Minutes - 10/08/2001
COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
October 8, 2001
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0001 DATE. COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, CITY OF WOODBURN,
COUNTY OF MARION, STATE OF OREGON, OCTOBER 8, 2001.
CONVENED. The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Jennings presiding.
0020 ROLL CALL.
Mayor
Councilor
Councilor
Councilor
Councilor
Councilor
Councilor
Jennings
Bjelland
Chadwick
Figley
McCallum
Nichols
Sifuentez
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Staff Present: City Administrator Brown, City Attorney Shields, Public Works Director
Tiwari, Community Development Director Mulder, Police Chief Null, Finance Director
Gillespie, Public Works Manager Rohman, Park & Recreation Director Westrick, City
Recorder Tennant
0045 ANNOUNCEMENTS.
A) Woodburn Aquatic Center has resumed regular hours of operation following closure
of the facility for annual maintenance;
B) City Council Workshop will be held on Monday, October 15,2001, 7:00 p.m., in the
City Hall Council Chambers for the purpose of meeting with the Community Center
Planning Committee to discuss the Community Center plan;
C) Public Hearing - October 22,2001: A hearing will be held before the Council at
7:00 pm., City Hall Council Chambers, regarding an appeal of the Planning Commission
denial of Subdivision 01-01 and Variance 01-06 (request to subdivide 1.91 acre site into 5
residential lots located at 1810 and 1829 E. Hardcastle Ave.);
D) Prime Time Family Reading: The Library will host this program on October 2, 9, 16
and 23,2001, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm., in the Library's Multi-Purpose and Carnegie
Rooms;
E) Board/Commission Vacancies: Citizens interested in serving on the Planning
Commission or Recreation & Park Board are encouraged to submit an application;
F) Dia de Ios Muertos - Honoring Our Ancestors: Councilor Sifuentez briefly
explained the Dia de los Muertos celebration which is a Hispanic celebration to honor
their ancestors. This celebration will begin on October 23rd and conclude on November
3rd.
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0235 APPOINTMENT: RECREATION & PARK BOARD.
Mayor Jennings appointed Woodburn High School student Ty Burlingham to the
Recreation & Park Board with his term to expire in September 2003. The Mayor stated
that Mr. Burlingham is a 4th generation Burlingham and each generation of his family has
been very involved in the community.
FIGLEyIMCCALLUM.... approve the appointment ofTy Burlingham to the Recreation
and Park Board. The motion passed unanimously.
Ty Burlingham stated that he is excited in becoming a Board member and is very
interested in working on upcoming projects such as the Skate Park.
0408 Mayor Jennings introduced Senator Peter Courtney who, if the Secretary of State
approves the State redistricting plan, will be the State Senator representing Woodburn.
Peter Courtney expressed his desire to work with local citizens, Mayor, Council, and City
staff on any issue that may effect the Woodburn community. He stated that he had
attended the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Cipriano Ferrel Education Center and he
was very impressed with the friendliness ofthe Woodburn citizens. Additionally, he had
an opportunity to appear before the Mid- Willamette Area Commission on Transportation
(MW ACT) on behalf of the City in order to provide testimony on the need for the
interchange improvements and widening of Highway 214. On October 18th, he will be in
attendance at the MW ACT meeting as requested by the Mayor.
Mayor Jennings thanked Senator Courtney for his efforts last week at the MW ACT
meeting and for attending the groundbreaking ceremony.
0666 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPORT.
Don Judson, President of the Chamber Board, stated that the Board had recently
completed their annual planning retreat and they have expanded their goal in raising
Chamber membership from 5,000 to 30,000 in an effort to make this a better Chamber.
Upcoming events are as follows:
1) The first full-day session of their Leadership Youth Program will begin on Tuesday
which is modeled after a successful effort in Salem. This program will involve 21
students from Woodburn High School (sophomores and juniors) and the students will
meet one day a month for the next 9 months on various sessions such as history, culture,
legal system, business, commerce, and government. Students will also complete a
community project of their choosing.
