By Nan Noteboom
For Columbia Gorge News
CASCADE LOCKS — The Cascade Locks City Council meeting on April 27 kicked off with an expression of gratitude for its support from the Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) Board of Directors. The MHCC bond passed and will be used to fund facilities upgrades and modernization for the 60-year-old community college. Cascade Locks is part of the MHCC District.
Resolution postponed
The city’s own funding issues were next on the agenda. The proposed Prepared Food and Beverage Tax, to be levied on the sales of food and beverages sold for immediate consumption, was set to be formalized. Following a wide-ranging discussion, however, the resolution was postponed at the behest of the council, until community listening sessions can be held.
The city’s fire and EMS services are draining the general fund to the tune of $497,000 per year, creating funding shortfalls for basic operations. The proposed 5% tax would free up an estimated $260,000 of those funds, with the new tax dollars going to the fire department. Councilor Tiffany Pruit argued that the tax will not pass because it does not provide any increase in the emergency services budget; it only reduces the funds taken out of the general fund. With both budgets facing shortfalls, others argued that it can be part of a solution.
The resolution was tabled until additional public feedback can be gathered.
Other business
Interim City Administrator Gordon Zimmerman then updated the council on city business. The 2023-24 audit is underway, and two wastewater treatment pumps are being replaced.
Zimmerman explained that a federal grant intended to “create resilience” against wildfire and storm events cannot be used to purchase a refurbished substation due to the tight timeline requirements. He asked the council for permission to research the possibility of using the grant funds to build an indoor storage shop that would provide shelter for the city’s equipment. If that use is “in the spirit of” the original grant, he is hopeful that the funds can still be spent, so the city does not miss out on the funding entirely.
Though Gov. Tina Kotek sent a request for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to help repair the Ruckel Creek landslide to Washington, D.C., and the request was signed, there are some contingencies to using those funds. FEMA funds cannot go to a federal entity, such as the U.S. Forest Service, for one. Second, the repairs must be paid up front, and FEMA will reimburse up to 75%. Zimmerman will follow up with the appropriate officials.
The city moved one step closer to beginning its search for a permanent city administrator, with another review of the recruiting profile provided by Prothman, its contracted recruiting service. Discussion focused on the offer of four 10-hour workdays, with several councilors noting that the job really requires flex time, so that schedule cannot be guaranteed. Pruit again objected to the photos included in the profile, saying that there are “still too many port pictures.” Other councilors countered that the photos reflect the community’s amenities. The offered compensation was left at $90,000-$115,000, with the total compensation package valued at $165,000. The profile was approved with selected edits to be made.
Budget committee
Budget season kicks off on May 6 with training, followed by the first meeting of the budget committee on May 13. Mayor Brenda Wood was grateful for the volunteers appointed to the committee, namely Lauryl Nagode, Colleen Pool, and Mary Payne.
As a reminder, Cascade Locks City Council will meet only once in May, on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m.
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