TOWN OF CATHLAMET
FEBRUARY 20, 2007
COUNCIL MEETING
CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Richard Swart
The regular council meeting for the Town of Cathlamet was called to order by Mayor Richard Swart at 7:00 P.M. Tuesday February 20, 2007.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL – Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Welker
Those Council members present were David Goodroe, John Hannah, William Talbott, and Danielle Erickson. Council Member Walter Wright was absent due to illness. Others present were Municipal Services Clerk Kerrie McNally, Town Attorney William Faubion, Wahkiakum Eagle Editor Rick Nelson, Sheriff Dan Bardsley, Planning Commission Chairman Fred Johnson, Town Forester Bill Olsen and Citizens Dean Snyder, Jim Reed and Todd Nicholson.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
PROCLAMATIONS and PRESENTATIONS
Mayor Swart distributed copies of his State of the Town Message which is included in the Council Members meeting packets and is also available on the Town website. The Mayor noted that the Town currently has a budget surplus and is asking for ideas from Council for how it should be used and is recommending that the surplus be transferred to reserve accounts. Mayor Swart told the Council that his report also lists achievements that the Town has accomplished during the course of the year.
ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
Motion to approve the Agenda was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
CITIZEN’S PARTICIPATION
Citizen Dean Snyder expressed his frustration with the mess in front of his house that was left by the contractors. Snyder said that it is hindering his efforts to sell his home. Mayor Swart told Mr. Snyder that he is still waiting for the contractor to tell us when the ground will be sufficiently hard enough to clean up the mess. Mr. Snyder also said that there are a lot of feral cats running in his neighborhood and is wondering if something can be done about it.
VOUCHER REVIEW COMMITTEE
The Voucher Review Committee for the March 19, 2007 meeting consists of Walter Wright and David Goodroe. Danielle Erickson will be the alternate.
CONSENT AGENDA
John Hannah made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Danielle Erickson. The consent agenda consists of the Minutes of January16, 2007 regular Meeting and Treasurer’s report for January 2007. With no changes to the consent agenda the motion carried Yes 4, No 0, Abstentions 0.
ORDINANCES
Town Attorney William Faubion read Ordinance No. 491; an Ordinance to Regulate the Mooring of Vessels in Waters Owned by the Town of Cathlamet for the first reading. Motion to approve Ordinance No. 491 for the first reading was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Danielle Erickson. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions
Attorney William Faubion said that he had drafted the Ordinance after Port District #1 asked for suggestions on how to deal with boats anchored in the slough near the Marina because they either did not want to pay moorage or have been kicked out of the Marina. Attorney Faubion found that the Town currently has no ordinances dealing with this matter. Attorney Faubion said that he inquired with the Dept. of Natural Resources who told him that they would send a letter to the owner of a vessel accused of dumping sewage into the water but that it would take local enforcement by our Sheriff to alleviate the problem if the vessel owner did not comply with the letter. Faubion said that he researched similar problems in the Portland area and created the Ordinance to try and prevent future problems such as abandonment of sunken vessels or dumping raw sewage into the waterway. Council Member David Goodroe asked Attorney Faubion where the boundaries lie regarding the waters around the Town. Attorney Faubion said that the town has authority over one mile on either side of the Town and to the center of the river. Council Member Goodroe asked if they could enforce this ordinance over the person who is already there. Attorney Faubion said that he believes it can be enforced against him. Sheriff Dan Bardsley said that he is concerned on how they would determine where the boundaries are that the vessel could be violating. The Sheriff also said that the Ordinance is not an arrestable offense and would be extremely difficult to enforce. Bardsley suggested that the Council consider enforceability when creating new regulatory ordinances because some laws cannot be enforced.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Council Member David Goodroe reported that he had attended a meeting with Public Works Field Supervisor David Vik and PUD Manager David Tramblie where a representative of Itron gave a presentation on meter reading devices and water meters. Goodroe said that he thought the instruments demonstrated were “user friendly”, convertible to either radio read or manual read and did not require a huge investment upfront to purchase them. He said that he will do some further investigations and report back to the Council at the March meeting.
