City Manager's Newsletter - November 6, 2009

City of Bandon

CITY MANAGER’S NEWSLETTER

November 6, 2009



This newsletter is an informal report by City Manager Matt Winkel on the news, issues, and other items of interest from the City of Bandon. It will normally be posted once each month (on the Friday following the City Council meeting) on the City’s WEB Page at www.ci.bandon.or.us, and will be e-mailed directly to all subscribers. Subscribers will also receive copies of City Council, Planning Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, Committee for Citizen Involvement, and Water Resource Committee agendas via e-mail in advance of each meeting.



To subscribe or un-subscribe, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please e-mail to citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us. Your e-mail addresses will be kept confidential and not distributed or used for any purposes other than e-mail communications with the City of Bandon.



FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE



* Police Levy Is Narrowly Defeated
* Gazebo Park Construction Delayed
* Bid Awarded For Installing The Wastewater Plant Ultra-Violet Disinfection System
* City Council Makes No Revisions To The Truck Route Regulations
* Good Earth Community Garden Update
* Linda’s Church Joke



POLICE LEVY IS NARROWLY DEFEATED



By a margin of only 31 votes (462 Yes to 493 No), the proposed police levy was defeated by Bandon voters at the November 3rd election. A total of 955 ballots were cast, representing a voter turnout of 55.56 % of the 1,719 registered voters. The purpose of the proposed levy was to generate sufficient funds to pay all of the costs associated with two police officers for five years, beginning next fiscal year (July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011). In combination with four officers funded out of the remaining General Fund resources, this would ensure a total force of at least 6 full-time police officers.



City staff will be moving the normal schedule for beginning next fiscal year’s budget preparations forward into January, after the December books have been closed. That will allow us to begin preparing for the potential impacts of budget shortfalls on the level of police protection.



The City Council could also consider placing the matter back before the voters at an upcoming election, such as the May 18, 2011 election. Another option would be to place an increase in the transient occupancy tax (TOT) on an upcoming ballot to at least provide part of the money needed for police protection. That tax is currently 6%, and is charged on overnight lodging in motels, vacation rentals, RV parks, and bed & breakfasts. In accordance with State statutes, the City could utilize up to 30% of the proceeds of an increased tax to subsidize the Police Department, with the remainder used for additional tourism promotion. The matter of Police Department funding will be placed on the December 7th City Council meeting agenda for discussion.



GAZEBO PARK CONSTRUCTION DELAYED



The current fiscal year 2009-2010 budget includes $20,000.00 in the Parks & Recreation Development Fund and $19,400.00 in the Community Beautification Fund for completing the Gazebo Park, which has been proposed to be located in the triangular shaped parcel along Highway 101, immediately north of City Hall. $18,610.00 from the fiscal year 2008-2009 Beautification Fund budget was initially utilized to purchase the gazebo, and it was delivered to Bandon in April. It is shrink-wrapped for storage, and the supplier Amish Country Gazebo Company assured the City that it “can be stored for a lengthy amount of time.” Remaining work will involve assembling the gazebo; installing concrete pad and pathways; grading; installing an irrigation system and planting grass; expanding the parking lot; and installing benches, trash receptacles, bicycle racks; and lighting. Commitments have also been secured from various contractors, businesses, and individuals to donate time and/or materials to the project.



At their November 2nd meeting, the City Council reviewed the proposal to decide whether to proceed, delay, or cancel the Gazebo Park project. Representatives from the Beautification Committee attended the meeting to support the project, although it is not currently a high priority project for the Parks & Recreation Commission. The Council reconsidered whether this was a good location for the gazebo in light of the wind, noise, and traffic safety issues, and whether this was the appropriate time to spend money to construct the new park in light of current economic conditions and the negative reaction from some of the public to the recent “Welcome to Bandon” sign installation at Seabird Drive. The issue of maintenance costs was also raised, since it is projected that it would add around $250 per month to the City Hall landscaping maintenance contract, plus the cost of water, electricity, and time and materials for emptying trash cans and other maintenance activities.



After discussing the proposal, the City Council decided to delay construction of the Gazebo Park until at least fiscal year 2010-2011, retain the funds currently budgeted for the Gazebo Park at least until the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget is prepared and adopted, and keep the gazebo in storage until a decision can be made regarding its final disposition.



