---
date: "2019-02-13"
title: "Council Meeting Minutes 2019-02-13"
source: "2019-02-13-minutes-council-monthly.pdf"
---

City of Prairie City
Council Meeting
         February 13, 2019

1. Attendance
2. Mayor Jim Hamsher
3. Councilor Georgia Patterson
4. Councilor Tisha Packard
5. Councilor Joe Phippen
6. Councilor Frank Primozic
7. Councilor Scott Officer
8. Councilor Chase McClung
9.
10. Visitors
11. Carlos Bortell
12. Anna Bass, Solutions CPA
13. Dan Becker
14. Taci Philbrook
15. Chris Camarena, PW Director
16. Marin Rynearson
17. Christine Coyne
18. Ingo Wedde
19. Loreli Clapp
20.
21.
22. Mayor Hamsher opened the regular council meeting at 6:00pm and roll call was taken.
23.
24. Mayor Hamsher made a correction to executive session ORS number 192.600(2)(i) to 192.660(2)(i).
25.
26. The minutes of January 9, 2019 council meeting were considered. MSP: To
27. approve the minutes of January 9, 2019 council meeting. Councilor Primozic/Councilor Officer.
28. All members voted in favor.
29.
30. Fire Report
31. Mayor Hamsher called on Fire Chief Marvin Rynearson who reported he ordered 4 SCA bottles for the
32. Fire Department. The City is responsible for purchasing two bottles and the Rural District will be
33. responsible for purchasing the other two. Marvin said that the council at the time agreed to help with
34. costs, and the cost to the City will be $1,000.00. Marvin also said that he will need new turnouts for this
35. year which will cost $1,500.00.
36.
37.Public Works Report
38. Mayor Hamsher called on Public Works Director Chris Camarena who had an update on the Wastewater
39. Project. He said that the project had slowed down due to the shutdown of the government, but they are
40. back on track and starting work on the 21st of February down at the City Shops. Chris reported that
41. everything is working well and the construction crew has been working all throughout Prairie City. They
42. will be working around 6th Street, South Bridge Street, and Washington Street. Mayor Hamsher asked to
43. make residents aware that there is construction work in their neighborhoods and that they know we are
44. doing work around their property’s.
45.

46.Payables:
47. To ratify the payment of bills. MSP: To pay the bills. Councilor Phippen/Councilor Packard. All
48. members voted in favor.
49.
50. Ordinance/Resolutions
51. Dale Mosier vacation, Ordinance 2019-02: An Ordinance of the City of Prairie vacating that portion of
52. Metschan Avenue south of the south right of way line of Fourth Street and north of the northernly right of way
53. line of line U.S. Highway 26; and vacating a portion of the alley lying south of the Block 17 and north of Block E
54. from Metschan Avenue west to the city limits.
55. MSP: To adopt Ordinance 2019-02 in its entirety. Councilor Officer/Councilor Phippen.
56. All members voted in favor.
57.
58. Executive Session:
59. Mayor Hamsher announced at 6:09pm that the City Council will now meet in an executive session
60. regarding: ORS 192.660(2)– To consider the employment of a public officer, employee, staff member, or
61. individual agent, if it has satisfied certain prerequisites, and ORS 192.660(2)(i) – To review and evaluate the job
62. performance of a chief executive officer, other officers, employees, and staff, if the person whose performance is
63. being reviewed and evaluated does not request an “open hearing.”
64. Mayor Hamsher read aloud a script and asked the general public to leave the council chambers.
65.
66. At 6:21pm Mayor Hamsher invited the general public back into the council chambers and proceeded
67. with the regular scheduled council meeting.
68.
69. MSP: To hire Tina Willet for the City Clerk/Deputy Recorder position with the City of Prairie
70. City, and set her wage at $14.50 and $15.00 after her probation period. Councilor
71. McClung/Councilor Phippen. All members voted in favor.
72.
73. MSP: To approve Jake Ellson, Public Works Maintenance Worker I and Tom Gangler, Public
74. Works Supervisor Maintenance Worker II for permanent employment with the City of Prairie
75. City, and setting Tom Gangler’s wage at $18.50 and Jake Ellson’s wage at $15.90. MSP: Councilor
76. Patterson/Councilor Officer. All members voted in favor.
77.
78. Mayor Hamsher explained to the audience how the City went through the hiring process for the City
79. Clerk position. He said that all personal information on the applications identifying the applicant is
80. redacted and the applications are lettered A, B, C etc. The council members come in individually on
81. their own time to mark whether or not to move those candidates to an interview. The candidates with the
82. most marks are moved forward to do an interview and the candidates that are not moved to an interview
83. are sent a letter stating they were not chosen to move on to an interview for the City Clerk position.
84.
85.  Other Business:
86. Mayor Hamsher moved to approve Anna Bass as the Budget Officer for the City of Prairie City.
87. MSP: To approve Anna Bass from Solutions, CPA to be the 2019-2020 Budget Officer. Councilor
88. Primozic/Councilor Patterson. All members voted in favor.
89.
90. A special meeting was set for Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 6.pm. to further discuss and approve the
91. amendment to the Faiman Water Project engineering agreement.
92. Councilor Patterson asked if the property owner proposals were ready for the council to look over.
93. Mayor Hamsher said that he hasn’t received them from their attorney’s yet, but as soon as he does, he
94. will bring it to the council to discuss.
95.
96. Councilor Georgia Patterson asked to have Anderson, Perry and Associates come to Prairie City to
97. explain the Faiman Well project. To save money, Mayor Hamsher suggested that they have a telephone
98. conference if necessary, with Dave Wildman from Anderson, Perry and Associates to explain the project

99. outline, and he said that the council members could come to City hall to
100. read the preliminary engineering report to get a better understanding of the project if needed.
101.
102. Mayor Hamsher said that the Cell Tower Agreement is done and ready for approval at the next
103. meeting.
104.
105. Anna Bass asked if she could hold a work session to go over the budget with the council. Mayor
106. Hamsher said that he will look into it and get back to her. He said that they could set it for after the
107. special meeting on February 20, 2019.
108.
109.
110.
111. Mayor Hamsher adjourned the regular council meeting at 6:46pm.
112.
113.
114.
115. Attested:  ________________________________
116.                      Bobbie Brown, City Recorder
117.
118.
119.
120. Approved by the City Council this ___ day of ____, 2019
121. and signed by the Mayor:
122.
123.
124.                   _______________________________

                                   Jim Hamsher, Mayor