January
12, 2004
ATTENDEES:
Mayor, Bob Jepsen
City Manager, Jerry Breazeale
Council Members:
Kay Robinson
Judy Buschke
Merle Cowett
Tim Van Cleave
Tom Wolff
Cindi Doherty
Sheriff’s Department:
Sergeant Phil Morris
Deputy Jamie Rietmann
Deputy Brian Jewett
Deputy Adam Bredfield
David Sykes, Heppner Gazette
Johanne Wood, Private Citizen
Absent: City Attorney, Bill Kuhn
1. GENERAL BUSINESS:
A) Call to Order. The January 12, 2004, meeting
of the Heppner City Council, was called to order at 6:57 PM, by
Mayor Jepsen.
B) Pledge of Allegiance. Councilman Tom Wolff led
those present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
C) Announcements.
1) Mayor Jepsen welcomed everyone to the meeting and
introduced the new Public Works Director, Bruce Nelson.
2) Sergeant Morris introduced new MCSO Deputies, Brian
Jewett, and Adam Bredfield. Deputy Bredfield will start his
Police Academy training on January 19, 2004, for 10 weeks’
training. Deputy Jewett has completed his training and is
now on duty in Heppner.
D) Approval of Minutes from the December 8, 2003, Council
Meeting. The December 8 minutes were reviewed by Council
members, with the following changes:
1) Page 5, Item C, second paragraph, first sentence, line
3, should have the words “and liability” inserted after
the word “damage.”
2) Page 8, Item 10, Para C111, Change the spelling of Wolf
to “Wolff.”
3) Page 7, Para G, Line 3, Insert the word
“modernization” following the word “one.”
4) Page 7, Para E, Change Motion to Read: “Motion
by Mrs. Buschke to approve Resolution 550-03.”
5) Page 6, Para 1), Line 4, Change the word
“blue” to “glue.”
6) Page 6, Para 1), Line 3, Change sentence to read: “Mr.
Breazeale stated that a pipeline runs underneath the bridge which
is part of . . . .“
7) Clarification that “Jack Little” and
“John Little” is one and the same person.
Motion by Mr. Wolff to approve the December 8, 2003 minutes as
adjusted. Seconded by Mrs. Robinson. Motion carried.
E) Report from the Planning Commission – Joint
Planning Commission with Morrow County. City Manager
Breazeale stated that this was an informational session to
discuss the Urban Growth Boundary expansion. The Morrow
County Planning Commission was very supportive of this and
encouraged Mr. Breazeale to move forward on this, i.e.,
contacting and meeting with applicable property owners.
F) Correspondence.
1) Mr. Breazeale stated that every year the Greater Eastern
Oregon Development Corporation (GEODC) has to re-appoint the
board members and this letter informed the City that Mr. Rex
Mathers, who is the current Morrow County representative, has
agreed to continue to serve as the Morrow County representative.
Mr. Breazeale stated that Mr. Mathers is the City Manager for the
City of Boardman.
Motion by Mr. Wolff that the City Council concurs and will to
continue to support Mr. Mathers as the Morrow County
Representative to the GEODC Board of Directors. Seconded by
Ms. Doherty. Motion carried.
2) COMMUNICATIONS FROM
THE PUBLIC:
A) Oral communications from the public not on the
agenda.
1) Ms. Johanne Wood. Ms. Wood stated that a few years
ago, the City had ruled that the width of the Gale and May Street
access road which goes between her property, the Wilhelm
Property, and the Gonty property was to be 15 feet wide. Currently
the width is less than 10 feet wide, due to the installation of
sharp rocks. She is concerned that if someone were to
“spin-out” that the rocks would tear up their
vehicles. Mr. Van Cleave asked Ms. Wood to clarify her
concern and she stated that flower boxes, rocks, and nails have
been strategically placed so that the road is narrowed. She
stated that she is also speaking for Mrs. Wilhelm. She also
stated that Mr. Gonty has harassed them by placing rocks and
nails in the roadway, although she has not seen him do so. Mayor
Jepsen stated that the City Manager and Public Works Director
would investigate Ms. Wood’s complaint and determine the
action required. Mr. Van Cleave asked about the size and
number of the rocks and how you could go over it with your car.
Ms. Wood replied that there is one sharp rock and that if a
vehicle “spun out” you could possibly hit the rock and
damage your vehicle.
