TOWN OF CATHLAMET

August 18, 2008

COUNCIL MEETING

DRAFT

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, August 18, 2008.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL – Clerk/Treasurer Sylvia Costich

Present: Council Members Walter Wright, David Goodroe, William Talbott, and Mayor Richard Swart.

Absent: John Hannah

Also present were Town Attorney Thomas Doumit, Clerk/Treasurer Sylvia Costich, Wahkiakum Eagle reporter Rick Nelson, Town Council candidates Robert Rendler and Ruth Doumit and members of the public. Ken Alexander of Gray & Osborne, Inc. arrived shortly after roll call.

ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA

Motion to approve agenda was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 3 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

Mayor Swart recognized the two candidates for the Town Council Position No. 4 vacancy, Robert Rendler and Ruth Doumit, and called for nominations. Council Member Walter Wright nominated them both and the nomination was seconded by David Goodroe. Mayor Swart conceded to a roll call vote. Clerk/Treasurer Costich called the roll first for candidate Ruth Doumit, then for candidate Robert Rendler. Result: Council member Walter Wright voted for Ruth Doumit. Council members David Goodroe and William Talbott voted for Robert Rendler. Mayor Swart declared Robert Rendler as the winning candidate, and administered the Oath of Office to Mr. Rendler.

Motion to approve the appointment of Kevin Patching as the new Utilities Maintenance Worker I was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Council Member Robert Rendler pointed out that the RCW states that the Mayor has sole authority to hire employees without approval of Council and that the current wording in the Town’s personnel ordinance is contrary to state law. Mayor Swart pointed out that CMC Section 2.55.050 (Ord. 419, 2000) made the mayor's appointments and terminations subject to Council approval, so he had to abide by that. Motion to approve the appointment carried 3 Yes, 0 No, 1 Abstention. Council Member Robert Rendler abstained.

VOUCHER REVIEW COMMITTEE

1. Voucher Review Committee Report – David Goodroe and William Talbott reported no errors and accepted the vouchers.

2. The Voucher Review Committee for the September 15, 2008 meeting consists of Walter Wright and Robert Rendler. John Hannah will be the alternate.

CONSENT AGENDA

Motion to approve the Consent Agenda made by William Talbott, second by Walter Wright. The consent agenda consists of the Minutes of July 21, 2008 Regular Meeting, Special Meeting Minutes of August 13, 2008, Payroll for July 31, 2008 in the amount of $36,356.29 and Vouchers for July 23, 2008 through August 19, 2008 in the amount of $171,319.62. With no changes to the consent agenda the motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

CITIZEN’S PARTICIPATION

WCSO V.I.P.S volunteer P.J. Fleury told the Council that he fells the street address are difficult to find while he is issuing parking tickets. Mr. Fleury requested that the businesses display their addresses on the buildings. Mr. Fleury also expressed his concerns about candy being thrown from vehicles during the Bald Eagle Fest parade. He said that he had observed a child running in front of a vehicle to try and pick up some candy. Mayor Swart said that the Chamber of Commerce is in charge of the parade, and he will make them aware of the concerns.

PROCLAMATIONS and PRESENTATIONS

Attorney Thomas Doumit read a Proclamation for Ms. Betsy Johnson, ARPN who is leaving the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic. Mayor Swart presented Ms. Johnson with a copy of the Proclamation.

Mayor Richard Swart dispensed with the reading of an annual Proclamation designating the first week of September as American Payroll Association week.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

None

ORDINANCES

None

RESOLUTIONS

Motion to approve Resolution No. 259-08; a resolution establishing an Inter-Fund Loan from Sewer Cumulative Reserve fund 403 to Sewer Facility Improvements fund 404 was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Walter Wright. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1. Motion to accept the final Town Hall Building Assessment report from TCA Architecture, Inc. and authorization of payment in the amount of $7,220.00 was made by David Goodroe and seconded by William Talbott. Motion carried 4 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

2. The discussion on the comments from Citizen Jim Reed regarding the Proposed Zoning Ordinance was put over to next meeting. Council Member Robert Rendler stated that ten years ago the CWCOG had offered to help rewrite the zoning ordinance and produce a zoning map which they do very well. Mr. Reed was present and when asked for his comments responded by saying that he was not critical of the proposed changes to the ordinance, but of the current ordinance. Mayor Swart said that he would contact CWCOG and see what the cost and timeline might be to have them help the Planning Commission complete it.

