TOWN OF CATHLAMET

MARCH 19, 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. Monday March 19, 2007.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL – Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Welker

Those Council members present were David Goodroe, John Hannah, William Talbott, Walter Wright and Danielle Erickson. Others present were Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Welker, Town Attorney William Faubion, Wahkiakum Eagle reporter Rick Nelson, Citizen Dr. Rich, and Wahkiakum Community Network representatives Linda Hartung and Anne Snyder.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

PROCLAMATIONS and PRESENTATIONS

ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA

Float house owner Dr. Rich of Long Beach, WA asked to be on the Agenda regarding Ordinance No. 491. Mayor Swart said the Council would hear his comments during discussion of Ordinance No. 491 when it is taken up later in the meeting.

Motion to approve the Agenda as amended was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

CITIZEN’S PARTICIPATION

Wahkiakum Community Network representatives Linda Hartung and Anne Snyder distributed surveys to the Council regarding under-age drinking, domestic violence and child abuse in our community. Ms. Hartung requested that the Council members fill out the surveys and return them to the Town Hall office by Friday so that she could pick them up and evaluate them.

VOUCHER REVIEW COMMITTEE

The Voucher Review Committee for the April 16, 2007 meeting consists of John Hannah and Danielle Erickson. David Goodroe will be the alternate.

CONSENT AGENDA

John Hannah made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Walter Wright. The consent agenda consists of the Minutes of February 20, 2007 regular Meeting, March 5, 2007 Special Meeting Minutes and Treasurer’s financial report and vouchers for February 2007. With no changes to the consent agenda the motion carried Yes 5, No 0, Abstentions 0.

ORDINANCES

Town Attorney William Faubion read Ordinance No. 491; an ordinance regulating the moorage of vessels in waters owned by the Town for the second reading. Motion to approve Ordinance No. 491 for the second reading was made by David Goodroe and seconded by John Hannah. During discussion, Dr. Robert Rich read and submitted a statement opposing the necessity of No. 491, and accusing the Town Attorney of a conflict of interest in drafting the ordinance. On the advice of the Mayor, the Council decided to table the ordinance until the April meeting so that Dr. Rich’s allegations could be reviewed. Motion to table Ordinance No. 491 until the April Town Council meeting was made by Walter Wright and seconded by David Goodroe. Motion carried 4 Yes, 1 No, 0 Abstentions. Council member John Hannah cast the “no” vote. The Town Attorney William Faubion then requested and was granted permission to respond and dispute the allegations made by Dr. Rich.

RESOLUTIONS

Mayor Richard Swart read Resolution No. 240; a Resolution acknowledging the value of the Wahkiakum Family Practice and pledging to explore means of supporting it. Motion to approve Resolution No. 240 was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

PUBLIC COMMENT

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Mayor Richard Swart said that arborist Kevin Beatty, has taken a “walk-through” in the Park and will work with the Town Forester to divide the Park into quadrants where they will take inventory of the trees and vegetation and identify which items need to be repaired or removed. He will then make recommendations about replanting trees. The Mayor announced that he was hiring Marjorie Watkins for part-time help for the park.

Council Member David Goodroe said that he had spoken with the LCEDC and that he and Virginia had sorted out the payments after receiving a statement from them outlining what they were being paid for with town tourist funds.

Motion to close and accept the River Street/Division Project and to release the retainage was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Walter Wright. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

The final decision on Marina Estates was held over due to the absence of Todd Nicholson who was in possession of the documents needed to make the decision.

Motion to authorize up to an additional $2,900.00 for pool heating pipe was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

Town Attorney William Faubion agreed to change the current ordinance regarding water shut off/ turn on to allow licensed plumbers to shut off and turn on water to make repairs at the request of the owners. Mayor Swart told the Council that he had discussed the proposed changes with Public Works Field Supervisor David Vik who emphasized that the homeowner should be held responsible for any damage that may occur during the process. Council Member Wright suggested that new homeowners should be required to install shut-off valves on their side of the meter so that they can turn their water off and on when necessary. Attorney Faubion agreed to amend the ordinance to reflect this.

Attorney Faubion told the Council that he is waiting for the County building official to contact him regarding Town’s building code update. Attorney Faubion said that the Town’s current building ordinance will be updated this summer at the same time as the County’s in order to maintain consistency. Mayor Swart commended Municipal Services Clerk, Kerrie McNally, for discovering the inconsistencies and reporting them to him.

