City Council recap of 08/03/2015 meeting

The West Linn City Council met in a special meeting and then in a work session on Aug. 3.

Ordinance

The first item on the agenda was an ordinance amend the city’s zoning map to remove a property on 14th Street from the Willamette Historic Overlay District and adding a historic resource map to Chapter 25 of the Community Development Code.

At the council’s last meeting, they approved the findings to remove the property from the district.

The council is expected to vote whether to approve the ordinance at its Aug. 10 meeting.

Franchise Agreement

Soon, residents of West Linn may have yet another choice in who they choose for cable.

A representative from Metropolitan Area Communications Commission (MACC) was present at the city council meeting to discuss two franchise agreements that are on the council’s Aug. 10 agenda for approval. MACC is a centralized agency that prepares, negotiates and administers cable television franchises in the region.

The two franchise agreements include granting Qwest Broadband (CenturyLink) a new agreement to provide cable television services within the city, as well as renewing an existing agreement with Comcast.

If granted, residents in West Linn will be able to choose from an additional cable television service provider. The CenturyLink franchise provides incentives to the company to expand its service throughout the region.

The 5 percent franchise fee paid by Comcast alone provides about $6.5 million to all MACC jurisdictions each year. CenturyLink will also be paying a 5 percent franchise fee.

The council will vote on the franchise agreements at its next regular meeting. If adopted, CenturyLink will begin service later this year in some small portions of the franchised jurisdictions (West Linn, Lake Oswego, North Plains, Tigard and unincorporated Washington County) and has plans to start service in other areas in the near future.

What is the benefit of a land-line cable provider versus satellite? Land-line providers like Comcast and CenturyLink provide funding to the city, whereas alternatives like Dish and DirecTV do not.

Economic Development

One of the city council’s goals this year is economic development. As part of that goal, the council directed staff to retain a focus group consultant to query the needs of the four business districts in West Linn, conduct focus groups and report back to the council.

The study conducted by Research 13 was designed to help the city understand business needs in order to create more vibrant business districts.

In all 53 local businesses were interviewed. Not surprisingly, the study found businesses’ biggest goals are sales, branding and messaging.

The student also found that business awareness of key city issues is low. Most people were unware of city economic development efforts, unaware of city and private resources and even unaware of other businesses like themselves in the area.

Businesses did make a few requests, like promoting West Linn businesses, offering help or space to struggling businesses, having easier terms for startups, offering lower rent and provide classes on how to work with the city.

Parking also came up as a concern among businesses, whether on the street, at city events or parking lots.

One recommendation to come out of the study is to create a central business district near the area of Highway 43 and the Arch Bridge, as well as adding a hotel.

Water Rate Recommendation

The city council also deliberated whether to place a measure on the November ballot to increase water rates. Any utility rate increase greater than 5 percent must be approved by voters.

In December 2014, the Utility Advisory Board recommended that a one-time rate increase of 18 percent (which is equal to $3.68 for approximately half of all residents) will provide adequate funding to make needed repairs to the city's aging water system.

The council agreed that improvement projects were important and a rate increase was warranted. However, they felt there was not enough time between now and November to prepare for the ballot measure.

The council deferred the topic back to the UAB and will revisit it later for consideration on the May ballot.

City Attorney Services

The position of the assistant city attorney also was discussed. Mayor Russ Axelrod and Councilor Brenda Perry expressed concerns over the position and who oversees the position. Currently, the council oversees two positions, the city manager and the city attorney. The position of the assistant city attorney falls under the city manager.

Axelrod and Perry questioned whether the position should also be under the council’s oversight instead, citing issues with the city council and planning commission and land use items.

After discussion the councilors agreed to look into how other cities are organized and have staff conduct a financial comparison of using an in-house attorney or a contracted attorney or a combination of both.

Political Endorsements

Axelrod asked the council to consider directing the city attorney to provide an analysis of political endorsements by citizen advisory group members and to explore options for establishing a city policy.

He asked to have legal counsel craft guidelines to clarify where titles can and cannot be used and the penalties associated with it.

Councilor Jenni Tan stated that the Oregon Secretary of State already weighed in on the issue and that the city should follow its ruling.

The city council will continue discussion on the topic at its Aug. 10 meeting.

Agenda Review

The council then reviewed the agenda for the following week’s meeting.

***

The city council next meets on Monday, Aug. 10, at 6:30 p.m.