– Topics –
- City Council
– City Council –
Swearing in of Mayor and Councilors
The new Mayor and City Councilors elected in Nov. 2024, will be sworn in.
- To be sworn in:
- Mayor Rich Slack
- Councilor Carlos Barrientos
- Councilor Anthony Blosser
- Councilor Kim Fitzgerald
- Councilor Debbie Virden
Introductions, Recognitions, Proclamations
No known items upfront.
Public Comment
You have 3 minutes to speak to your City Council, Mayor, and City Staff!
Consent Agenda
This is a quick action, meant to pass routine procedural items.
What’s on the consent agenda?
- November 2024 Financial Report
- Approve the December 9, 2024 Work Session Meeting Minutes
- Approve the December 9, 2024 City Council Meeting Minutes
- OLCC Application for Court Street Pub and Grub full on-premises license
That’s a lot! A councilor can “pull” an item from the consent agenda if they have a question or want to discuss something.
Mayor and council Reports
Council vacancy
Troy Hazelton was elected to the City Council in Nov. 2024, but has since moved outside the city limits. This means Hazelton is no longer qualified to be a Councilor.
What happens with an empty seat? The council has the ability to fill the seat with a majority vote. There are no other instructions on the process.
Past vacancies have been handled in different ways. One method was to select the next highest vote earner on the election ballot. Also, the council has identified an individual and asked if they were interested. Most recently, the council asked for applications of candidates and followed up with a town hall to ask questions.
The council is free to choose any method they want to fill the vacancy.
City Staff recommends the vacancy be filled by Jan. 21, 2025, due to topics and actions coming to the council at the beginning of the year.
What’s going to happen? The council first needs to declare the vacancy on the council. They will then discuss and decide how they want to fill the vacancy.
Council President election
The City Council President, is an elected position on the council. The Council President has 2 main duties. They act as a back-up for the Mayor to preside at meetings. They also act as the Sergeant at Arms, helping to maintain order and decorum at meetings.
What’s going to happen? The council can offer nominations for a Council President. If there is more than 1 nomination, there will be an election via ballot.
City Manager report
Appointments to Committees, Commissions, and Boards
The city has several committees, commissions, and boards that citizens serve on. The Mayor recommends people to serve on most committees. Mayor Slack is recommending people to serve on the Economic Development Commission, Library Board, and Historic Preservation Commission.
The Budget Committee’s members are selected by the council, without recommendation from the Mayor. There are 4 open positions, with 3 applicants.
What’s going to happen? The Council will discuss and can vote to approve none, some, or all the nominations.
Legislative Lobbying
With Oregon’s 83rd Legislative Assembly starting on Jan. 21, 2025, the City Manager is asking the council for direction on the city’s lobby efforts. Bills move quickly and time to lobby or give testimony can sometimes close in less than a week.
Previous councils have designated the City Manager as the city’s lead lobbyist. The Manager tracked bills of interest to the city, with some councilors acting as legislative advisors. Any Councilor can participle and offer advice on bills at request. The City Manager would make the decision whether to provide testimony or not.
- Alternative options
- Discuss bills and amendments at each city council meeting with the whole council.
- Create a legislative committee of councilors who would meet regularly and discuss bills and provide testimony.
- No city lobbying. Other groups like the League of Oregon Cities can be asked to advocate for the city.
The City Manager is recommending and asking the council to have the City Manager act as the city’s lead lobbyist.
What will happen? The council will discuss and decide how they want the city involved in lobbying.
Ordinance reading
No. 1903 – Development Code Updates
This is the 2nd reading of an ordinance to update the City Development Code. These changes will bring the code into compliance with Senate Bill 1537 (passed in 2024). The changes relate to how certain land use applications are treated, which will decrease the need for public hearings.
Previously, the council held a public hearing and 1st ordinance reading on the topic.
What’s going to happen? This is the 2nd reading of the ordinance. The council can ask questions, and vote to adopt. There is an emergency adoption clause on this ordinance.
Why an emergency clause? Per the Senate Bill, the ordinance must take effect January 1, 2025. The emergency clause allows for the ordinance to become effective immediately, only a few days past deadline.
You can see the proposed code changes on pg. 69-95 of the council agenda.
– More Information –
Learn more: View the entire council meeting packet for a lot more information!
Attend the meeting: Come attend the city council meeting in person! On Monday, Jan. 6th, 2025. City council starts at 7:00 pm, at the City Hall in downtown Dallas, Oregon. You are free to come and leave whenever during the meeting.
Speak to your city council: Everyone is welcome to speak to your city council, for 3 minutes towards the beginning of the meeting! The time is yours to address your city and be heard!
Congratulations! You just summarized 96 pages from the agenda. How will you help your neighbor with all the time you saved?
