THE DALLES — With limited action items and sparse public attendance, The Dalles City Council meeting on March 9 wrapped up after an hour and a half — its shortest since last June. The meeting began with a proclamation in support of The Dalles Stand Down, an annual event that provides local veterans with essential services such as food, clothing, and health screenings, scheduled for May 16 at Lewis and Clark Park.
Next, The Dalles Economic Development Director Jake Anderson delivered a presentation on the city’s Brownfield Revitalization program, which uses federal grant funds to pay for environmental site assessments. This helps older properties identify and address contamination, enabling them to be sold or redeveloped. According to Anderson, the program is already over halfway to the grant’s goals, is spending less than expected, and can accommodate more assessments. Councilors were supportive and appreciative, asking clarifying questions about whether property owners have to pay anything back (they do not).
During the audience participation portion of the evening, Chuck Gomez, owner of the Granada Theatre and member of The Dalles’ Beautification Committee, noted reports of increased rodent populations downtown and proposed an environmentally conscious solution: install 30-50 owl boxes in trees/rooftops instead of relying on poisons. He also highlighted the success of the Trevitt Triangle project and the committee’s plans to implement similar landscaping at the Lewis and Clark Park roundabout.
Dr. Erin Willis, a local naturopathic physician and founder of the Hood River-based international healthcare outreach program ParticipAid, raised concerns about recent negative press that has been hampering The Dalles’ reputation on social media.
Over the last two months, the city has faced intense public scrutiny for its push to expand water reservoir capacity in the Mount Hood National Forest — scrutiny propelled by Oregon Public Broadcasting’s (OPB) Jan. 15 article investigating whether its motivations are tied to cooling Google data centers (see related story on A1).
The hot-button issue came to a head at the council’s Jan. 26 meeting, where Mayor Rich Mays and retired public works director Dave Anderson denied Google’s involvement and fervently rebuked OPB’s report and subsequent follow-up, as reported by Columbia Gorge News.
Willis recited a viral Instagram post from Portland-based organization Bark, a non-profit dedicated to defending and restoring the national forest, which further questioned the city’s transparency on the matter. She then asked the city to fact-check these claims and suggested that it respond on social media to posts of this sort, as many locals are sharing and believing them. “As Google continues to grow here, I am interested in learning more,” Willis said, before proposing the idea of a city-organized committee or public forum to discuss Google’s role in The Dalles.
Mays called the post an “inaccurate diatribe” and thanked Willis for raising her questions. Councilor Dan Richardson said it would be “fascinating” to have a public “Google 101” meeting to help clear confusion and debunk inaccuracies. “My tongue is sore from being bitten over that post,” he said.
In his report, City Manager Matthew Klebes shared that The Dalles has prepared a FAQ page correcting current public claims and a map demonstrating proposed acreage expansion.
The final item of the night was an ordinance amending the city’s transient lodging tax (TLT) code to allow it to be administered by the Oregon Department of Revenue (DOR) and align with recent state law changes. The ordinance does not change the 8% TLT rate; rather, it updates the code to give the city the option to have DOR handle return processing, enforcement, collections, audits, and appeals through the Oregon Tax Court, rather than local processes.
The council adopted the ordinance as amended but did not approve an intergovernmental agreement with DOR; that decision will come later, after further analysis of impacts, particularly on small businesses.
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