2) The Chamber Forum will be held on October 17th, 12:00 noon, at Woodburn Crossing
with the guest speaker being Dr. Gretchen Schuette, President of Chemeketa Community
College.
3) On October 18th, the Chamber will host Business after Hours at their new office at
Woodburn Crossing. He stated that the Visitor's Center is receiving twice as many
visitors daily at the new office and the Chamber is looking seriously at opening the
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Visitor's Center on weekends next year.
He also distributed copies of the new Chamber's Community Guide publication which
will be used as a sales tool in (1) developing the economy of Woodburn, (2) recruiting
teachers for the School District, and (3) forwarding to businesses located outside of the
City who are interested in knowing more about Woodburn. He stated that the new
Chamber Director had prepared this type of publication for the Chamber office he had
worked at previously. The Woodburn Independent did some of the writing and editing in
addition to putting the publication together for the Chamber.
Councilor Figley stated that she had seen the publication prior to this meeting and she
congratulated the Chamber in publishing an excellent publication.
0993 CONSENT AGENDA.
A) approve Council workshop minutes of September 17, 2001, and the regular and
executive session minutes of September 24, 2001;
B) accept the Planning Commission minutes of September 13, 2001;
C) accept the Community Center Committee minutes of September 27, 2001;
D) accept the Building Activity report for September 2001;
E) accept the Planning Project Tracking sheet dated September 17, 2001; and
F) receive the Ordinance Revision Update / Livability Task Force Report.
FIGLEy/SIFUENTEZ.... adopt the consent agenda as presented. The motion passed
unanimously.
1026 PUBLIC HEARING: WATER SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CHARGES.
Mayor Jennings declared the public hearing open at 7:16 p.m..
Public Works Manager Rohman stated that the system development charge is a
component of the Water Master Plan. Notices of this hearing were sent to parties that had
indicated an interest in being notified of any amendments to any of the City's system
development charges in addition to being advertised in the local newspaper. He stated
that the amendments being recommended to the Council were developed by the Water
Master Plan Committee with the assistance of a consultant who completed a water rate
study and had reviewed the Water system development charges with the Committee.
John Ghilarducci, Consultant with Financial Consulting Solutions Group, reviewed
background information on system development charges and on how these funds can be
spent by the City. He reminded the Council that these charges are assessed at the time of
development and can be spent for capital improvements only. The two elements within
the system development charge are reimbursement fee (any related capital facilities) and
improvement fee (capital increasing facilities only). These fees can be spent differently
therefore, he suggested that the fees be tracked separately since the reimbursement fee has
more flexibility in spending over the improvement fee. He reviewed the process in
calculating the system development charge along with the proposed system development
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charges as recommended by the Water Master Plan Committee. Under the
recommendation, the reimbursement fee would be $3.39 per gallon per day, the
improvement fee would be $4.12 per gallon per day, and the total system development
charge, including an administrative cost recovery of 3.07%, would be $7.84 per gallon
per day. For the purpose of comparing the cost increase, he stated that the current single
family residence system development charge is approximately $1,450.00 while the new
system development charge would be $2,085.00. A comparison of the proposed charge to
other nearby cities results in an average system development charge of$2,380.00.
1807 No one in the audience commented on the proposed water system development charges.
Mayor Jennings declared the public hearing closed at 7:28 p.m..
FIGLEy/SIFUENTEZ.... direct staff to prepare a resolution adopting the revised Water
System Development Charge methodology and the revised Water System Development
Charge rates. The motion passed unanimously.
1900 PUBLIC HEARING: 2001 LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT.
Mayor Jennings declared the public hearing open at 7:30 p.m..
Police Chief Null stated that the City was awarded a $10,893 block grant in July 2001.
This grant, along with a local match of $1 ,21 0, brings the total amount funds to be
utilized under the grant to $12,103. He stated that the following two conditions must be
met before funds can be requested from the Dept. Of Justice: (1) an advisory board makes
a non-binding recommendation to the Council, and (2) a public hearing is held to allow
for public input.
