June 15, 2020 4:15 a.m.
The Roseburg City Council adopted the city’s budget for the 2020/2021 fiscal year, dealing with a busy agenda at an in-person socially distanced meeting on Monday night.
The adoption was largely symbolic, as the Budget Committee, which includes the council, had already approved the budget back on May 12th. Finance Director Ron Harker called it a “status quo” budget, with few changes from the outgoing budget. The budget totals just under $76.6 million, with just under $28 million in the General Fund portion.
The council decided not to make a change in the procedure for filing, when a candidate is seeking to run for the council or for the office of mayor. City Recorder Amy Sowa said due to the COVID-19 situation, some cities are eliminating the requirement that those seeking those positions obtain signatures to get their name on the ballot. Currently 20 signatures are needed to run for the council, and 50 to run for mayor. Four councilors said they preferred that the procedure stay as it is.
Councilors adopted a resolution authorizing staff to apply for a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to fund hardware and software to create digital content for the library. Director Kris Wiley said that would enable the library to have a small group in for a presentation, but film it so it could be shared online. Wiley said bids are still being obtained, but she expects to be asking the organization for around $65,000. Wiley was given high praise from councilors for her efforts to expand what the library can offer.
The council agreed to let a pledged $50,000 for a Sobering Center be used for start up costs and not just ongoing expenses. Dr. Greg Brigham of Adapt said COVID-19 has delayed the project. He said other groups partnering to help with the facility had already agreed to the change in wording. Brigham hopes the center, to be located on Diamond Lake Boulevard, could be running by late this fall. Councilor Brian Prawitz said the concept has proven to be successful elsewhere, citing Grants Pass as an example. The question passed on a 6-1 vote with Councilor Ashley Hicks voting in opposition.
Councilors decided to extend the Declaration of Emergency, originally put in place March 23rd, through July 6th. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the council had few meetings for a time, and the declaration granted broader authority to City Manager Nikki Messenger to make financial decisions without first going to the council. While Messenger said she was okay with letting the declaration expire, Prawitz said he didn’t think that would send the right message to residents as he believes the pandemic is not over. The extension came on a 5-2 vote with Andrea Zielinski and Ashley Hicks voting no.
The meeting was the first time the council had met in-person since March 9th. Due to social distancing, attendance in the chambers was restricted. Members of the public were able to view the meeting from the Ford Room of the Roseburg Public Library. Two citizens spoke via phone from that location, during the public comment portion of the meeting. The council which normally meets twice a month, had one virtual meeting in both April and May.
With a short Urban Renewal Agency meeting, and an Executive Session regarding labor negotiations and the semi-annual evaluation of the city manager, the evening concluded just after 10:00 p.m.