Mayor Swart told the Council that he would like to include the Town Foresters report in this discussion of Erickson Park. Mayor Richard Swart reported that he has spoken with an arborist from the City of Longview regarding the park. The Mayor said that the arborist will look into options for the Park as a consultant and report back to the Mayor. In his report to the Council, Town Forester Bill Olsen stated that he estimated there to be about 4-5 loads of timber that could be harvested from the park from the storm damage. Mr. Olsen distributed copies of an estimate from Robert Olsen Logging for the clean-up of the park that would be very close to the revenue generated from the park timber harvest. The clean-up would include burning the existing debris pile and removal of the remains. Council Member John Hannah stated that he would like to see all of the potentially dangerous trees removed and to have a plan developed for replanting the park. Forester Olsen agreed with Mr. Hannah and said he would be willing to work with the arborist to create a plan. Town Attorney William Faubion suggested that the Mayor contact the risk manager from AWC for his opinion on what to do. Citizen Dean Snyder, who is on the Park Committee, expressed his wish for the Park Committee to have more input on the park plans.
Mayor Swart told the Council that he has been working with the PUD and that they have agreed to put their utility lines underground on Broadway Street. The Mayor said that the Town engineers are in the process of contacting the telephone and cable companies to inform them of the planned changes. Mayor Swart said that they are in the process of identifying where to place the street lights.
Attorney William Faubion told the Council that he had reviewed the LCEDC contract for 2007 and that everything seems to be in order. Council Member David Goodroe had some questions regarding the use of tourism funds to pay for the contract. Council Member Goodroe said that the funds are not available until the end of the year and the contract funds are due now. Attorney Faubion told Goodroe that if he had any reservations about the terms, he should table the item until the next meeting. The Council agreed to table the issue till the March Council meeting.
Motion to approve the Water System Design Bid Supplemental No. 1 in the amount of $2,800 was made by David Goodroe and seconded by John Hannah. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
Mayor Swart said that there are no current annexation requests. Annexation Committee member Danielle Erickson said that they have no recommendations at this time. Mayor Swart asked Council Member Erickson to consult with the other Annexation Committee member, Walter Wright and report back at the next meeting.
Council Member David Goodroe told the Council that he has spoken with the Town engineers who are proposing that the Greenwood Tank be taken offline next week to isolate the tank and see how the water system performs with it offline. If all goes well, the Town will need to take bids for sealing the inside and painting the outside of the tank. Goodroe said that the pumps will need to be checked and sandblasting done prior to painting. He said that the engineers estimate it will take approximately three and a-half weeks to complete the maintenance work.
Marina Estates owner, Todd Nicholson, asked the Mayor if he would consider creating a committee to ascertain that obligations have been met in order for the Council to vote on his final proposal for the development. Nicholson provided the Council with copies of the restrictive covenants he has developed for homeowners in the Estates. Mayor Swart asked Planning Commission Chairman Fred Johnson to serve on the committee along with Public Works Field Supervisor David Vik, Council Member Danielle Erickson and himself. Attorney William Faubion noted that the easement promised to the Town was not prominently featured in the CCR’s and asked Mr. Nicholson to be sure to make it more visible within the document.
NEW BUSINESS
Mayor Swart suggested that the new name for the former Revitalization Committee be changed to Community Development Committee. Motion to approve the name change to Community Development Committee was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Danielle Erickson. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
Mayor Swart told the Council that he feels they should take ideas from the 2002 Comp Plan to use in formulating a Mission Statement for the Town. Wahkiakum Eagle Editor Rick Nelson asked if any of the Committees have Statements of Purpose. Mayor Swart responded that none of them have them at this point.
Town Attorney William Faubion suggested that the Town’s current policy of charging for water shut off and turn ons should be adjusted to allow licensed plumbers or homeowners in the event of emergency repairs on weekends to shut their own water off. Council member David Goodroe expressed his concern over possible backflow conditions if a homeowner turns his water back on in an unsafe manner. Mayor Swart referred the subject to the Water/Sewer Committee for consultation with the Public Works Field Supervisor David Vik.
Mayor Swart told the Council that he has consulted with CWCOG Planner Melissa Taylor about updating the 2002 Comp Plan and was told that there is no need to do a five-year update.
Attorney William Faubion said that the Town will be put on a list to update building Ordinances at the same time as the County this summer. PC Chair and Assistant Fire Chief Fred Johnson said that the Fire Code updates go into effect on July 1st. Johnson suggested that the Town adopt the updated Fire Codes as well. The issue will be on the agenda for the next Council meeting.
Citizen Dean Snyder expressed his dissatisfaction with mailboxes within the Town being placed on public property. Mr. Snyder said that the US Postal Service used to give town residents free P.O. boxes and that the current policy of allowing people to put up mailboxes is unsafe. Council Member John Hannah told Mr. Snyder that this is an issue for the USPS. Mayor Swart suggested that Mr. Snyder contact the USPS with his concerns.