A needs assessment was conducted by staff and it was determined that equipment could
be used in 5 different police programs: 1) digital fingerprint system, 2) patrol bicycle
replacement, 3) digital camera system, 4) vehicle video camera, and 5) laptop mobile data
computers. Since the Police Department is in the process of implementing a wireless
communication system by installing 7 computers within the patrol vehicles, staff
recommended the purchase of laptop mO,bile computers which would allow the
department to expand the wireless technology outside of the patrol vehicles. The units
would be used by the detectives, special patrol details, evidence technician, and
administration. The Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Advisory Committee has
concurred with the staff s recommendation to use the funds for the purchase of the lap top
computer terminals and related software.
Councilor McCallum stated that he serves as member of the Local Law Enforcement
Block Grant Advisory Committee in his capacity as President of Woodburn Together. He
also stated that Woodburn Together has no financial obligation to this program but their
organization does participate as part of their community service efforts.
Bob Hayes, 612 N. Cascade, stated that he is a volunteer for the Marion County Sheriffs
office and also volunteers as a mentor at MacLaren School. He stated that he is very
proud of our law enforcement personnel in our community and, in light of what occurred
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last month in our country, the City needs to do all that they can for our law enforcement
personnel.
Councilor McCallum stated that Chief Null always comes prepared to their meetings and
provides the committee members with funding recommendations.
Mayor Jennings declared the public hearing closed at 7:37 p.m..
FIGLEYINICHOLS... approve the receipt and allocation of Local Law Enforcement
Block Grant funds for the purchase of Mobile Data Computer equipment and software.
The motion passed unanimously.
2387 PUBLIC HEARING: ZONE CHANGE #01-04 (Applicant: Wal-Mart Real Estate
Business Trust).
Mayor Jennings declared the public hearing open at 7:38 p.m..
Recorder Tennant read the land use statement required under ORS Chapter 197.
Community Development Director Mulder stated that the applicant has requested to
change the zoning ofa small strip ofland (.91 acre) located south of the existing Wal-
Mart store from Marion County UTF (Urban Transition Farm) to the City's CG
(Commercial General District) zone. This strip ofland was part of the island annexation
approved by the Council in June 2001 and, at that time, the Council did not do any zone
changes on those parcels. The applicant is requesting that the zone be changed to General
Commercial in that they have a submitted a proposal for an expansion of the Wal-Mart
store that will go across this property. The Planning Commission approved the final
order recommending the zone change following their September 13,2001 hearing on this
application.
No one in the audience spoke either for or against the proposed zone change.
Mayor Jennings declared the public hearing closed at 7:45 p.m..
FIGLEYINICHOLS... concur with the Planning Commission's final order on Zone
Change #01-04 and direct staff to prepare an ordinance to substantiate the Council's
decision. The motion passed unanimously.
2928 CITY COUNCIL WARD BOUNDARIES.
Administrator Brown reviewed the process followed to date in reapportioning the
population ward boundaries and re-drawing new boundaries. The City had contracted
with the Council of Governments to work on this project since they had the technical
ability and equipment to re-draw the boundary lines using census data. Representatives
of two community groups had previously approached the Council on maintaining
communities of common interest as a criteria of reapportionment. Other criteria included
(1) keeping population as equal as possible, (2) wards be contiguous, (3) communities of
common interest not be divided, (4) utilize existing geographical or political boundaries,
(5) boundary lines not be drawn favoring any political party, incumbent legislator, or
other person, (6) boundary lines not be drawn for the purpose of diluting the voting
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strength of any language or ethnic minority, and (7) each incumbent's residence be
retained within the same ward number. During the workshop last month, the Council
reviewed 4 alternatives and, during the workshop, COG was asked to prepare a 5th
alternative that combined alternatives 3 and 4. The alternatives before the Council at this
meeting are as follows:
(1) Alternative 3 - provides for compact district bounds with close population deviation
from the target population of 3,350 and the Hispanic population within the wards are
fairly represented in about 2/3 of the community;
(2) Alternative 4 - took the same set of parameters but took into account future growth in
3 of the district's where the City anticipated growth, therefore, the population deviation is
slightly lower in those wards in anticipation of a lessor population difference between
wards when this exercise is completed 10 years from now; and
(3) Alternative 5 - maintained the same approach but sought to provide for greater
representation of the Senior Estates community in Ward 4.
