With the goal of spurring economic development in the community, the Burns City Council voted to use $5,000 to hire a grant writer to pursue more funds for the same purpose. The funds were already set aside in the budget for economic development.

The council also voted to move the money from the Local Improvement District (LID) fund to an economic development fund. The LID fund was set up a number of years ago to be used for a “capital construction project, or part thereof, undertaken by the city pursuant to the procedure to be followed in making local assessments for the benefits from a local improvement upon the lots, which have been benefited by all or part of the improvement.”

Capital construction means the construction, modification, replacement, repair, remodeling, or renovation of a structure, or addition to a structure, which is expected to have a useful life of more than one year.

The new fund sets broader guidelines for how the money may be used, including awarding loans to businesses. The motion passed by a 6-1 vote, with Councilor Liz Appelman casting the lone nay vote.

•••

At its meeting on Jan. 9, the council approved Resolution No. 19-664 declaring that deer populations have risen to levels constituting a public nuisance sufficient to allow the city to petition the state Department of Fish and Wildlife for assistance in reducing deer population levels within city limits.

During the public comment portion of the Jan. 23 council meeting, several members of the audience spoke out against reducing the number of deer in town. Comments included that the community could promote the deer in town to attract visitors; the number of deer in town has seemed to go down this year; signs could be put up warning motorists to slow down because of deer; the funds spent on the project could be better used somewhere else; and people feeding the deer is the problem.

It was also suggested that the city put the issue on a ballot and let the residents decide.

Councilor Forrest Keady pointed out that the council doesn’t have to initiate the ballot; citizens can do that.

Later in the meeting, the council discussed the deer reduction plan and whether to move forward with it. Councilor Charity Robey pointed out that, in the past, the people who attended council meetings wanted something done to reduce the deer population, and this was the first time that the council had heard from the other side of the discussion.

The next step for the council is to come up with a plan according to Senate Bill 373, and decide how it would be implemented to reduce the deer population.

City Manager Dauna Wensenk said she would meet with Burns Police Chief Newt SkunkCap to discuss the plan and bring it back to the council.

•••

Dennis Lyon of Utility Service Partners (USP) gave a presentation to the council regarding a service line warranty program. He explained that a large number of homeowners don’t know where the responsibility lies for fixing a water or sewer line when there is a problem.

Lyon said many cities have aging infrastructure, as do the homes in the same city. The warranty program covers the sewer or water line, two separate policies, from the point where it meets the utility line to the point of entry into the home. That includes broken, leaking, clogged, or cracked pipes, and the company will pay up to $8,500 per incident. There are no annual or lifetime caps on the claims, no deductibles, no limit on calls, and no longterm contracts.

There is also in-home plumbing coverage available, with the company paying up to $3,000 per incident.

Lyon said if someone signs up for coverage and a problem arises, they can just call USP and they will find a local, licensed contractor to respond to the call. He added that there is a 30-day waiting period after signing up.

The council agreed to look into it further and make a decision.

•••

The council held a discussion regarding Ordinance No. 18-862, which establishes definitions of nuisance, penalties, and procedures for abatement of nuisance and dangerous buildings in the city of Burns.

Councilor Judy Erwin stated that the ordinance doesn’t give the city  enough “teeth” to address the vacant buildings in town. She stated that Astoria has an ordinance to deal with vacant buildings that could be worked into the Burns ordinance.

Wensenk said the city’s legal counsel deemed it a “revenue-generating ordinance.”

Erwin and Keady both disagreed with the attorney’s assessment, saying Astoria has the ordinance in place, but doesn’t use it for generating revenue.

“If they have some landowners or building owners that are creating blight, they have the teeth in the ordinance to do something,” