BINGEN — City council met on Tuesday, May 5, for its regular bi-monthly meeting. During public comment, City Administrator Krista Loney reported that the recent downtown flooding damage was in the hands of its risk management service. The city has already revised its policy to make “potholing” part of its required processes in order to avoid any further incidents.
Tammara Tippel with the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce then gave an update on the citywide clean-up. Thanks to 613 volunteer hours, they collected 506 loads of garbage over two days, including 99 tires and 21 appliances, and the group provided dozens of home pick-ups.
Next, council held a public hearing on revising the city’s animal code, with a particular focus on chickens. As a reminder, dogs living in the city are required to be licensed annually; updated licenses are due by the end of February each year. Bingen’s chicken code saw the most significant updates, with added definitions and clarified regulations. In summary, city residents may own a maximum of six chickens, and roosters are banned.
Chickens at large are prohibited. They may roam one’s own property, but may not roam publicly. Chicken coops must be permitted prior to building, and must provide a minimum of four square feet per chicken. Coop setbacks were eliminated, and the maximum coop size is 300 square feet.
A public hearing was also held to discuss Bingen’s water connection fee. With no increases in years, Loney explained that the fee was out of date and needed an increase. She suggested raising it from $3,100 for a new water connection to $3,416.
This fee, based on a typical residential install, was calculated using the cost of supplies and city labor required to get the connection in place, and was unanimously approved.
Following that, they voted to pay Klickitat County $4,797 per year for adult probation services. Bingen also pays $52,000 per year for jail costs and $29,710 for judge and staff salary and benefits for the West District Court.
Lastly, a resolution affirming the Fourth Amendment rights of all residents was unanimously adopted. Mayor Pro-Tempore Dale Grinstead Mayle had taken the lead on this resolution, which also affirms Bingen as a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community.
The Bingen City Council next meets on Tuesday, May 19 at 6 p.m. at city hall.
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