Agendas and Minutes

City Council (View All)

Regular Meeting

Agenda
Tuesday, January 17, 2012

MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR MEETING
ASHLAND CITY COUNCILJanuary 17, 2012
Council Chambers

1175 E. Main Street

 
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Stromberg called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers.
 
ROLL CALL
Councilor Slattery, Morris, Lemhouse, Voisin, Silbiger, and Chapman were present.
 
MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mayor Stromberg noted that staff  had pulled item (2) Will Council approve First Reading of an ordinance titled, “An Ordinance Amending AMC 14.08.030 Connection - Outside City, Inside Urban Growth Boundary and Adding AMC 14.09.020 Sewer Lateral Ownership” and move the ordinance on to Second Reading? under ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS from the agenda.
 
He went on to announce openings on the Housing, Planning, Public Arts, Tree, and Transportation Commissions, and the Audit Committee.
 
SHOULD THE COUNCIL APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THESE MEETINGS?
The minutes of the Executive Session of January 3, 2012 and Regular Meeting of January 3, 2012 were approved as presented.
 
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS & AWARDS
The Mayor’s proclamations regarding January 26, 2012 as Peace House Appreciation Day and January 16, 2012 as Universal Right to Education Day were read aloud.
 
CONSENT AGENDA  
1.   Will Council approve the minutes of the Boards, Commissions, and Committees?
2.   Does Council wish to approve a Liquor License Application from Steve Hoxmeier dba IDA’s at 475 A Street?
3.   Will Council, acting as the Local Contracts Review Board, approve an exemption from the competitive bid process to directly award a contract to Dennis Bleser of Bleser Construction to provide professional installation of playground equipment in Lithia Park?
 
Councilor Morris/Slattery m/s to approve Consent Agenda items. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed.
 
PUBLIC HEARINGS
1.   Will Council approve criteria for selection of the new City Administrator?
Human Resource Director Tina Gray explained that six final candidates were coming to Ashland to interview for the City Administrator position.  The evaluation criteria for the selection process included Vision, Experience, Leadership, Communication, and Self Management.  The public could attend a reception January 26, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Plaza Inn and Suites in the Hospitality Room to meet the candidates and provide staff with their input.
 
Public Hearing Open: 7:10 p.m.
Public Hearing Closed: 7:10 p.m.
 
Councilor Voisin/Lemhouse m/s to approve the selection criteria as presented by staff.  Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed.
 
PUBLIC FORUM
Thomas Letchworth/888 Clay Street/Requested Council waive the $350 event fees for the Southern Oregon University (SOU) “March Forth March Fourth” political march and rally.
 
Council directed staff to add the item to the next City Council agenda.
 
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None
 
NEW AND MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS
1.   Does the City Council have any questions with respect to the Community Development Department’s actions targeted at addressing the Council Goal to improve the Clarity, Responsiveness and Certainty of the Development Review Process?
Community Development Director Bill Molnar explained the Council Goal resulted in three staff recommendations.  The first recommendation would unify the Land Use Ordinance (LUO) and combine standard regulations with those adopted by the City of Ashland.  The second would improve the development process from inception through compliance while the third recommendation would improve existing technologies internally and externally.  With continual improvements and technology advancements, Mr. Molnar thought the Council Goal was an ongoing process rather than a goal with a set completion date.
 
He went on to describe how the department tracked customer inquiries and in 2011, they averaged 250 customers monthly for a total of 42 hours staff time per month.  Processing Building Permit Plan checks concurrently throughout the City was going well and additional software would increase efficiency.  Performance for Type II planning actions increased from 94.4 days to 98 to cover the complexity of Type II’s, public hearings, and state requirements.  Staff was considering reinstituting Staff Permits for specific actions.  The process to unify the Land Use Ordinance would start March 2012.
 
ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS
1.   Will Council approve a resolution titled, “A Resolution Establishing a Streetside Memorial Marker Program”?
Engineering Services Manager Jim Olson explained the resolution stemmed from Janet Brandson whose son suffered a fatal skateboard injury and her request to the Transportation Commission to establish a memorial marker to memorialize her son’s passing.  Currently the City did not have an ordinance or policy relating to memorial markers.  The proposed Resolution would allow memorial markers for public streets to reinforce the need for safety.  The markers were standard size, mounted in the right of way with verbiage applicable to the situation, and would remain in place for two years with adjacent property owners consent.  At the end of the two years, staff would remove the marker and return it to the applicant.  In most cases, applicants would fund the markers at approximately $150-$200.  The Public Works Department would process applications and the Street Department would erect the markers.  Memorial markers could go in both residential and commercial districts.
 
City Attorney Dave Lohman suggested removing the word “residential’ from Section 3. Procedure (B).  
 
 Councilor Voisin/Chapman m/s to approve Resolution #2012-01 as amended.  Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed.
 
 
2.   Will Council approve First Reading of an ordinance titled, “An Ordinance Amending AMC 14.08.030 Connection - Outside City, Inside Urban Growth Boundary and Adding AMC 14.09.020 Sewer Lateral Ownership” and move the ordinance on to Second Reading?
Item pulled from the agenda by staff.
 
3.   Will Council approve a resolution titled, “A Resolution Establishing a Reward Fund for Information Resulting in the Apprehension and Conviction of Persons Responsible for the Murder of David Michael Grubbs”?
Police Chief Terry Holderness explained they had received several requests from citizens who wanted to donate to a reward fund.  Initially they were using the Crime Stoppers Reward Fund but soon realized people were reluctant to donate since it was a roll over fund without a refund if someone not eligible to receive the reward solved the case. 
 
City Attorney Dave Lohman suggested changing the language under Section 2. Issuance of Rewards (E) to read: “Unless the City and Jackson County agree otherwise, the County Commission of Jackson County shall be the sole and final judge of the right of any claimant to a reward, PROVIDED HOWEVER, that the Chief of the Ashland Police Department shall prepare recommendations for such reward claims, and rewards shall be determined in accordance with such recommendations in the event the County Commission chooses not to take action on reward claims within 60 days after documentation supporting any such claims have been submitted to the City and the County.”
 
Mr. Lohman went on to confirm that City Councilors were not eligible to receive the reward.
 
Councilor Slattery/Lemhouse m/s to approve Resolution #2012-02 as amended. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed.
                 
OTHER BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS/REPORTS FROM COUNCIL LIAISONS 
Mayor Stromberg recognized Jackson County Commissioner Don Skundrick was in the audience.
 
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m.
 
 
 
_________________________________                  _______________________________
Barbara Christensen, City Recorder                             John Stromberg, Mayor
 
 
                      

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