Council Member David Goodroe said that he had no new information regarding the meter reading device replacement yet.

Council Member David Goodroe told the Council that he has investigated other local municipalities methods of financing waste water treatment plant upgrades required by the state, and has determined that a three year rate increase of $5.00 per month would allow the town to build a reserve of approximately $500,000.00 for future use as matching funds to help fund the new plant. Attorney William Faubion stated that an ordinance and public hearing would be necessary to implement the rate increase by July 1, 2007. Motion to direct Attorney Faubion to prepare an ordinance increasing sewer rates according to the Water/Sewer committee’s recommendations was made by Walter Wright and seconded by David Goodroe. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

Mayor Swart told the Council that he has directed the town engineers to issue an invitation for bid to get the Greenwood tank conditioned and painted in 2007. The Mayor said that it should have gone to the trade media March 19, 2007.

Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Welker told the Council that she and EMS bookkeeper Shirley Rose have come within $145.00 of reconciling their accounts. Ms. Welker said that the dollar amount is low enough that it is not worth searching for where the difference is and recommends leaving it at the higher amount indicated in her calculations. Mayor Swart asked if she had a suggestion for how to change procedures so that a more exact figure may be arrived at. Ms. Welker replied that she feels the procedures in place are sufficient and that this situation resulted primarily because the town has only been processing EMS funds for one year and that procedures need to be standardized for an exact match. Council member David Goodroe offered to assist the Clerk/Treasurer in resolving the issue.

Mayor Swart told the Council that they need to make a choice as far as which lighting fixtures they want because the town engineers are calling a meeting with the utility companies, neighbors, town staff and Streets Committee to do a walk-thru regarding the undergounding of the utilities on the Broadway Project. The Mayor said that two designs have been selected by Council Members and Revitalization Committee and that a final selection should be made soon.

Mayor Swart told the Council that he had received a request from a tenant of the Scarborough Building to create a loading zone on the south side of Broadway Street. Town engineer, Kevin Brown was consulted with this request and suggested that it would be problematic. Council Member Walter Wright said that he was concerned about visual blockage for people turning on to Broadway from River Street and that this could create a safety hazard. Mr. Wright suggested that the first parking space on Broadway just down the street from River St. could be designated as a loading zone. Council Member David Goodroe said that he was opposed to a loading zone on the Scarborough side of Broadway St. Town Attorney William Faubion said that there is a fire hydrant located near the corner and that the legal distance required to park away from the hydrant may put the loading zone much farther down the street. Mayor Swart suggested that the request be denied and that the town should look into possible alternatives.

Council Members David Goodroe and Danielle Erickson said that they have no annexation business at this time.

Mayor Swart said that he has applied for two USDA grants for equipment for the new Fire Hall and for improving disabled access at the swimming pool. The Mayor said that he has received a preliminary title report to include with the loan application for the purchase of the Titzler property at 135 Columbia St., but is still waiting for the marked up copy of the option to purchase from Mr. Titzler.

Motion to adopt the Community Development Committee’s Statement of Purpose as the Town Mission Statement was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Danielle Erickson. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

NEW BUSINESS

Council Member Walter Wright suggested that the Town conduct a feasibility study to determine if the town needs an airport. Council Member Wright said that there are state and federal grants available to fund the airport. Mayor Swart said that this would need to be a county initiative as the Town does not have suitable land to use. No action was taken by the Council.

Council Member Walter Wright said that the Sheriff Dept. is interested in developing a shooting sports facility and that the County will probably be interested as well. Wright said that there are grant funds available through the National Rifle Association and the Washington State Department of Wildlife to help develop a facility. Mayor Swart suggested that a workshop be set up to discuss the possibility.