Sheriff Dan Bardsley distributed copies of law enforcement activity within the Town to Council Members and the Mayor. Sheriff Bardsley said that some of the calls were not actually in the Town but had been coded wrong and to disregard the out-of-town calls. The Sheriff told the Council that one parking ticket has been issued by the V.I.P’s so far. The Sheriff said that the volunteers are on patrol about twice a week and have been instructed to avoid confrontation with violators. Marina Estates owner Todd Nicholson expressed his concern over the possibility of the new homeowners in his development having to look at the vessel currently moored in the slough in front of his property and seeing him dump sewage as has been reported. Sheriff Bardsley said that the new Ordinance will not prevent this problem from happening. The Sheriff told him that this issue should be reported to the Dept. of Natural Resources.
Motion to allow Port District #1 permission to use a lot owned by the Town on the NW side of Second St. for overflow parking was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
MAYOR REPORT – Richard Swart
A copy of the Mayor’s report is included in the Minutes.
CLERK/TREASURER REPORT – Virginia Welker
A copy of the Clerk/Treasurer’s report is included in the Minutes.
TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT – William Faubion
Town Attorney William Faubion who is also Assistant Fire Chief, requested authorization for his wife, Cindy Faubion, who is an EMT to attend a training conference in Maryland. Faubion said that $1,000 of the cost would be paid for by the County and requested that the Town pay for the remaining $1,500 out of the EMS fund. Mayor Swart asked if there might be the same training being held closer to cut down on costs. Attorney Faubion replied that Dr. Avalon has written his recommendation that Mrs. Faubion attend the Maryland conference because it is the best training offered in the country. Faubion said that this should not impact other travel opportunities for EMS personnel. Mayor Swart said that he will consider the request and reply tomorrow.
Attorney Faubion said that he is concerned about a very large discrepancy between what bills were submitted to the Town and what bills were actually paid according to the Town Clerk/Treasurer. Faubion said that he thought there was a possibility that the wrong accounts were being credited and debited and wants to be certain that EMS funds are used for EMS expenses and that Fire Dept. funds are used for Fire Dept. expenses. Assistant Fire Chief Fred Johnson echoed the concern and said that he is concerned Current Expense funds are not being used properly. Mayor Swart said that he will consult with the Town Clerk/Treasurer and that she will cooperate with the Fire Dept. and EMS to determine that the funds are being used properly.
PUBLIC WORKS – David Vik
A copy of the Public Works report is included with the Minutes..
PLANNING COMMISSION –
A copy of the Planning Commission report is included with the Minutes.
Planning Commission Chairman Fred Johnson stated that parking signs are necessary on Broadway Street to enforce “No Parking” laws on the south side of the street. Mr. Johnson also presented the Council with an architects drawing of proposed parking for nine vehicles near the new Fire Hall. Council Member David Goodroe asked Mr. Johnson if the propose overflow parking lot at the Port could also be used during Fire Dept. meetings. Attorney William Faubion said that a drainage system should be put into place at the parking area. Mr. Johnson said that the next Six-Year Street Plan by the Transportation Improvement Board should include the parking situation.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
PARKS & PROPERTIES – Danielle Erickson & John Hannah
POOL – Walter Wright & William Talbott
Mayor Swart told the Council that the demolition of the old Pool heating unit has been completed and that the construction of the new system has begun.
PUBLIC SAFETY – Walter Wright & John Hannah
STREETS & DOCKS – Danielle Erickson & John Hannah
Mayor Swart said that the new street signs have been received and that Public Works Field Supervisor David Vik needs input on where to place them.
WATER & SEWER – Walter Wright & David Goodroe
Council Member David Goodroe suggested that there be a possible sewer charge increase to establish a reserve. Goodroe said that the current in-town fees are $30 per month of which $12 goes into the reserve. Goodroe feels that this is not enough to establish an adequate reserve. Council Member Goodroe said that he will do some research and report back at the next meeting.
ANNEXATION – Danielle Erickson & Walter Wright
REVENUE & SALARIES – William Talbott & David Goodroe
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – David Goodroe & Danielle Erickson
Mayor Swart instructed the members of the Community Development Committee to write a Statement of Purpose.
ANNOUNCEMENTS –
EXECUTIVE SESSION –
ADJOURNMENT –
The meeting was adjourned at 9:18 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kerrie McNally
Municipal Services Clerk