CASCADE LOCKS — The Cascade Locks City Council held its regular meeting on Feb. 9, the first under the guidance of Interim City Administrator Gordon Zimmerman. The council continues to battle technical difficulties as no Zoom link was available for the public, the meeting was not live streamed on YouTube as is stated practice, and no recording was made. City officials explained that a new system was being used and it failed to work, and written minutes will be posted at a later date.
The faces on the Cascade City Council continue to change. Eric Keller resigned from the council several months ago, and two residents submitted applications for his seat. Applicant Shirelle Price was appointed to fill Keller’s seat. Marianne Bump has resigned from the council as well, in order to serve as Interim City Financial Officer; Bump’s letter of resignation has not yet been made public, and city officials did not provide a date.
Bump cannot be a contracted employee for the city and on the council simultaneously, necessitating her resignation. City officials declined to explain the absence of former CFO Chantia Clarke, with Zimmerman stating, “All we can legally say is that we cannot discuss personnel issues in public to protect the rights of our employees.”
Former Cascade Locks Mayor Tom Cramblett was appointed to fill Bump’s vacated seat until Dec. 31, at which time Bump is expected to return to the council.
Kathy Woosley’s job title has shifted from city recorder to administrative services director, and Alan Fox was approved for hire as the city’s general line foreman.
In summary: Zimmerman is interim city administrator; Woosley is city administrative services director; and Bump is interim finance director. Mayor Brenda Wood continues in her role, and the city council is comprised of Pete Happy (chair), Tiffany Pruit, Courtnee Keilman, Bernard Seeger, Price, and Cramblett.
More new faces
The Tourism Committee also features two new faces. The council approved the appointment of Mary Taylor to serve on the committee. Annie Van Domelen was also approved as the hire for interim tourism committee support. The city council approved the committee’s Request for Proposal for a permanent tourism support staffer.
With ongoing permanent vacancies, the council discussed the options for recruiting a permanent city administrator. One recruiting company, Jensen Strategies, was dismissed as too expensive, and the council asked for further information on Prothman, a local-government recruiting service. The decision was tabled until a future meeting.
Admin report
Finally, Zimmerman gave a report on various city issues. The 2022-23 audit is in progress. The audit has revealed $69,000 of “missing” funds, which Zimmerman, Bump, and the auditors are still investigating. The city also lacks a Public Works and Electric Inventory for the time period, which is required. Zimmerman asked the council if they wanted to move forward, accepting the two errors as “exceptions.” The minutes did not explain what they decided, but the city administrator did say that, “We are working with the auditors to see what we have to do to move forward. More information will be forthcoming when we get the audit report,” which suggests that they are still working on finding the funds.
Zimmerman also provided updates, starting with his overwatch of the Public Power Council and Oregon Municipal Electric Utilities policies regarding the potential removal of the Snake River dams. He and Mayor Wood will attend the League of Oregon Cities Conference this spring. The improvements to Mary Street will be completed by April, and the city has a grant to improve Venture, Sunset, and Wheeler streets. The city’s substation has a grant in motion, and is looking at bids to improve that bit of infrastructure. The Wastewater Treatment Plant has four pumps out of service,so staff is researching the repairs and improvements needed. Zimmerman also reminded the council of the timeline for its November ballot measure, which will ask for a 7% sales tax on prepared food and beverage.
Looking ahead
The next Cascade Locks City Council meeting is set for Monday, February 23 at 7 p.m. at city hall. Zimmerman is hopeful that, “we [will] have solved the technical issues with our broadcasts.” The public may attend city council meetings in person; they are livestreamed on YouTube, with the link to the livestream posted on the city hall website and in the meeting agenda; and a Zoom link is usually included on the agenda for folks who want to make public comment virtually.
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