3. Council Member David Goodroe proposed using different language to describe hedge and fence references currently in the zoning ordinance, remove it from the zoning ordinance and insert it into the nuisance ordinance. Mayor Swart suggested putting the issue over to the next meeting in order to examine the proposed language. The Mayor said he will confer with the Town Attorney and Public Works Superintendent to discuss the town’s options.

4. Town Attorney Thomas Doumit explained the draft of the proposed poultry ordinance to the Council. The draft would allow hens, but not roosters the amount of which would be dependent upon the square feet of the lot, and would allow specific types of poultry. Attorney Doumit told the Council that the draft is still in the beginning stages. There were questions about the ability to enforce the ordinance. Mayor Swart appointed Council Members John Hannah and William Talbott to form a sub-committee and bring back a proposal to discuss at the next meeting.

5. In regards to the complaint by Dean Snyder regarding the quality of the dirt which was brought in and placed on town property adjacent to Mr. Snyder’s, at his request, Mayor Swart asked Council member Goodroe to summarize the situation. Council Member Goodroe pointed out that the council had taken the action requested but there was no clear direction or supervision on the part of the Town to make sure that the delivery of the hatchery dirt happened the right way. Goodroe said that the dirt had been taken from the Elochoman Hatchery and stored on contractor Sam Longtain’s property until it was supposed to be delivered to the site next to Mr. Snyder. Council Member Goodroe said that Mr. Snyder had told him on several occasions that he had driven out to the contractor’s property where the dirt was supposed to have been being stored and that there was no dirt pile visible. Public Works Superintendent David Vik said that he had also spoken with Sam Longtain, about getting the dirt delivered and was told that Mr. Longtain had mistakenly spread the hatchery soil out onto his own property and that he would be unable to scrape it up and deliver it to the town site as expected. Council Member Goodroe said that Mr. Longtain had told him that he had acquired better quality dirt than the hatchery soil which he would deliver to the town site. The soil that was finally delivered appeared to be mostly clay as opposed to the expected rich soil. Mayor Swart reiterated that the town is not placing soil on private property, but on public property adjacent to Mr. Snyder’s. Council Member Walter Wright said that he had looked at the delivered soil and that it appeared to be cracked and dried clay. Public Works Superintendent David Vik said that there was some dirt available from some nearby excavation work that may be suitable. Mayor Swart asked Council Member Wright and David Vik to look at the soil and determine if it is usable for the intended purpose.

6. Gray & Osborne, Inc. engineer Ken Anderson gave a report on current activities for the town. Mr. Alexander stated that there needs to be some touch-up paint applied to the reservoir which would mean that the tank would have to be emptied and be offline for about a week. Public Works Superintendent David Vik said that the easement from the School District for the road to the site of the proposed Waste Water Treatment Plant is being drawn up by the District’s attorney. Mr. Alexander said that the new Water Plan received comments from the Dept. of Health which are being addressed and will report back on the status at the next meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Citizen David Nelson requested that the town make an exception on the sewer rate for a Sharon’s Pizza which has re-located to his newly completed commercial building. Currently, restaurants with inside seating are required to pay for 3 sewer units per month. Mr. Nelson stated that since the pizza parlor does not have a dishwasher and uses only disposable plates and utensils, they should not be charged such a high rate. Mayor Swart suggested that Council Members Goodroe and Wright and Public Works Superintendent David Vik work on identifying a rate for the business.