B) Request for Animal Permit – Gary Gaines/Ken
Wenberg, 460 N.W. Morgan Street, Tax Lot 5300. 2 Llamas and
3 goats.
C) Request for Animal Permit (Renewal) – Elizabeth
Pettibone, 710 Heppner/Spray Highway – 10 horses.
Discussion, Items B and C. Mr. Wolff stated that he has
checked the Pettibone property and that it is set up to
accommodate 10 horses. The Gaines property is on Morgan
Street and does not present a problem.
Motion by
Mr. Van Cleave to approve animal permits Items B and C. Seconded
by Mr. Wolff. Motion carried.
3. PUBLIC
HEARINGS:
A) Resolution No._____, A Resolution Declaring Certain
Property a Nuisance and Ordering Cleanup of Property. 325
Matlock Street, Map No. 2S 26 35BC. Tax Lot 7100.
Discussion: Mayor Jepsen stated that this nuisance and
cleanup needs to be done. Mr. Wolff stated that he has
looked at the property and noted that he had not noticed anything
offensive. However, there is snow on the ground. The
only things he noticed were the two utility trailers and the
remains of trees that had been removed and need to be cut up and
removed. Mr. Sykes stated that he owns one of the trailers.
Mr. Sykes stated that he lives next door to the property and did
not find it offensive. He stated that he could use the wood
if the tenants in the Matlock property agreed.
B) Resolution No. _____, A Resolution Declaring Certain
Property a Nuisance and Ordering Cleanup of Property. 675
North Main Street, Map No. 2S 26 26CC, Tax Lot 6400.
Discussion: Mayor Jepsen stated that this property belongs
to Ken Smith and that a copy of a letter from Mr. Wolff to Mr.
Palmer was included in the Council package. Mr. Wolff
stated that he has talked to Larry Palmer and Mr. Palmer stated
he would talk to people in his church to see what assistance they
could provide. However, the weather has not been conducive
to cleaning the property. Mr. Wolff drove by the residence
and there are still old appliances and vehicles parked at the
house. He did not notice any garbage.
Ms. Wood also wanted to inform the Council that the debris in
front of her house was going to be burned by the fire department.
CLOSE
PUBLIC HEARINGS.
4. COUNCIL
ACTION.
A) Resolution No._____, A Resolution Declaring Certain
Property a Nuisance and Ordering Cleanup of Property. 325
Matlock Street, Map No. 2S 26 35BC. Tax Lot 7100.
Discussion: Mr. Wolff stated that he did not see any debris
on the property other than the wood and the two utility trailers.
However, there is snow on the ground. Mr. Sykes stated that
if the wood belongs to the city he would split it up and use it
and get rid of the pallets that may be under the snow. He
would like to keep his utility trailer where it is. Mr.
Wolff stated that he did not have a problem with that. Mr.
Van Cleave asked about the specific three items that needed to be
done, and stated that he feels that no action should be taken
until the snow is gone.
Motion by Mr. Wolff that action be tabled for thirty days, until
the next City Council meeting and that Mr. Sykes be allowed to
remove the wood and any other debris that he feels can be hauled
off and disposed of and re-look the property after the snow is
reduced. Seconded by Mr. Van Cleave. Motion carried.
B) Resolution No. _____, A Resolution Declaring Certain
Property a Nuisance and Ordering Cleanup of Property. 675
North Main Street, Map No. 2S 26 26CC, Tax Lot 6400.
Discussion: Mr. Van Cleave recommended doing the same thing
on this property as we are doing on the Matlock Street property.
Mrs. Robinson stated her agreement. Mr. Wolff asked Mr.
Breazeale if Larry Palmer had ever contacted him on behalf of the
LDS Church and Mr. Breazeale stated that he had and that Mr.
Breazeale had explained what needed to be done.
Motion by Tim Van Cleave to table this action for thirty days,
until the next City Council meeting. Seconded by Ms.
Doherty. Motion carried.
5. COMMUNICATIONS
FROM THE COUNTY SHERIFF REPRESENTATIVE:
A) Activity Report.
1) Sergeant Morris reported that an arrest had been made on
the burglary of the Heppner Gazette and that Deputy Slinger was
currently transporting the prisoner to jail.
2) Sergeant Morris asked if anything needed to be discussed
as far as Code Enforcement and Mr. Breazeale stated that he had
discussed this with Deputy Slinger and there was nothing new to
report.
B) Police Commission. The next Police Commission
meeting will be held on January 29. Sergeant Morris will be
attending, and possibly another deputy.
