Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home City Council last week formally voted to postpone discussion of water and sewer rates until early 2016.
The Public Works Committee met two weeks ago and recommended the council hold off further discussion until then when it can also talk about possible changes to the structure of the rates.
Councilors Greg Mahler and Ryan Underwood attended that meeting. The third member of the committee, Councilor Dave Trask, was absent. Councilor Jeff Goodwin, who is not a member of the committee, was also present.
Mahler had explained his concern about adding a rate increase this year when voters will be asked to approve renewal requests for the police and library levies, which include increased tax rates that will, in most cases, not cause an increase in property tax bills. Properties under what is called compression would see bills increase only due to increases in real market value.
The council’s seven members agreed unanimously during their regular meeting on Sept. 8 to hold off on changes to water and sewer rates. Present at the meeting were councilors Marybeth Angulo, Underwood, Mahler, Mayor Jim Gourley, Dave Trask, Bruce Hobbs and Goodwin.
In other business, the council approved 7-0 an informational sheet about the police and library levies.
Under Oregon law, city staff is permitted to provide only factual information about election issues, like the levies.
Citizens often ask about issues like the levies though, said City Manager Craig Martin. “The issue of compression is a good (example). Today, the discussion of compression came up in a Rotary meeting.”
Compression is one of the key issues surrounding local property tax funding for area law enforcement agencies and the library.
The question is, Martin said, how the city staff can respond to it without expressing opinions in support or against the tax measures, which will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot for Sweet Home.
Staff members can look at individual bills and discuss the direct impact of compression on a particular property, but compression is calculated on a property-by-property basis, making it more difficult for staff members to discuss the issue in general.
“It’s a tough issue because it’s so complicated,” Martin said.
Elected officials are allowed to campaign for or against ballot measures, he said.
The fact sheet has been approved by the Oregon Elections Division, he said.
The sheet includes frequently asked questions and answers.
The council also authorized city staff to apply for a Department of Land Conservation and Development Technical Assistant Grant to help pay for preparation of an economic opportunity analysis.
The purpose of the grant program is to complete projects that update and modernize comprehensive plans, land use ordinances, development codes and other planning regulations with high priority given to projects that are directly related to increasing economic development opportunities.
The city is requesting $30,000 of $500,000 earmarked for the program by the state, and the city has budgeted $5,000 in matching funds.
The council also held the first and second readings of an ordinance renewing a franchise agreement between Pacific Power and the city. The council held second readings of ordinances vacating two rights-of-way, fence code revisions, regulation of drinking and smoking in public parks and prohibiting the sale of recreational marijuana in medical marijuana dispensaries.