2. Council Member Goodroe told the council that he has had discussion with the Veolia Water Co. regarding a potential public/private partnership for the new Wastewater Treatment Plant. Goodroe said that the town may be able to reduce the cost of designing, building, and operation of the new plant by one-third if the partnership could occur. He said that there are currently two impediments that would need to be cleared first including: 1. political support for them making a proposal; 2. reasonable support on part of the employees. Council Member Rendler asked if the town would maintain the rate schedule for the sewer service. Public Works Superintendent David Vik told the Council that the town would need to sign a 20 year contract to purchase service from the company. Vik said he will forward an email to the Council and Town Attorney that he had received from the Dept. of Ecology regarding public/private sector wastewater treatment plant agreements that outline the requirements that would need to be met. Mayor Swart suggested that a workshop be held to discuss the proposal. Ken Alexander asked Mayor Swart if he would like the participation of Gray & Osborne, Inc. in the discussion. He said that they had been involved with the City of Quincy when they privatized their system and have a lot of experience with this. Mr. Alexander also suggested that the council contact other towns or cities that have privatized their waste water services to see how satisfied they are.

3. Mayor Swart told the Council that he will review the request from Charter Communications

to renew their cable T.V. franchise with the town attorney and report back at the September

Council meeting.

4. Mayor Swart informed the Council of the status of the ongoing disagreement with the PUD

regarding the last year’s contract for water with the Town. The Mayor noted that the contract

has still not been signed by the PUD and that the 2008-2009 draft contract has already been

completed on schedule. Mayor Swart noted that the PUD is still paying the rate from two

years ago and will owe the town for the year-end adjustment as well as any overages. The

Mayor suggested that he, Public Works Superintendent David Vik, and Municipal Services

Clerk Kerrie McNally, who prepares the annual contract, meet and go over the list of

miscellaneous supplies that are being rejected by the PUD and give copies to Council

Member Robert Rendler for his review. The issue will be placed on the September meeting

agenda.

5. Mayor Swart said that the former town attorney had suggested that the Town adopt rules for

the parks. The Mayor said that he had investigated other town’s rules and drafted a list of

proposed rules to be included in a resolution. Mayor Swart handed out copies of the

proposed language to the Council for their review and asked for comment back before the Wednesday before the next council

meeting.

6. Motion to reappoint Hap Anderson to the Planning Commission until his term expires on

12/31/11 was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Robert Rendler. Motion carried 4

Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.

7. Mayor Swart told the Council that the County is considering a Park & Pool District. He said that he had requested that the Town have a representative on the committee that is looking into the possible district. The Mayor said that he had not received a definitive answer from the County yet. The Mayor said that the county is also looking into a possible dog licensing program. He suggested that the council hold off on the dog licensing discussion until the next meeting to see what transpires at the County. Council Member Goodroe asked what had happened with the recent pit bull council decision in March after a pit bull attempted to attack Public Works employee Bruce McClain while he was reading meters in the Columbia Ridge Estates subdivision. Attorney Doumit told him that the dog has been removed from the town limits. Clerk/Treasurer Costich said that she had thought the dog in question had been the same one as the one near the marina which had recently been referenced to in the Sheriff report in the Wahkiakum Eagle for attacking another dog. Council Member Rendler stated that another incident had occurred near the marina which involved a Port employee. Clerk/Treasurer Costich questioned as to what type of enforcement is available to respond to the dog problems and was told that the Sheriff Dept. is the only enforcement that the town has since we no longer have a town Marshall. The Council agreed that the dog near the marina, which has been seen near the corner of Una and Second St., needs to be located.

ANNOUNCEMENTS –

Mayor Swart told the Council that he will be posting water conservation notices around town due to the planned power outage on August 24, 2008. The Mayor explained that the conservation request is to help keep water levels high in the reservoir when the powering back on of the water treatment plant occurs.

The Mayor also told the Council that he intends to attend the Interagency Financing Group (IACC) conference in Wenatchee from November 5 through 7^th. The Mayor said that he has received a $100.00 scholarship from the USDA to help with the $160.00 fee. Mayor Swart said that he will attend a number of workshops on financing public sector projects such as the wastewater treatment plant and other items.

Clerk/Treasurer Costich reminded the Council of the upcoming Budget workshop on August 20, 2008.

EXECUTIVE SESSION – none.

ADJOURNMENT – at 9:39 pm

Richard A Swart, Mayor Sylvia G. Costich, Clerk/Treasurer