Mayor Swart said that he has met with PUD Manager David Tramblie and County Building Dept. official Chuck Beyer to discuss the joint BOCC-PUD-TOC Water Oversight Process. The Mayor said that it is important to manage future water connections and that Chuck Beyer has added the Town and PUD to his review of water applications for their input. Mayor Swart said that priorities need to be set and that we need to be ready as proposals will be coming to the Council soon

Mayor Swart told the Council that the Boege Rd. project is virtually resolved. The Mayor said that the Town engineers are in the process of fixing the driveway problem by asking the golf course developers to pay a little extra and they will lift and turn the asymmetrical sewer vault so that the sewer lines will go the right way, the hydro seeding should begin in about a week or so and after that the engineers recommend that the project be closed, accepted and the retainage released. The next step is to have the contractor L.L. Lindberg to cut a check to pay for damage caused to the Fire District #4 parking lot. The Mayor asked for a motion to accept the project and release the retainage upon completion of the hydro seeding. Motion to accept and close out the project and release the retainage to L.L. Lindberg upon completion of the hydro seeding was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Walter Wright. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

Planning Commission member Chris Doumit told the Council that the Planning Commission is in discussion about acquiring the Bank of the Pacific parking lot area.

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.

Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Welker told the Council that there are excess funds in the amount of $88,112 in Current Expense that was not budgeted for in 2007 consisting of unexpected revenue of $41,900 in the tax category intergovernmental revenue, miscellaneous revenues and interest income. Ms. Welker went on to say that expenditures were less than anticipated in the amount of $32,300. The Clerk/Treasurer proposed that the Town transfer $75,000 from Current Expense to Current Expense Cumulative Reserve or the Timber Fund. Motion to approve transferring $75,000 from Current Expense to Current Expense Cumulative Reserve was made by David Goodroe and seconded by John Hannah. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions. Motion to approve 27% of Municipal Services Clerk Kerrie McNally’s salary to be paid out of Current Expense effective April 1, 2007 was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Danielle Erickson. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT – William Faubion

Town Attorney William Faubion told the Council that the PUD may be interested in the possibility of putting three power generating windmills on Town property at the top of the bluff. The Attorney said that this could be a possible source of future income for the Town. Council Member John Hannah told the Council that eastern Washington State already has quite a few windmills generating power at this time. Mayor Swart said that he will discuss this with the PUD Manager David Tramblie along with other questions related to alternative energy.

PUBLIC WORKS – David Vik

A copy of the Public Works report is included with the Minutes.

Council Member Walter Wright inquired about the possibility of placing power generating turbines in the water mains. Mayor Swart said that this would be a subject for the PUD manager and Public Works Field Supervisor David Vik to look in to.

PLANNING COMMISSION –

A copy of the Planning Commission report is included with the Minutes.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

PARKS & PROPERTIES – Danielle Erickson & John Hannah

POOL – Walter Wright & William Talbott

Mayor Swart said that they are planning on having a Pool Advisory Committee meeting on Monday April 9, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. where they will discuss pool schedules and rate structures for this summer.

PUBLIC SAFETY – Walter Wright & John Hannah

Council Member Walter Wright noted that the parking area for the cabins at the Elochoman Marina is very dark and could present a safety problem. Mayor Swart said that he will bring it to the attention of Harbormaster Jackie Lea. Mr. Wright also wondered if the area between Second and Third St. that was filled in below the Faubion property might be used for parking. Council Member Wright told the Council that there are currently two 2^nd Streets and two 3^rd Streets in the Town. Wright said that this is confusing to emergency response personnel and requested that the streets be renamed. Mayor Swart suggested that the Streets & Docks Committee discuss recommendations and report back at the next meeting.

STREETS & DOCKS – Danielle Erickson & John Hannah

WATER & SEWER – Walter Wright & David Goodroe

ANNEXATION – Danielle Erickson & Walter Wright

REVENUE & SALARIES – William Talbott & David Goodroe

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – David Goodroe & Danielle Erickson

Council Member William Talbott requested that the Minutes of the Council meetings be posted to the town website in draft form as soon as possible rather than wait for Council approval. It was the consensus of the Council to request that Kerrie McNally upload them to the website as soon as they are completed.

ANNOUNCEMENTS –

Mayor Swart announced that he will be attending a 2010 census training workshop in Astoria on March 22, 2007. Council Member David Goodroe announced that he will attend the Main Street National Convention in Seattle next week made possible by a grant from the Wahkiakum Community Foundation.

EXECUTIVE SESSION –

The regular meeting of the Town Council was recessed at 9:16 p.m. The Executive Session began at 9:20 p.m. The Executive Session ended at 9:40 p.m. Attorney William Faubion was directed to cancel the current request for appraisal of land and to seek a bid from another appraisal company.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:41 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Virginia L. Welker

Clerk/Treasurer