Once the Council has selected an alternative, staff will bring back an ordinance for
Council adoption which would establish the new ward boundaries.
3266 Councilor Bjelland stated that he was strongly in favor of Alternative 5 since it gives the
best distribution of community of common interest to Senior Estates and to the Hispanic
population. Additionally, the population deviation is only a 2.7% change either over or
under the target population.
Councilors Sifuentez and Chadwick indicated that either Alternatives 4 or 5 would be
acceptable to them.
Councilor Nichols favored Alternative 5 even though the population within each ward
will be out of balance by the time the next decennial census is completed.
Councilor Figley stated that her concern is that the City follow the law and, in her
opinion, either Alternative 3, 4, or 5 would be fine. Her preference would be either
Alternative 4 or 5.
Councilor McCallum stated that the City was well served by utilizing the services of the
Council of Governments. He agreed with Councilor Figley in that he could live with
Alternatives 3, 4, or 5 and felt that the Council has done an excellent job of responding to
the groups that came in and made suggestions. He expressed concern with the criteria of
projecting out future population growth but, once the Council looked at the criteria in
Alternative #4, a pretty good job was done in this area. In Alternative #5, adjustments
were made that people had asked for which resulted in 4 wards being heavily Latino and
2 wards encompass Senior Estates. This alternative indicates that the City has done a
good job of meeting needs addressed by the groups. He reiterated that he would be happy
with either Alternative 3, 4 or 5 but Alternative 5 is an excellent alternative. In regards to
the use of the term communities of common interest, he hoped that the City can get this
bias with whatever plan is chosen and get back to being one community of common
interest and that is Woodburn, Oregon, USA. He stated that he would be pleased to
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represent any of these wards.
Mayor Jennings stated that either of the Alternatives would be acceptable to him,
however, he would prefer to use an alternative that would include some projected growth.
3721 FIGLEYIBJELLAND... select Reapportionment Alternative 5 and direct staff to
prepare an ordinance relating to reapportionment of the ward boundaries. The motion
passed unanimously.
3762 RESCHEDULE NOVEMBER 12. 2001 COUNCIL MEETING DATE DUE TO
OBSERVANCE OF VETERAN'S DAY HOLIDAY.
It was the consensus of the Council to reschedule the November 12,2001 regular Council
meeting to Tuesday, November 13,2001.
3824 COUNCIL BILL 2349 - RESOLUTION ENTERING INTO A CONTRACT WITH
CITY COUNTY INSURANCE SERVICES TRUST FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE
RISK SHARING POOL.
Councilor Chadwick introduced Council Bill 2349. Recorder Tennant read the bill by
title only since there were no objections from the Council. On roll call vote for final
passage, the bill passed unanimously. Mayor Jennings declared the bill duly passed.
3905 COUNCIL BILL 2350 - RESOLUTION EXTENDING WORKERS'
COMPENSATION COVERAGE TO VOLUNTEERS.
Council Bill 2350 was introduced by Councilor Chadwick. The bill was read by title only
since there were no objections from the Council. On roll call vote for final passage, the
bill passed unanimously. Mayor Jennings declared Council Bill 2350 duly passed.
3966 COUNCIL BILL 2351 - RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A PUBLIC HEARING
DATE FOR THE VACATION OF A PORTION OF AN EXISTING SANITARY
SEWER EASEMENT AND TWO UTILITY EASEMENTS.
Council Bill 2351 was introduced by Councilor Chadwick. Recorder Tennant read the
bill by title only since there were no objections from the Council. On roll call vote for
final passage, the bill passed unanimously. Mayor Jennings declared Council Bill 2351
duly passed.
