--- date: "2024-05-08" title: "Council Meeting Minutes 2024-05-08" source: "2024-05-08-minutes-council-monthly.pdf" --- 1. 2. 3. 4. City of Prairie City Council Meeting May 8, 2024 5. Attendance 6. Mayor Clark 7. Councilor McClung 8. Councilor Bradford 9. Councilor Gangler 10. Councilor Shaw 11. Councilor Reagan 12. Chris Camarena, Public Works Director 13. Shonalie Oakes, City Recorder 14. Jennifer Kingsford, City Clerk 15. Rob Gaslin, City’s CPA 16. Visitors: 17. Joe Hitz, Engineer 18. Smith 19. Nancy Hitz 20. Georgia Patterson 21. Steve Patterson 22. Sue Maloney 23. Chuck Scoupa 24. Dusty Williams 25. Mrs. Williams 26. Mayor Clark called the meeting to order, at 6:01 pm, the pledge of allegiance was recited, 27. and roll call taken. 28. Minutes : The minutes of the April 10, 2024, city council meeting were considered. MSP: To 29. approve the minutes of April 10, 2024, city council meeting. Councilor 30. McClung/Gangler 31. Mayor Ed Clark welcomed all the visitors attending the meeting, and invited people to 32. Sign the speaker’s roster should they have any questions and wish to speak. 33. Hope 4 Paws: Hope 4 Paws was given the floor to speak about their cause and fundraising 34. goals, they explained that Grant County has no animal shelter and the importance of each 35. City contributing to Hope 4 Paws so that the organization may continue in their role helping 36. with animal control. They have challenged every city in the county to contribute $1 for every 37. member that resides in their City’s population. Councilor Reagan moved that the City round 38. up its donation to $1000. MSP: To approve donating $1000.00 to Hope 4 Paws. Councilor 39. Bradford/ Reagan 40. Dusty Williams: Dusty Williams is building a new home on his property and is requesting a 41. special use permit to live in his RV while his home is being constructed. He has not yet 42. received a building permit. Mayor Clark said that once he has received his building permit, 43. that he may return and request for the special use permit then. 44. Economic Development: Chuck Scoupa from Russel’s Meat processing company 45. Presented his business ideas for beginning a USDA meat processing plant here in Prairie 46. City. He is interested in purchasing some of the City’s industrial property to place his 47. Business, requesting the City sell him 8 acres of ground to operate on. Mr. Scoupa said 48. eventually he would like to mimic his business along the lines of 49. “The Meating Place” located in Hillsboro, OR. He invited the council to look it up to get an 50. Idea of what he has in mind. The council had a diagram of the industrial composter with 51. information on how it works. Mr. Scoupa answered questions and walked the council 52. through their packets providing additional clarification. Councilor Reagan thought a meat 53. processing plant would be a great fit for Prairie City, and provide the community with much 54. needed jobs. Councilor Bradford also believes this type of business would benefit more 55. than just residents of Prairie City, but Grant County as a whole. Councilor Bradford 56. suggested the City Council and Public Works Director, Chris Camarena, take a field trip out 57. to the City’s industrial property so that Camarena may provide his guidance and 58. recommendations for mapping out the lots, taking into consideration the City’s main lines, 59. and layout for future development and point out where he will want the City’s new lift 60. station to be. Mr. Scoupa conveyed that a meeting with DEQ, himself and Public Works 61. needed to be scheduled so that he would know the necessary steps to be compliant with 62. DEQ’s requirements, for his waste streams to tie into the City’s system. MSP: To move 63. forward with the legal process of selling 8 acres of industrial property for the USDA 64. meat processing facility. If the business deems the property buildable for its needs and 65. the business would be able to meet the City’s waste stream requirements mandated 66. by DEQ, the City agrees to follow ORS 221.725 process for the sale of real property. 67. Councilor Bradford/Reagan. All present agree. 68. City Vision: Mayor Clark asked the City Council where they see Prairie City headed? What 69. does the future look like to you? What are some things you would like to see in Prairie City? 70. What does development look like? Mayor Clark said that he would like input from the 71. community, and believes the City needs a master plan. He asked for City Council’s 72. permission to allow Catalyst to apply the City for a grant that would pay for the OPRD 73. master plan mapping out the vision of what the City Council and community want for Prairie 74. City. It will only cost the City a flat rate of $500.00 for Catalyst to write the grant. If the City is 75. awarded the grant it would involve lots of town hall meetings with the public to hear their 76. ideas, and gather feedback from the community, to put together the Master Plan that will 77. outline the people’s vision for their city. MSP: To approve the proposal presented by 78. Catalyst Public Policy Advisors in applying the City for the OPRD master plan grant. 79. Councilor Reagan/Bradford. All present agree. 80. Comp time paydown: Rob Gaslin, the City’s CPA has been concerned about the liability to 81. the City from the comp time accrual. Mayor Clark suggested that the City switch to paying 82. straight overtime and doing away with comp time accrual. All councilors agreed the City 83. needs to move forward with the CPA’s recommendation and switch our system from comp 84. time accrual to paid overtime. 85. Payables: Rob Gaslin, the City’s CPA, read aloud the appropriations review, also 86. announcing that the funds from the CDBG grant came through and that the City now has 1.8 87. million in the LGIP savings account earning interest at 5.2%. Mr. Gaslin also suggested the 88. Council raise Depot Park’s rates to cover the rising utility costs. The Council then reviewed 89. the check detail. To ratify payment of the bills. MSP: To pay the bills. Councilor 90. McClung/Shaw. 91. Public Works Report: Engineer Joe Hitz explained to the Council that there is a leaky 92. waterline on McCallum that is in desperate need of being replaced. Public Works Director 93. Chris Camarena requested permission to go to bid to install the pipe, explaining that the 94. road will need to be repaired. The estimated cost is about $60,000.00. MSP: To approve 95. going to bid for replacing the McCallum waterline and to authorize Mayor Clark to sign 96. off on the contract. Councilor McClung/Bradford All approved 97. Adjourn: Mayor Clark adjourned the regular council meeting at 7:42 pm. MSP: To adjourn 98. the City Council Meeting. Councilor Gangler/McClung 99. 100. mayor. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. Approved by the City Council this 12th day of June, 2024, and signed by the Ed Clark, Mayor Attested: Shonalie Oakes, City Recorder