MINUTES OF THE CITY OF HEPPNER CITY COUNCIL MEETING

HEPPNER CITY HALL, 111 N. MAIN STREET, HEPPNER, OREGON

7:00 PM, March 10, 2008

NOTE: Where stated “Motion Carried” is considered unanimous, unless otherwise stated.

ATTENDEES:

Mayor, Les Paustian

Jo Ann Burleson

Kay Robinson

Keith Lewis

Judy Buschke

John Bowles

Interim City Manager, Steve Bogart

Brian Harmon, Public Works Director

Rusty Estes, Heppner Fire Department

Ann Spicer, City Attorney

David Sykes, Heppner Gazette

Judy Eckman, City Treasurer

ABSENT

Cindi Doherty

Randy Rayburn, MCSO

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ATTENDANCE:

Samarra Van Doorn

1. GENERAL BUSINESS.

A. Call to Order. The March 10, 2008, meeting of the Heppner City Council was called to order at 7:00 PM by Mayor Paustian.

B. Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Paustian led the Council and attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

C. Announcements – Agenda additions and deletions.

Mayor Paustian announced that the FY 2008-2009 Goal Setting Session will be held at City Hall on March 18, 2008, from 12:00-4:00 PM.

D. Correspondence.

1) Mr. Bogart stated that the copier maintenance provider is going out of business and will no longer be providing maintenance. Another provider is being investigated.

2) Mr. Bogart announced that the Sheriff’s Department agreement will be discussed next month. The City Attorney is reviewing this. The cost has gone up incrementally, with the exception of the vehicles. The cost has gone up 5% which may be due to the cost of health insurance.

2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC.

A. Mrs. Burleson stated that she received a phone call from John Murray who is not in favor of parking the vehicles from the Cruz-In on Main Street during the St. Patrick’s celebration. According to Mr. Bogart, this is scheduled for discussion at the St. Patrick’s committee meeting this week. According to Mr. Paustian, the Cruz-In committee had wanted to park the vehicles on Main Street for exhibition at the end of the parade. Reportedly, there are supposed to be 125 vehicles. In the past, the vehicles have been parked on Willow Street. Mr. Paustian feels this issue should be discussed by the Council. Fire Chief Estes stated that the alleys have to be open in case of fires. The Fire Department’s objection to the Main Street parking is the fact that there would be spectators looking at the vehicles which creates a safety issue for emergency vehicle traffic. Mr. Paustian questioned the possibility of using Heritage Plaza for parking. The vehicles would have to be parked on the grass. Mr. Bowles added that this is done in Irrigon for their vehicle exhibits. Heritage Plaza is one location that is not used by vendors. Mr. Paustian’s opinion is that using Heritage Plaza is the most practical solution.

Action: Motion by Mrs. Burleson that the vehicles are directed to be parked at Heritage Plaza. Seconded by Mr. Lewis. Motion Carried.

Mr. Bogart stated that if something else is scheduled for Heritage Plaza, this wouldn’t work. Mr. Harmon’s opinion is that Heritage Plaza parking is a good idea.

B. Mr. Bowles stated that he has been contacted about painting stripes on Water Street since this is a main traffic area to the high school. There is no center stripe on the street.

3. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Minutes of City Council Meeting, February 11, 2008.

B. Resolution No. 703-08, A Resolution Approving Accounts Payable for Payment.

C. Monthly Financial Statement.

ACTION:

Motion by Mrs. Robinson to accept the Consent Agenda. Seconded by Mrs. Burleson. Motion Carried.

Mr. Bogart noted that some of the fire extinguishers had to be replaced during the recent inspection. If the old ones can be repaired, the company will return them and reinstall them at no charge. Mrs. Buschke stated that she has a concern about the fans over the stoves at the Senior Center. She feels that the inspectors need to be accompanied by a City representative when they do this type of work.

4. REPORTS.

A. Fire Chief.

Chief Estes reported the following actions for February.

1 False alarm at the high school

2 Wildland fires—mutual aid from Lexington and Ione

1 Mutual aid to Ione

1 House full of smoke in Heppner

1 Secure landing zone for air life

1 Smoke alarm at Murray’s Drug

This week is St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration; Chief Estes invited everyone to the fire hall for breakfast on Saturday night. This is the fifteenth annual and final firemen’s breakfast.

B. Morrow County Sheriff’s Department. None.

C. Planning Commission. Mr. Paustian reported that although a quorum was not present for the meeting, Mr. Grant Young from DLCD gave a presentation on land use. Mr. Bogart reported that Mr. Young gave details on land use and Senate Bill 100. He outlined actions that should be taken by Planning Commissions. The applicant for the vacant position was present. Mr. Young outlined that there are some facility planning (Goal 11) funds that might work for the City’s facility plans, i.e., the Wastewater Treatment Plant. He subsequently furnished Mr. Bogart with the point of contact at DLCD regarding this. The discussion was informative. Mr. Paustian stated that according to Mr. Young, the Planning Commission has to have a comprehensive plan in order to make anything work. Heppner’s plan needs to be updated; it is the key to obtaining grants. Mr. Bogart stated that there have been a number of inquiries for applications such as partitions, designation of properties in the UGB, minor partitions, and requests for variances for setback requirements. These actions may cause the commission to be more active in the next few months.

D. Heppner Housing Authority. Mr. Bogart reported that there continues to be a lot of interaction among Mrs. Rex (consultant), Mrs. Andrews (Andrews Architects), and Ms. Dicksa (Oregon Housing and Community Services Manager). The City has funds available for award when certain conditions have been met. Until these conditions are satisfied, the funds are not available for use. The paperwork was due on the first of February and Mrs. Rex has obtained an extension. There are some items that have not been submitted. Mr. Bogart has e-mailed Ms. Dicksa to get a current status. There has been a problem with the forms that were originally filled out, and Mrs. Rex is working to clarify this.

