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City Council Meeting

Highlights

  • 🛡️ Insurance broker Alicia Johnson briefed council on the city’s crime policy vs. surety bonds, clarifying that the CIS coverage already satisfies auditor recommendations (faithful-performance, embezzlement) and makes separate shurity bonds largely redundant.
  • 🗣️ Public comment focused on the housing needs analysis appeal, Strong Towns’ involvement, and remote-testimony logistics; residents asked council to stop spending money defending the current HNA and to require Strong Towns to operate transparently if its proposals are considered.
  • 🌊 Staff recommended delaying the first reading of the FEMA floodplain-code update to June 2 so legal staff can confirm the draft doesn’t conflict with Oregon land-use law or shift excessive burden to property owners.
  • đź’Ľ Council interviewed budget-committee applicants and appointed Mark DeForge (Resolution 2300) for a four-year term after a competitive field of six candidates.

Notes

  • Insurance Presentation

    • Alicia Johnson (Assured Partners) outlined the city’s CIS program:
      • Liability/property rates will rise about 5% in FY 25 after a flat renewal last year.
      • Crime coverage currently sits at the auditor-recommended $250k and already includes faithful-performance protection.
      • A separate surety bond would simply pursue recovery directly from the bonded individual after paying a claim, whereas the crime policy reimburses the city; most peer cities forego a standalone bond for that reason.
    • City Attorney Ashley Clarke confirmed there’s no coverage gap requiring a parallel bond, though staff could explore higher limits during budget season if desired.

  • Public Comment Themes

    • Emily Waldron: urged council to stop defending the “outdated and inflated” housing needs analysis at LUBA; noted that failing to adopt it would leave DLC’s version unused (saving resources) and that new state ONA grants are coming regardless.
    • Cindy Hurst: questioned Strong Towns’ recommendations on board/commission appointments, arguing the group meets privately outside city limits and that Oregon’s public meetings law doesn’t allow executive sessions for committee interviews.
    • Ron Bunch: shared a citizen-friendly breakdown of the budget tied to council’s new pillars and encouraged early goal-setting before detailed budgets lock in.

  • Floodplain Ordinance Delay

    • City Manager Bill Monahan asked council to postpone the FEMA floodplain-code first reading to May 19 so he and the city attorney can verify the draft doesn’t inadvertently violate state land-use rules or shift costs unfairly to future developers.
    • Council agreed by consensus; staff emphasized the delay poses no risk to FEMA compliance timelines.

  • Budget Committee Appointment (Resolution 2300)

    • Six residents applied for one vacancy—shout-out to everyone for stepping up.
    • After interviews and nominations, council appointed Mark DeForge to the four-year term ending Dec 31, 2028.
    • Council encouraged the remaining applicants to consider other boards/commissions as openings arise.

  • Other Updates

    • Staff previewed upcoming Jesse Mays circulation improvements (sidewalk/tree replacements) funded by the voter-approved fuel tax; community outreach (tree sponsorships, volunteer plantings) will begin soon.
    • Council signaled interest in future work sessions on URA extension, parks funding, and other policy-heavy topics once the budget season wraps.

Follow-Ups

  • Staff

    • Bring the revised FEMA floodplain ordinance (with legal review) to the May 19 agenda.
    • Launch outreach for the Jesse Mays sidewalk/tree project (email updates, volunteer planting opportunities, tree sponsorship program via Parks Foundation).
    • Coordinate a list of prospective board/commission vacancies so the other budget-committee applicants can plug into future openings.

  • Council

    • Work with staff to schedule post-budget work sessions (URA focus, parks funding, training refreshers) and maintain momentum on policy priorities.