By KENNETH LIPP/YachatsNews
WALDPORT — The Waldport city recorder swore in four councilors and the mayor for new terms Thursday, adding two more educators to the dais.
Some of the Waldport City Council’s first regular meeting of the year was a housekeeping session. They scheduled a goal-setting workshop, divided up appointments to the various outside boards and committees on which the city has seats, and got a primer on terminology, procedures and current projects.
Prior to council business, city recorder Reda Eckerman administered the oath of office to two incumbent city councilors, two newcomers and the incumbent mayor.
Melaia Kilduff, a second grade teacher at Crestview Heights Elementary, was unopposed in the November general election for an unexpired two-year term. Michelle Severson, a coach and substitute teacher, came in third in a five-way race for three seats. With councilor Jayme Morris, a kindergarten teacher not up for re-election, half of the council are now working educators.
They join incumbents Susan Woodruff and Rick Booth, who came in first and second in November, second-term mayor Greg Holland, who defeated one challenger, and councilor Greg Dunn, who was also not up for re-election.
Parking rules adopted
The vote was split to approve changes to city code concerning parking and garages that were recommended by the planning commission and given an initial OK on a 4-1 vote by council in December.
The new council adopted the ordinance 4-2 with an emergency declaration, bringing it into effect immediately. Woodruff voted “no,” as she did in December. Severson also voted no after being told she couldn’t abstain after asking to not vote because she wasn’t on the council for the initial discussion.
Changes to code concerning parking effective Jan. 12 include:
- Elimination of a requirement that all new single-family homes have a garage or carport;
- All on-street parking is open to anyone, but owners of off-street parking areas can designate specific spaces for their business or renters;
- In residential areas, vehicles not in a driveway will be restricted to parking in a garage or carport, and have to be parked 20 feet from the front or side property lines. This measure was designed to discourage people from parking in front yards.
- Each new dwelling — single-family home or apartment — has to provide two off-street parking spaces. Currently, single-family homes are required to have one parking space, and multi-family dwellings and mobile home parks are required to have two.
Tackling homelessness
A key item on the horizon, city manager Dann Cutter told the council, is the need to pass regulations on camping on public property that don’t run afoul of federal court rulings and state law.
After the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that cities can’t criminalize sleeping on public property if they don’t provide an alternative, dozens of jurisdictions found themselves with laws on the books they could not enforce.
The Oregon Legislature subsequently adopted several laws aimed at bringing state statute in line with the court’s ruling. Cutter said Waldport had until July to adopt “objectively reasonable” limitations on the time, place and manner of public camping. State law gives people the right to sue the city if they believe its terms don’t meet the objectively reasonable standard.
The city manager provided councilors with example ordinances from Coos Bay and Newport. Coos Bay’s ordinance has been in place for about two years, while Newport’s is just a few months old.
“A lot of these laws are new, and they haven’t been tested in the court yet,” Cutter said. He added that the Port of Alsea is also experiencing issues with homeless camping, and port manager Roxie Cuellar asked to have a meeting with the council on the issue. Councilors authorized Cutter to schedule the meeting.
In crafting regulations, Cutter said, council and staff should keep in mind that they are making decisions that dramatically impact people “who have nowhere else to go.”
Holland also briefed the council on the city’s participation in a countywide Houseless Advisory Committee, a new body on which Waldport council holds a seat. The committee is charged with the administration of a $1 million state grant to develop innovative, integrative solutions to homelessness.
The mayor said the committee recently approved a $300,000 contract with an international consulting firm to develop a homelessness response plan and manage the project.
Cutter’s monthly report included imminent major developments, such as a $1.7 million project to build sidewalks and a crossing on Crestline Drive, a back-up water tank that will allow the city to shut down a main tank if needed for maintenance, and completion of the more than $900,000 construction of Louis Southworth Park by the end of next year.
The council held a brief executive session to discuss litigation against the city before adjourning. They next meet at 4 p.m. Feb. 9.
- Kenneth Lipp is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at KenLipp@YachatsNews.com
This is confusing. Why would a committee not come up with the plan themselves. That seems like a lot to a international consulting firm. I mean 30 percent is already spent without anything being accomplished. Did I read this correctly?
And this is why nothing of sustainability gets done. Waste, waste, waste…