4038 COUNCIL BILL 2352 - ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 1998 (CIVIL
INFRACTION ORDINANCE) TO PROVIDE THAT AN UNCLASSIFIED CIVIL
INFRACTION CONSTITUTES A CLASS I CIVIL INFRACTION.
Councilor Chadwick introduced Council Bill 2352. The two readings of the bill were
read by title only since there were no objections from the Council.
Mayor Jennings stated that it had come to the City's attention that some ordinances, such
as the sign ordinance, did not specify a penalty provision for code violations. This
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ordinance will provide the Enforcement officers the authority to write citations for
violations. In regards to the sign ordinance, there is no grandfather clause that would be
applicable and Code Enforcement officers will issue citations as is done with any other
potential violation of the law.
On roll call vote for final passage, the bill passed unanimously. Mayor Jennings declared
Council Bill 2352 duly passed with the emergency clause.
4278 LIOUOR LICENSE APPLICATION: D & D RESTAURANT (1615 Mt. Hood Ave).
An application for a Limited On-Premise liquor license was submitted by Terence &
Janet Priser, owners ofthe D & D Restaurant. Chief Null recommended that the license
be approved.
FIGLEY/SIFUENTEZ... approve a Limited On-Premise liquor license for D & D
Restaurant. The motion passed 5-1 with Councilor Nichols voting nay.
4323 INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT: TRAFFIC SAFETY GRANT
AWARD.
The City was awarded two safety grants totaling $8,000 for seat belt enforcement and
DUll traffic safety with grant funds to become available October 1,2001 and to be spent
by September 30, 2002.
FIGLEYINICHOLS.... approve receipt and allocation of grant awards for traffic
enforcement and approve the intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Dept. Of
Transportation, Transportation Safety Division, through the Oregon Association of Chiefs
of Police, and the Woodburn Police Department.
The motion passed unanimously.
4358 CONTRACT AWARD: FINANCIAL SYSTEM SOFTWARE.
FIGLEYINICHOLS.... award the contract for financial system software to New World
Systems, direct staff to finalize negotiations of the contract, and authorize the City
Administrator to sign the contract. The motion passed unanimously.
Finance Director Gillespie stated that staff had used a model Request for Proposal (RFP)
from the Government Finance Officer's Association which is a very thorough document
that City staff tailored to our needs. Proposals were sent to 29 vendors, however,
responses were only received from 5 vendors. He reviewed the process followed which
resulted in the selection of New World Systems. Three teams were formed representing
management, technical (finance and technical support), and users. Each team established
their own criteria and prioritized a vendor list. Representatives from each team then met
as a group and selected one vendor, New World Systems, as the financial systems
software for the City. Even though this process involved a lot of staff time, he felt that it
provided assurance that the right product would be purchased to meet user needs and it
provided documentation as to why another vendor was not selected. He stated that the
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RFP allows the City to evaluate attributes other than cost such as usability, support, and
financial stability of the vendor. It was noted that the life cycle cost for New World is the
middle vendor of the three finalists which reflects management's view of value, the user
team's considerations of individual sub-systems within the software programs, and the
finance team's evaluation of workflow and information accessibility and analysis. The
current financial software has been used for 12 years and it is anticipated that the new
financial system software should last 6 to 10 years.
Councilor McCallum requested clarification of the maintenance agreement costs.
Finance Director Gillespie stated that the City is currently paying approximately $6,000
annually for support from the vendor. In the three proposals before the Council, the
annual maintenance fees range from $23, 000 to $33,000. He stated that the these fees
are reflective ofthe current market for a windows based product. New World Systems
does not charge additional fees when new versions and/or upgrades are released whereas
the other vendors do have a charge in addition to the annual maintenance fee.
Councilor Figley questioned if staff has seen the New World financial package at another
site in Oregon.
