, slow sand filter, north star, Behrman wells, public works building, Greenville Park, and Log Cabin Park. The agreement commits Servpro to provide rapid re- sponse to a city emergency and to give priority to the city. Banks Chamber of Com- merce President Lori Godfrey requested that the City of Banks partner with the cham- ber to host a Holiday Lighting Contest during the month of December. The chamber in- tends to host a contest for resi- dents living within the water billing district of Banks, and is inviting residents to participate in the contest by filling out an entry blank. The top three places will be given an award of monetary value. The cham- ber will provide an information- al flyer to be added to the water bill, judging, and communicat- ing with the winners. $150 of the funding will be provided by Want to know what happens around here all year? Get The Independent delivered to your home for a year for only $20.00 Call today to start your subscription 503-429-9410 the chamber. The chamber is requesting that the city match funds and provide manpower to add flyers to the water bill. Council approved the proposal and authorized up to $300 of funding support for prizes. The Banks Sustainability Strategy (BSS) was adopted on February 8, and has been reviewed for needed updates. Council unanimously adopted the amended BSS as present- ed. After a second reading, by title only, Council adopted an ordinance revising the Banks Municipal Code regarding Urban Forestry. A first reading was held, by title only, of an ordinance amending the Banks Municipal Code regarding the provision of bulk water sales and services. Council unanimously ap- proved a tree safety program and authorized contracting with Radford Landcraft, LLC for cer- tified arborist pruning services. The city was approached by the operations manager for Clean Water Services regard- ing street-side tree overhang distance in Arbor Village subdi- vision. Clean Water Services owns and operates the storm- water system in Banks. Part of the stormwater system is the street sweeper that keeps the system from being clogged by leaves and debris. The street sweeper must avoid sweeping where a tree overhang is lower than nine feet above the street, thereby making the stormwater system more susceptible to flooding in those neighbor- hoods. The city will mail appro- priate property owners with in- formation about requirements to prune trees for which they are responsible. The next City Council meet- ing will be held on November 8 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Cham- bers. Sheriff Gordon set to retire Sheriff Rob Gordon has an- nounced to his staff that he will retire at the end of November 2011 after 32 years of service to Washington County. In a message to Sheriff’s Of- fice staff, Sheriff Gordon con- veyed that he’d struggled with retiring prior to his term’s end, but that prospective changes in the PERS system had led to his decision. He relayed his fondness of his staff and said, “The good training and work you do, and the resulting tradi- tions of quality you have each contributed to this office. You are an amazing group of crime fighters who have the most honorable of missions. I’m very proud to be associated with each of you.” The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association “Sheriff of the Year” in both 2006 and 2008, Sheriff Gordon is widely known for his stances on concealed handgun privacy, the state’s mental health client placement, and the medical marijuana pro- gram. Sheriff Gordon is also recognized for chairing a state- wide group that authored the Oregon Jail Standards – a se- ries of guidelines that Sheriffs throughout Oregon have credit- ed with helping improve local jail operations over the last decade. During Sheriff Gordon’s first elected term, he led the Wash- ington County Sheriff’s Office to its initial national accredita- tion with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforce- ment Agencies (CALEA). The Sheriff’s Office maintained compliance with over 400 stan- dards comprised of five review areas of policy and procedures, administration, operations, in- vestigations, and support serv- ices. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office remains the largest law enforcement agency, and the only Sheriff’s Office to hold national accredi- tation, in Oregon. Sheriff Gordon joined the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in the fall of 1979 as a Corrections Officer, after serv- ing four years in the United States Marine Corps. He has held the positions of Correc- tions Deputy, Senior Correc- tions Deputy, Sergeant, Lieu- tenant, Patrol Commander, Jail Commander, Chief Deputy Sheriff, and has served as Sheriff since September of 2002. In his announcement to the Washington County Board of Commissioners, Sheriff Gor- don strongly recommended current Undersheriff Pat Gar- rett as his successor.