By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
It was supposed to be good news Wednesday.
Instead it was overshadowed by another tense squabble between current and soon-to-be members of the Yachats City Council.
City Manager Shannon Beaucaire on Wednesday released a long-awaited financial update showing surprisingly strong revenue from lodging and food and beverage taxes for July, August and September, the first quarter of its 2020-21 fiscal year.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on tourism, Beaucaire estimated during budget preparations last spring that revenue from the two taxes would be just 50 percent of normal, which is $1.5 million a year. The city relies heavily on lodging and food/beverage taxes for its operating and capital budgets and to pay the loan on its sewer plant.
After most payments for the busy summer season came in by Oct. 30, Beaucaire told the council that the city had already collected 89 percent of its budgeted lodging taxes and 83 percent of its food and beverage taxes for the year.
With nine more months of payments, that puts the city on solid financial footing.
Proposes 2-3 hires
But without waiting for reaction, Beaucaire promptly sought council approval to proceed with hiring two employees – an administrative assistant position already approved in the budget now filled by a temporary worker, and a full-time city planner.
In proposing the budget last spring, Beaucaire said she would like to hire an administrative assistant and a public works director – if tax revenues came in higher than expected. The Budget Committee and City Council approved that – but on split votes.
Also Wednesday, Beaucaire proposed hiring a full-time finance clerk to handle duties now performed three days a week by a contract staffer from the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments. That clerk could also pick up other duties around the office, she said, and should not cost much more than what the city is paying CoG.
The city has struggled to find a two-day-a-week contract planner since the retirement of Larry Lewis two years ago. A recent agreement with the council of governments to split a planner between Yachats and Waldport fell apart after three months when that planner left to become a part-time city of Waldport employee.
CoG planner Justin Peterson, who also works in Toledo and Sweet Home, is again filling in, but Beaucaire said the Albany-based agency is pressing her to find a replacement in 4-6 weeks.
Very mixed reaction
The City Council’s reaction was decidedly mixed on Beaucaire’s request to advertise the new positions.
Councilor Leslie Vaaler, who will become mayor in January, and councilors-elect Ann Stott and Greg Scott were adamantly opposed to the idea until the new council is seated in January and can examine City Hall operations.
Vaaler, in her two years on the council, has questioned or opposed many major city proposals, especially when they involve spending. She unseated Mayor John Moore by 200 votes Nov. 3.
Stott and Scott ran campaigns this fall advocating closer scrutiny of spending, staffing and management – and handily won election over incumbents Max Glenn and Jim Tooke, who often join Moore on many 3-2 council decisions.
Mary Ellen O’Shaughnessey, who was appointed to the council last winter and often joins Vaaler in votes, told Beaucaire on Wednesday that she thought the three personnel moves needed much more discussion and many more details on the costs and duties of each.
“I’m frustrated that all of a sudden this comes up without any discussion or more information,” O’Shaughnessey said, asking “for a more thoughtful process.”
When called on by Moore to comment, Scott called the personnel proposals “baloney” and said it was “another entirely inappropriate discussion for a council that has two months left.”
Glenn said he supported Beaucaire going ahead with advertising the positions.
Moore initially questioned the need for a full-time planner at a Wednesday morning meeting of the Finance Committee where Beaucaire first sketched out her proposal. But Wednesday afternoon, Moore said he was convinced by the comments of committee member Jacqueline Danos that the city had enough work for a full-time planner.
Tooke – expressing irritation at Vaaler, Stott and Scott for their criticisms of city management – asked if any of them had any plans or ideas on operations and if they had talked about it amongst themselves during their election campaigns.
Stott told Tooke that she had talked with Vaaler and Scott about her concerns over the direction of the city and had clearly run a campaign expressing that dissatisfaction. She was the top vote-getter in the 5-way council race with more than double Tooke’s votes.
Moore ended the discussion by saying it would be a mistake to proceed with the hirings if “it’s just going to be overturned in two months; so what’s the point.”
Moore said he was meeting with Vaaler on Monday to discuss a council transition and together plan agendas for the county’s two scheduled meetings in December. With that, the council agreed to ask Beaucaire for more details and to possibly talk about it next month.
How can restaurants be saying they are in dire straights and yet 85% of taxes have been met??