Director Gillespie stated that New World does not have their product installed in an
Oregon site. Staff did 3 reference checks for each vendor and, for the New World
System, the closest site was Bountiful, Utah. New World System is giving the City a
$40,000 discount in order to be a demonstration site in the northwest. The references
were done via telephone and the respondents gave a very solid report on the New World
System. It was also noted that NORCOM is using New World software for their dispatch
system and they will also be the software vendor for the mobile units being installed in
the City's police cars. New World has been in business for approximately 20 years.
In regards to conversion, Director Gillespie stated that he has told New World that he
wants the conversion for general ledger completed by the end of March 2002, payroll and
personnel by March or April 2002, and Utility Billing to follow the payroll and personnel
module.
On roll call vote, the motion passed unanimously.
5550 CONTRACT AWARD: LIOUID SPREADER - Wastewater Division.
Bids for a 1500 gallon liquid manure spreader attachment were received from the
following vendors: Fisher Mill Supply, Inc., $12,478.00; Lenon Implement Co.,
$12,635.00; and Ernst Hardware Co, $13,402.00. Staff recommended the acceptance of
the low bid which was less than the budget estimate of$13,800.
FIGLEY/SIFUENTEZ... award the contract for a poplar plantation liquid spreader to
Fisher Mill Supply, Inc., the lowest responsible bidder, in the amount of$12,478.00. The
motion passed unanimously.
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5680 CONTRACT AWARD: ORCHARD TRACTOR - Wastewater Division.
Bids for a low profile orchard tractor to be used in the poplar plantation were received
from the following vendors: Fisher Mill Supply, Inc., $49,994.00; Ernst Hardware Co.,
$52,300.00; and Lenon Implement Co., $52,850.00. Staff recommended the acceptance
of the low bid submitted by Fisher Mill Supply, Inc. which was below the budget estimate
of $50,000.
FIGLEY/SIFUENTEZ... award the contract for a poplar plantation orchard tractor to
Fisher Mill Supply, Inc., the lowest responsible bidder, in the amount of $49,994.00. The
motion passed unanimously.
5739 CONTRACT AWARD: HARD HOSE REEL - Wastewater Division.
The only bidder for a self-retrieving hard hose reel to be used in the poplar plantation was
received from Ernst Hardware Co. in the amount of $34,750. Staff recommended that the
bid be rejected and the re-advertisement process be followed since the specification for
one custom component used on the hose reel system was not clearly identified thereby
creating confusion amongst the prospective bidders.
FIGLEYINICHOLS... reject bid #22-11 for a poplar plantation self-retrieving hard hose
reel and allow staff to re-advertise after specification modification. The motion passed
unanimously.
5783 CONSIDERATION OF CITY ADMINISTRATOR EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT.
Mayor Jennings stated that the Administrator was entitled to the COLA adjustment per
his contract plus the new agreement provides for a 5.8% pay/benefit increase. In looking
at outside comparator cities, the Administrator will be paid in the middle based on the
evaluation he received last month. The Mayor stated that he and Council President Figley
both felt that the pay adjustment was fair and he expressed his opinion that the City
Administrator has gone forward with the extra step in not only putting in a lot of extra
time on City business but has probably saved the City this much money if not more.
FIGLEY /NICHOLS... approve and authorize the Mayor to execute the attached
employment agreement with John C. Brown. The motion passed unanimously.
6230 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTIONS:
A) Site Plan Review #01-11- Additions to the Woodburn High School Athletic
Fields.
No action was taken by the Council on the Planning Commission's decision.
6340 CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT.
A) Update on 347 N. Front Street: Administrator Brown stated that the asbestos
assessment did reveal some small amounts of abatement work in the floor and ceiling
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tiles amounting to approximately $7,000. This information has been provided to the 5
prospective bidders and bids will be opened next week. It is anticipated that the bid
results will be included in the October 22nd agenda for a Council decision.
