At the July 10 meeting of the Lebanon City Council, several topics were discussed, including projects, psilocybin ordinances, legislative policy voting, union contracts and departmental reports, among other things.
The Lebanon Downtown Association presented updates about their work lately, including their merchant cleanup day, where they used eight donated/loaned pressure washers to pressure wash streets downtown – they made it through all of the sidestreets and four blocks of Main Street.
The first Movies in the Park event was canceled due to the heat during that weekend, per the LDA, but they plan to have vendors including art, food, a beer garden and more. They also have a bike art project in the works, utilizing bikes donated by the police. As for other arts projects, there are new artboards being placed as well as two new murals.
First Fridays started on July 5 with the theme Red, White and Boozy, and the next will be Eating and Drinking Around the World on Aug. 2; Wine Walks are seeing participation for more vineyards this year than last, and the LDA is exploring options for redoing the totem pole.
Kelly Hart, community development director, spoke on Lebanon’s rent burdened community status, which has been removed, though there’s still a “long way to go.” In 2019, 35.6% of Lebanon households met rent burdened qualifications and, according to Hart, those numbers have been lowered to 22.3%, which is the greatest and fastest drop in the state.
“We have some good things on the horizon,” Hart said. “I think that is something that the city needs to champion, and scream at the top of our lungs that we are being a good participant in the solution.”
Hart also reviewed psilocybin Ordinance No. 3022, which is a “just in case” time, place and manner ordinance if voters allow psilocybin facilities in Lebanon. The 2022 moratorium on the issue is coming to an end this year; this ordinance takes care of the “gaps” that the council found within administrative rules.
The ordinance establishes operation hours, clarifies allowed and restricted zones for psilocybin facilities, and states employee minimum age requirements and client post-treatment release guidelines. More details are available through the City of Lebanon’s website. According to Hart, the city’s legal counsel and police department have reviewed and approved of the ordinance.
Mayor Ken Jackola inquired about city recourse and enforcement of release requirements, but Hart said the facility is required to enforce state and local administrative rules and will be required to contact police should their patient – or the person picking them up – be showing signs of intoxication. Should they fail to follow guidelines, the facility will be reported to the state for an enforcement issue. The ordinance was approved.
Community member Mike Vesari requested clarification on whether voters will be voting for both service and manufacturing facilities, or just one or the other. Hart said service centers and manufacturing are included together on the ballot.
Regarding the contract between the Teamsters Union and the City of Lebanon, Engineering Services Director and Interim City Manager Ron Whitlatch said they have reached an agreement on a three-year contract, beginning July 1, 2024 and ending July 30, 2027.
According to Whitlatch, sergeants and officers in the Lebanon Police Department were being paid below market standards by approximately 8%; the contract provides a 3% cost of living wage increase for the three consecutive years of the contract.
Whitlatch thanked the union and the city management team for working through multiple negotiation sessions to come to an agreement. The council approved the motion to ratify the contract.
The Transient Lodging Tax policy was discussed once again, with the council having requested a policy proposal for addressing funding requests. Hart said there are two grant-based programs that use these funds: the downtown building restoration program and Chamber of Commerce events. Other TLT funds are unallocated or designated for specific projects.
Should someone wish to seek funding for events, requests are handled by the Chamber of Commerce event program; there are other grant funds available to downtown due to the historical nature of the area. If eligible for the building restoration program, people can submit proposals for capital projects; there must be demonstrated community benefit, among other requirements, and funds aren’t guaranteed.
An 18-page packet of League of Oregon Cities legislative priorities was presented so the council can set the city’s top five priorities; this was set to be reviewed at the strategic planning sessions.
The city is exploring options for getting a BottleDrop location in Lebanon as well; Hart has been in touch with the organization.
Whitlatch acknowledged the Supreme Court rulings regarding homelessness in Grants Pass, which allows cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside; previously, these kinds of bans were ruled cruel and unusual punishment. Lebanon will continue following Oregon law until potential further legislative changes are made.
The highway widening project on Highway 20 is moving forward and Whitlatch recommended drivers take Highway 34 to avoid construction congestion due to lane closures, though there won’t be a full road closure.
The final check has been sent to Pacific Excavation for the Westside Interceptor project, which involved sewer and culvert installations as well as road reconstruction. According to Whitlatch, though the maximum budget for the project was $2.3 million, the final cost came in at $1.7 million.
External recruitment for the city manager position is being considered, but the council is leaning towards recruiting internally.
A community member, Ken Reynolds, spoke about concerns regarding the homeless population and parking issues on Lupine Street due to them parking in front of – and blocking – mailboxes and houses. Police have gone several times, but there wasn’t legal recourse for the parking issue.
Reynolds said it’s become a problem as, per federal guidelines, the postal service does not have to deliver mail if the mailbox is blocked; this may lead to mail being delivered late, which is “frustrating.”
“If I was to come and block your mailbox every day, or two or three times a week, how would you feel?” Reynolds said. “I just want a quorum with you guys to maybe discuss things, and maybe something can be done on your level to help us as homeowners.”
One suggestion included adding a community mailbox but, according to Reynolds, it wouldn’t be feasible since it’s a driving route.
Police Chief Frank Stevenson asked Reynolds to come talk to him “offline” to discuss the root of the problem and explore resources to help deal with the situation.
The full meeting and agenda can be found on the City of Lebanon website.