C) Code Enforcement. No actions.
D) Additional Discussion.
1) New Vehicle. Sergeant Morris stated that the new
vehicle is here and available for inspection by the City Council.
Meeting recessed at 7:42 to allow Council Members to inspect the
vehicle. (Meeting re-convened at approximately 7:50 PM.)
6. COMMUNICATONS
FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT:
A) Activity Report – Bruce Nelson. Mayor Jepsen
stated that Mr. Nelson has been here for one week. Mr.
Nelson reported that the main item that the Public Works
Department has been working on is snow removal. Additionally,
they have cleaned all wells and are preparing to do some repairs,
such as roofs need to be replaced. The telemetry on Well 2
has been repaired, heaters have been installed on the wells that
didn’t have heaters, and thawed the wells that required
this. Future plans include a sewer cleaning schedule for
the whole city so that they have routine maintenance, which
should alleviate problems. He would also like to have
meters installed on all water services. Once the snow
melts, the crew can start on the other tasks. The part for
the sanding truck is not here and the sander remains out of
service. Ms. Wood asked about the e-coli in the water on
behalf of Mrs. Wilhelm who has health problems. According
to Mr. Breazeale there is no e-coli in the water system. He
explained that coliform is an indicator organism that is used by
water systems to determine if there is a potential problem, i.e.,
when coliform appears in the water, you look for other things
that may cause a problem. Coliform itself is not harmful.
According to Ms. Wood, Mrs. Wilhelm does have kidney problems.
Mr. Breazeale stated that currently drinking water does not need
to be boiled, but that if a person has a health problem, they
should check with their physician.
Mrs. Buschke brought up the bad taste of the water at Cal
Sherman’s residence and Mr. Nelson stated that they are
investigating this and samples are being tested. Mr.
Breazeale stated that they are checking this and also considering
putting the reservoirs on a cleaning schedule to ensure that any
sediment that has built up over time can be removed.
B) Utilities Commission Meeting – Next Meeting January
15.
C) Parks and Lands Commission Meeting – Next Meeting
– January 26.
7. COMMUNICATIONS
FROM THE FIRE CHIEF:
No report.
8. COMMUNICATIONS
FROM THE CITY MANAGER:
A) Resolution No._____, A Resolution Approving Accounts
Payable for Payment.
Discussion. Mr. Wolff had questions on two items: Business
and Utility Services Inc., $1683.00. According
to Mr. Breazeale, this is for backflow device testing. High
Performance Signs, $1920.00, which is for the Welcome to Heppner
sign at Heritage Plaza, which will be reimbursed by the Forest
Service. Monahan, Grove, and Tucker, which is for the
attorney fees on the John Little Estate.
Motion by Mr. Wolff to approve Resolution No. 551-04, A
Resolution Approving Accounts Payable for Payment. Seconded
by Ms. Doherty. Motion carried.
B) Water System Improvement Project. Mr. Breazeale
reported that we are still waiting for approval of the
environmental report. The Oregon Department of Human
Services has issued a finding of no significant impact on the
improvement project. There is a public comment period and
they have advertised for that. The notice will be published
in the newspaper this week. Fish and Wildlife and the Soil
Conservation Service, and other government agencies in the area
that may have an interest have been notified. OECDD has
issued a letter (included in packet) that they have canceled the
$1 million interim financing and taken back the $250,000
forgivable loan. They have also notified the city that they
will not issue any formal statements until the environmental
study is completed. The spreadsheets included in the packet
show the projected, actual, and received funds from water rates
and are on schedule.
C) Flood Study Review. Mr. Breazeale reported that
FEMA has agreed to remap all of Morrow County. They have
started on it, and will get their funds in February. The
study should take about two years to complete.
D) FEMA Cooperative Technical Partners Course. Mr.
Breazeale reported that he has been selected to attend the
course, February 9 – 12, 2004, in Emmitsburg, MD. This
an invitation-only class and FEMA pays for everything but meals.
Mr. Breazeale’s only concern was that this time frame
conflicts with the date of the February City Council Meeting.
His recommendation was to postpone the February Council meeting
until February 17. Council members agreed to this change of
date.
E) City Hall Remodel Committee. The remodel committee
will meet on January 23, to discuss purchase of the old Klamath
Bank building for use as a city hall, or remodeling the present building.