B) Mid Willamette Area Commission on Transportation (MW ACT) Meeting of
October 4, 2001: Administrator Brown stated that a delegation representing Woodburn
did attend the MW ACT meeting for the purpose of providing input to the Commission
regarding the Transportation Improvement Act funding and recommendations for the
Region II projects that would be submitted to the Oregon Transportation Commission
(OTC). The City had submitted an application for a $23 million interchange/widening
project. He stated that the City did have a group of individuals who spoke on the City's
behalf which included Senator Courtney, Representative Zauner, Mayor Jennings,
Council President Figley, and representatives from the Chamber, School District, and Fire
District. Even though there were a larger number of individuals present promoting the
NewberglDundee project, he felt that the testimony given by our supporters weighed just
as heavily. Staff is hopeful that MW ACT will make a decision that is favorable to the
City at their October 18th meeting and this project will move forward to the OTC for its
consideration.
6697 MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS.
Councilor Bjelland concurred with the Administrator that the representatives from
Woodburn did an excellent job in presenting the project to MW ACT. Even though the
City's representatives were outnumbered by NewberglDundee, there are times when a
small number can be more effective in getting the information across to the decision
makers. He stated that the process is still being discussed by the MW ACT Chair and the
Regional ODOT Representative, however, it may be similar to the process used in dealing
with the prioritization ofthe preservation projects that MW ACT dealt with at the last
meeting. The next meeting is a special meeting for MW ACT on October 18th at which
time MW ACT will be asked to prioritize the modernization projects that had been
submitted by the October 5th deadline. The next step will be for MW ACT to, most
probably, recommend two larger scale projects and several smaller scale projects which
would then go to Region II for review. Region II consists of 3 area commissions on
transportation and Lane County and one member from each commission and Lane County
will attend the Region II meeting. The projects selected by Region II will be forwarded
on to OTC for final selection of the projects for funding out of the Transportation
Improvement Act. When prioritizing the preservation projects, MW ACT members were
asked to individually prioritize the 6 projects and to rank them from 1 to 6. Selection was
then determined by adding up the scores put on by each member of the commission and
the project with the highest score was the project selected as MW ACT's #1 project. He
noted that the preservation project selected as #1 is a Woodburn project that being Hwy.
214 improvements between Woodburn and Mt. Angel. He stated that he will continue to
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promote what he feels is the most legitimate use the funds that being the improvement of
interchange and widening ofHwy. 214.
0312 Mayor Jennings stated that MW ACT scores projects by a ranking system since, at the
time MW ACT was chartered, it was set-up whereby there are no motions for a simple
majority vote and the consensus method is used.
Councilor Bjelland stated that the Newberg/Dundee project will need to overcome some
significant barriers before that project every really gets funded. He hopes to be able to
make this point, along with a few others, to other members of MW ACT and why the
Woodburn project can be completed within the funding provided by the Transportation
Improvement Act. The application for the NewberglDundee project is asking for
approximately $18 million for an environmental impact statement and some right-of- way
acquisitions, however, this total project will cost anywhere between $90 million and $200
million which will require Federal Highway dollars to support the majority of the project.
He learned today that to use Federal Highway dollars that a match of State funds is
required and it is normally in the area of 20%. Traditionally, the only source of State
funds has come out of State gas tax funds which are used to fund projects in the STIP
(State-wide Transportation Improvement Plan). He stated that the Newberg/Dundee
project is a concept and there is no final route established nor have they addressed the
environmental, land use, or other issues that will need to be addressed satisfactorily
before a project of that type can be moved forward. He reiterated that the Woodburn
project already has $4.2 million in the STIP and these additional funds from the
Transportation Improvement Act will complete the project thereby making it a more
logical use of the dollars within the region.
0671 Councilor Bjelland stated that one other project that Woodburn might have from the
preservation project funding is the improvement ofHwy. 211 from Woodburn to Molalla.
This a lower rated prioritized project but, because of the amount of funding set aside for
preservation projects, there is a reasonable chance that this project may make it as well.
Councilor Sifuentez reminded the public that the Museum has a new addition which is
very well done and it is another piece of history that the City can be proud of.
She also stated that on November 16th, MacLaren School is celebrating their 75th
anniversary and tours will be conducted during the afternoon.
