By Chelly Bouferrache
For The New Era
The Halsey City Council swore in a new member and discussed a variety of financial matters during its June 10 meeting.
Council members interviewed and approved Derek Voyez to fill the empty seat left by Jerry Gillson.
Voyez, a Halsey resident for 19 months, grew up in Sweet Home and is a licensed EMT who has been active with Halsey Fire. He also works in welding and fabrication.
“It seems like a good fit to help out more in the city,” Voyez said.
He was sworn in by the City Administrator Briana Parra-Olkowski during the meeting.
The council also gave final approval to a $4,290,943 city budget for 2025-26.
State Shared Revenue Allocation
The council held a public hearing and on the proposed use of $11,000 in estimated state shared revenue for the 2025-26 fiscal year. With no public input, the council approved allocations to the General Fund, Park Fund, and Library Fund. Funds will support:
- City Hall Improvements: $1,000
- Park Materials & Supplies: $1,000
- Park Maintenance: $1,200
- Public Trees: $1,200
- Park Improvements: $1,600
- Library Construction (Shelves & Pollinator Garden): $1,600
- Library Events & Fundraising: $1,250
- Books: $2,150
Utility Rate Increases Approved
A second public hearing focused on proposed utility rate increases for water and sewer services, driven by a 2.5% rise in the Western Region Consumer Price Index and rising utility material and contract costs. No public comments were received. The approved increases, effective for the 2025-26 fiscal year, include:
- Water:
- Tier 1 (0–3,000 gallons): $1.00
- Tier 2 (3,001–6,000 gallons): $0.03 per 1,000 gallons
- Tier 3 (6,001–9,000 gallons): $0.05 per 1,000 gallons
- Tier 4 (9,001–16,000 gallons): $0.05 per 1,000 gallons
- Tier 5 (16,001+ gallons): $0.10 per 1,000 gallons
- Sewer:
- Residential: $1.00 per use tier
- Commercial: $2.50 for base tier (1–2 fixtures)
City officials cited ongoing water and sewer infrastructure projects, including a new municipal well, treatment facility upgrades, and sewer line repairs to address stormwater inflow and infiltration. Small annual increases were favored over larger, sporadic hikes to ease the burden on households, aligning with recommendations from the Rural Community Assistance Corporation and Business Oregon. Reserves are being bolstered to support these projects and avoid emergency rate hikes.
Sheriff’s Office Report
Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan delivered the monthly Sheriff’s report, noting 39 investigated complaints, traffic citations, and warnings but no reported crimes in Halsey.
The sheriff’s office is in the process of hiring nine patrol deputies with Duncan noting “We are doing a lot of hiring. We used to get 60 to 100 applicants and now we get six. It’s starting to slowly increase and we are getting better applicants so I am hopeful for the trend that we are seeing.”
Duncan said that they are in the middle of labor negotiations that will affect the cost per deputy that the cities incur.
“We have passed some, but not all of that on to the cities. We are passing on an 8 percent increase that is actually quite a bit less than what we are going to incur” Duncan continued “We are trying to give the cities the best deal that we can, because I believe this is a mutual relationship.”
The Sheriff’s Office is also adding 22 additional beds for its female wing, a significant expansion, she reported.
City Administrator Updates
Parra-Olkowski provided updates on several initiatives:
- Park Project: A contractor has been selected for a path replacement project, set to begin in September to minimize park disruption. The four-week project will enable bench and trash can installations, tree planting, and outdoor exercise equipment setup. Playground equipment, basketball court resurfacing, and new hoops will be completed beforehand, with full project completion by early October.
- I&I Project: The city is exploring options for the inflow and infiltration project after the engineer, Devco, reported limited capacity. The project may not require additional engineering, focusing on patching and lining existing sewer lines.
- Georgia Pacific Donation: The Halsey City Library received a $500 donation from Georgia Pacific, a supporter since 2015.
- City-Wide Garage Sale: The June 7 event saw nearly 25 registered participants, deemed a success by Parra-Olkowski.
- Party in the Park: A June 7 event promoted the library’s Summer Reading Program, with six pre-registrations and positive feedback. Librarian Caitlyn was praised for her efforts.
- Summer Reading Program: The free program, starting July 12, features events like Lego derby car races and a magician. Registration is available at City Hall, the library, or online.
- Ordinance Enforcement: From May 14 to September 30, the city enforces codes on noxious weeds and right-of-way storage, including inoperable vehicles. Staff are making courtesy calls and sending letters to ensure compliance without fines.
Parra-Olkowski also attended a Coos Bay workshop for funding opportunities to explore grants and loans for infrastructure and meet with state officials “It was frankly the best workshop I have ever been to” Parra-Olkowski continued “The people that were present at this were all the people when we are going for funding for these things that hold the money to all the state revolving funds.”
Community Engagement, Events
Mayor Jerry Lachenbruch discussed challenges with obtaining federal funding/grants, noting disruptions from DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), with Lachenbruch noting, “ DOGE has done quite a bit of damage and at this point there’s been no written reports coming out.” He also attended a town hall in Albany with a roundtable sponsored by Congresswoman Janelle Bynum in order to hear from mayors in her district. Lachenbruch said “We told her things we are seeing locally that she can take back to D.C.and hopefully reenergize, affect funding.”
Upcoming events include a food drive for Sharing Hands throughout June, a Library Committee meeting on June 19, and City Hall closure on July 4.