Mr. Breazeale hopes to have figures available to discuss. On
January 16, 1:00 PM, Mr. Breazeale is meeting with the architect
who had originally been contacted to submit specs for remodeling
the present city hall. This architect had contacted the
City Manager and asked to meet with him to discuss costs of
setting up the Klamath Bank building as a city hall.
F) Land Use Committee—UGB expansion project model
plan. This is the project started by the Baker-Morrow
Partnership. The Governor’s office has been interested
in this and Heppner has been selected as a pilot project. The
study is funded by a grant. An informational meeting with
concerned citizens is planned for February 20, 7:00 PM, in the
Bank of Eastern Oregon conference room, to address their
concerns.
G) NEACT Meeting Notes: A meeting was not held due to
weather conditions. Mr. Breazeale has included some
information in the council packet. They are going to
request funding the projects for
H) Declaration of Surplus Property at 520 S. Main Street,
Map No. 2S 26 35CB, Tax Lot 1501, aka Jack/John Little Property.
The city attorney recommended that one realtor be selected to
list the property. Ms. Buschke asked for an explanation of
Multiple Listing. Mr. Sykes explained that multiple listing
is a group that real estate agencies buy into (Heppner’s two
realtors do not belong). The multiple listing services
charge a fee to member agencies and the individual
brokerage’s listings are made available to members. Heppner
currently works under a cooperative agreement between the
agencies located in Heppner. Mr. Wolff asked Mr. Sykes if
he had a recommendation to the council as to how to handle
listing of the property fairly. Mr. Sykes stated that he
felt that a random drawing to select the listing agency would be
a fair method.
Motion by Mr. Wolff to declare the J. Little property at 520 S.
Main Street as surplus property and direct the City Manager to
solicit interest from any and all real estate companies doing
business in Heppner to be considered as a pool to be drawn out of
a hat. Seconded by Mrs. Robinson. Motion carried.
I) Goal Setting for 2004 – set date. Mr.
Breazeale explained to the Council that traditionally the goal
setting session is set at this time of the year. Mr.
Breazeale proposed holding the session on January 22 or 28.
The January 28 date was discussed at the Columbia Basin Electric
Coop from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with lunch included. Council
members agreed that pizza was the choice for lunch. Mr.
Wolff will confirm that the Columbia Basin conference room is
available.
J) December Financial Statement: Mr. Breazeale
reported that the City continues to be in good financial condition.
9. COMMUNICATIONS
FROM CITY ATTORNEY. Due to an emergency, the
city attorney is not available for this meeting.
10.
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE MAYOR/CITY COUNCILORS:
A) Beautification Commission. The next meeting
will be held on February 12.
B) Heppner Housing Authority. Mrs. Buschke reported
that there has been a problem with water leaks, specifically in
Mr. French’s unit. Mr. Breazeale explained that Gilespie
Roofing had inspected the property; and determined what the
probable repairs would entail. Mr. Breazeale reported that
the new locks are not completely installed, due to delays caused
by the weather. Mrs. Buschke reported that some of the
surplus furniture has been disposed of. Mayor Jepsen
reported that there is one vacancy. There is also a vacancy
on the board.
C) Additional Discussion:
1) A resolution to fill positions on City Committees,
Boards, Commissions, and Positions, with the exception of the
Housing Authority. Motion by Mrs. Robinson to adopt
Resolution 552-04. Seconded by Mrs. Buschke. Motion
carried.
2) Mr. Wolff had a question on the Housing Authority
minutes. He wondered what the amount transferred was.
Mr. Breazeale reported that it was $8,000.
3) Mr. Wolff Reported that Mr. Chuck Holt had contacted him
regarding the flooding in the alley by his house. Mr. Wolff
inspected the property and stated that there is a flooding issue
due to water draining from the neighboring property. Mr.
Holt’s concern is that water has been draining into his yard
since Water Street was re-paved. Council members were not
sure that this was a city property. Previously, the city
had agreed to look at the property and determine what needed to
be done. Mr. Holt is looking for some kind of help or
recommendation. Mrs. Robinson felt that the city should
take some action. Mr. Jepsen stated that Mr. Holt felt that
the bicycle path on the hill was part of the problem. Mr.
Jepsen feels that a catch basin with piping to the creek might
help correct the problem.
4) Mr. Wolff reported that Bill Ulrich has talked to him
about doing something about the alley behind his house. Mr.
Wolff does not see this as an issue that the city needs to be
involved in.
Meeting
adjourned at 8:45 PM.