BID AWARDED FOR INSTALLING THE WASTEWATER PLANT ULTRA-VIOLET DISINFECTION SYSTEM



In June, 2007, the City entered into a Mutual Agreement and Order (MAO) with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) under which the City was to upgrade the ultra-violet (UV) disinfection system at the wastewater treatment plant to comply with more stringent DEQ discharge permit requirements. The initial deadline for completion was May 2009, but the City was granted a time extension since additional efforts by the wastewater plant crew have allowed us to meet the discharge requirements.



It was anticipated that the project completion would cross over two fiscal years, and was budgeted accordingly, with a portion of the equipment purchase taking place in FY 2008-2009 and the remainder of the equipment purchase and its installation in FY 2009-2010. The equipment is now scheduled to arrive by the end of November. The City bid the equipment purchase on three occasions. The first successful bidder was unable to meet the bonding requirements. Both bids received during the second bidding were determined to be non-responsive, since the City’s existing UV channels are not a standard width (the original provider has since gone out of business), and neither manufacturer was willing to customize their system. The City then entered into negotiations with Spectral Innovations Ltd., who were willing to make a custom unit, the price of which is less than the previous low bid. In March 2009, the City Council approved an agreement with Spectral Innovations Ltd. to furnish the equipment.



At their November 2nd meeting, the City Council reviewed two bids submitted for installing the equipment, and awarded the contract to Kyle Electric, the lowest responsive proposer, in the amount of $30,730, which was less than the City Engineer’s estimate of $34,500. Including equipment purchase, engineering, and installation, the total project cost is $276,735, with funding coming from the Sewer Fund, Sewer Reserve Fund, and Sewer System Development Charges (SDCs).



CITY COUNCIL MAKES NO REVISIONS TO THE TRUCK ROUTE REGULATIONS



At their November 2nd meeting, the City Council again discussed matter of heavy trucks parked in residential neighborhoods, which had been held over from the October 13th meeting. The matter being considered was whether to amend the truck route regulations to prohibit semi-trucks from parking in residential neighborhoods. If they were prohibited, they would have to park in appropriate commercial and industrial zones, including such locations as the parking lot south of 3rd Street (adjacent to the site of the former Bandon Cheese Factory) which is leased from Tillamook Cheese. The existing truck route regulations contain an exemption which allows owners of semi-trucks to park their vehicles without trailers at their residences, provided they do not idle more than 5 minutes before leaving or after arriving.



A number of local commercial truck operators and citizens attended the meeting to voice their opposition to changing the existing regulations. After listening to discussion and testimony on both sides of the issue, by a vote of 4-2 the City Council defeated a motion which would have eliminated the current exemption which allows semi-trucks to be parked at the owner’s residence in residential zones. Councilors Claassen and Drew voted in favor of the motion, with Councilors Hundhausen, Procetto, Tiffany, and Vick opposed.



GOOD EARTH COMMUNITY GARDEN UPDATE



The Good Earth Community Garden is in the process of completing construction of Phase I. The plan is to have beds, guidelines, and a garden manager in place for the public in the Spring. It will be advertised when beds are available, and they will be issued on a first come, first served basis to anyone in the community.



The South Coast Community Garden Association (SCCGA) is seeking nominations to the Board for terms which begin in January. The SCCGA is encouraging folks to get involved. “You don’t have to be a gardener to participate in feeding and gardening education of the community!” Twenty four people attended a free, public soil building workshop in October sponsored by Good Earth, and the next free garden class will be held on November 14th. For additional information, or to make donations, please contact Buck Rogers, Good Earth, P.O. Box 1155, Bandon, OR 97411, telephone 541-347-2187.


LINDA’S CHURCH JOKE

Linda was obviously thinking about Thanksgiving with the plethora of jokes she came up with this week:

What did the turkey say before it was roasted?
Boy! I'm stuffed!

Why did the police arrest the turkey?
They suspected it of fowl play!

Why did they let the turkey join the band?
Because he had the drumsticks!

Why can't you take a turkey to church?
Because they use such fowl language!

And my personal favorite:

Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
The outside!

That got Sarah in the mood, so she chimed in with this Thanksgiving poem:



May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!



HA! HA! Ha! HO! Ho! HA! Ha! ha! ha! ha!

ANYTHING ELSE?


Do you have any questions, input, or suggestions? Are there any topics you want addressed or covered in the Newsletter? If so, please let me know at citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us. For more complex questions or issues that may take significant discussion, please feel free to contact me by telephone at (541) 347-2437, voice mail ext. 229, so we can schedule an appointment.

Also, remember to visit the City of Bandon WEB page at www.ci.bandon.or.us, where you can get more information on this wonderful place in which we live.

That’s it for now. Happy Thanksgiving!



Matt Winkel

City Manager