Mrs. Buschke reported that she has concerns on the moving of the tenants once the renovations start. She was informed that a commercial moving company would relocate the tenants during the renovations. According to Mrs. Buschke, Mrs. Rex is now reneging on this. Mr. Bowles stated that there is the possibility that volunteers from the community could handle the moving. According to Mr. Paustian, the project is going to be confusing before it is done. The people in Salem want to see the project work. According to Mr. Bogart, the rehab is Federal and State money and all of the representatives are in Salem, with the exception of Bruce Buchanan. The program has been revamped and some of the rules have changed. The consultant was not up to date. Mrs. Buschke stated that Ms. Turner has been assisting with the paperwork and should be reimbursed for her work. Mr. Bogart stated that he had visited with Cascade Management. They do not have a contract at this time. Management of the apartments was discussed. The Cascade representative would like to be involved in all phases of the project as they have been in the past. Mr. Bogart would like to know if the City can contract for management of the center prior to the rehabilitation and if so, what the process is.

According to Mr. Paustian, the Council needs to be aware that once the project is completed, the City will not have any participation in the management. The Housing Authority will handle this.

With regard to the contract and the RFQ advertisements, Mr. Bogart stated that because of the lack of approval, a condition limiting decision cannot be made. There were four reputable respondents. Mrs. Andrews has notified the contractors of what is taking place. Approval of the conditions is to be handled by Mrs. Rex. The bills for the architect and consultant cannot be paid until grant funds are available.

With regard to moving the residents, this will be started after the contractor is selected and the first two apartments are completed. Both of these apartments are on the second floor.

E. Public Works.

Mr. Harmon reported that with regard to the vacant position (Jason Hanna resigned) in the Public Works Department, it is not being advertised since it has been less than a year since the position was filled. A decision on the new employee has been made, contingent on several conditions. This will be a seasonal position. A pre-employment drug screening and physical capacity test are required.

With reference to the sewer plant, very little progress was made in February due to the weather. The generator is on line. They are shooting for the end of March to be done with everything. Mr. Harmon would like to have a Council walk-thru the second week in April. Mr. Harmon remarked that the project has been done almost totally by the Public Works Department staff. Council members all agreed that Mr. Harmon is doing a great job on this.

F. City Manager’s Report.

Mr. Bogart stated that most of the items in his report have been discussed previously in the meeting. Mr. Bogart has had some computer problems which has limited his ability to finalize some items.

Mr. Bogart announced that he has made a management decision on the operations and smoothing out the work load. He intends to have the Public Works crew start reading meters earlier in the month and be completed earlier so that the utility bills can be sent out before the end of the month. Currently, the bills are mailed on the last day of the month which is also payroll. The bills will go out earlier beginning this month. The public will be notified through the newspaper and Channel 3.

With regard to the Goal Setting Session, Mr. Bogart would like the Council to have specific measurable goals.

The shamrock was painted this morning. Patching was done earlier in the morning by the public works crew and the painting was done by a group of students from the leadership class at the High School.

Mr. Bogart stated that there have been a lot of citizen nuisance complaints regarding dogs at large and unsightly yards. There may be some nuisance actions taken in the future. Currently, no one from the Sheriff’s Department is handling this. Mr. Bowles commented on the dogs at large—he would like to see mandatory licensing and kennel fees plus a citation from the Sheriff’s Department. This will be a project for the Police Commission. Mr. Harmon stated that he and Ms. Eckman should be at the meeting when this is discussed. Mr. Paustian stated that the ordinances should be checked to see if revisions are necessary. According to Mr. Harmon, the dog issue is very time-consuming. The dogs are normally kept for three days and then taken to pet rescue. Mr. Bowles would like to investigate the City’s animal ordinance. This will be discussed by the Police Commission.

6. COUNCIL ACTION.

A. With regard to the parking, there are no center lines on Riverside and the top of Water Street. According to Mr. Harmon, there are no center lines within the Heppner City Limits. According to Mr. Harmon this would have to be investigated. In the past, the Council had discussed the school zone speed limit. According to Mr. Bogart, most cities do not stripe their streets. Mr. Paustian wondered if the school system can be involved in this. The issue will be investigated.

B. New Business.

1) Ratify Appointment of Tamara Lien to Planning Commission, Position 3.

Action: Motion by Mrs. Buschke to appoint Tamara Lien to fill Position No. 3 on the Planning Commission. Seconded by Mrs. Robinson. Motion Carried.

2) Appoint Council member to fill Utilities Commission position. The Utility Commission meets on the third Thursday of each month at 8:00 AM.

Action: Motion by Mrs. Burleson to appoint Mr. Bowles to fill the vacant position. Seconded by Mr. Lewis. Motion Carried.

C. Old Business. None.

8. REPORT FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY. None.

9. REPORT FROM MAYOR/CITY COUNCILORS.

A. Mrs. Burleson inquired about the hole at Shobe Corral. Mr. Harmon stated that it couldn’t be located. This will be looked into further.

B. Mr. Paustian stated that the Public Works crew is really doing a good job.

C. Mrs. Burleson stated that she has had a lot of favorable comments on the green lights on Main Street. Mr. Paustian stated that more people are getting involved in the St. Patrick’s celebration.

D. Mrs. Burleson stated that all the old garden club scrapbooks will now be stored in City Hall for the public to view. An article will be published in the newspaper. Mr. Paustian stated that the Garden Club has been working very hard in Heppner for a number of years. If anyone is interested in working with them, they need help.

10. ADJOURNMENT. Meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.