Lastly, she stated that, when picking up litter along the highway last Saturday, there were
a lot of weeds growing in sidewalk cracks and she questioned who was responsible for
weed control.
Director Tiwari stated that the property owner is responsible for keeping the sidewalks
clean and weed free. However, in those cases where the weeds are between the curb and
sidewalk, often times the City will get involve to keep the weeds under control.
0898 Councilor Chadwick expressed her appreciation in having Councilor Bjelland looking out
for the City's transportation needs.
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Councilor Nichols stated that he had received a complaint from individuals regarding cars
being parked in the right-of-way. One of these individuals received a citation and has
been going around town and seen other cars parked in the right-of-way but nothing seems
to happen even though the owners of those vehicles are in violation of the law.
Chief Null stated that parking in the right-of-way can be handled by Code Enforcement or
by a Police Officer. Citations are issued by the officers if they see a violation and they
have time to deal with the issue.
Councilor Nichols also questioned if any action was going to be taken regarding
installation of alarm systems at the water wells.
Mayor Jennings stated that he has discussed this issue with staff and it would be very
difficult for anybody to contaminate the City's water system. The water is drawn up from
the well directly into pipes and then to the reservoir. The doors to the well house are
locked and, right after the September 11 th terrorist act, all of the well houses were
checked and the doors were still locked. The cost for installing a video monitoring
system in extremely high for what it would protect.
Administrator Brown stated that, as the City looks at the system design for the new water
system, security will be one of those issues that will be built into the process. With
respect to City security, staff is looking at all of our systems at this time. He has been in
contact with Representative Darlene Hooley's office to see if any federal funding may be
available for an assessment and plan development. The City is looking at all of our city
systems and will be taking care of those that need to be strengthened.
Councilor Nichols also requested that the City check the plywood on the top of the
building at 347 N. Front since it seems to be loose and he does not want the boards to fall
down to the sidewalk area and potentially injuring a pedestrian.
Administrator Brown stated that no plans have been made to do anything more with the
building other than making the improvements soon to be decided upon by the Council.
Staff will look at the plywood to make sure it is secured.
Councilor Nichols stated that, in talking to a local landscape contractor, now is the time
of year to spray for weeds with long roots and, in a lot of our city streets, these type of
weeds are growing in the cracks and spraying would be beneficial to preserve the streets.
Councilor Figley concurred with Councilor Sifuentez that the remodeled Museum looks
great and it is wonderful to have a clean, well-organized facility that will provide for a
rotation of the displays. She stated that Kezia Merwin has done a very good job with not
only with the Museum but with the event planning she is doing including the upcoming
Dia de los Muertos event.
Councilor McCallum stated that the Fall Clean-up day was held last Saturday, and
MacLaren participated on Friday. An excellent job was done by all of the participants.
The Saturday effort concentrated from Boones Ferry Rd. to Hwy. 99E and the downtown
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area. There were a number of groups involved and he gave credit to the Girl Scouts
Troop 343, Boy Scouts 152, Woodburn High School Key Club, Portland General
Electric, Woodburn Kiwanis, Downtown Association, Tulip Festival Committee, and the
Livability Task Force. He also thanked the Mayor for his presence at this event, to the
Police Department and Public Works Department for their assistance, and to McDonalds
and Salvadore's Bakery.
Councilor McCallum also requested that staff remind Union Pacific that it is now October
and the work on the Hardcastle railroad crossing still needs to be done.
1416 Mayor Jennings stated that the Livability Task Force has been diligently working on
revisions to city ordinances and he thanked the Task Force for their continued effort in
making Woodburn a more livable community.
He also reminded the Council that the League of Oregon Cities conference will be held in
November and Councilors interested in attending need to finalize arrangements with the
Administrator's office so that reserved hotel rooms not to be used can be released.
1614 ADJOURNMENT.
FIGLEY/SIFUENTEZ... meeting be adjourned. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m..
APPROVED
~~
RI HARD JENN GS, ijA YOR
ATIEST /f~~
Mary T e ant, Recorder
City of Woodburn, Oregon
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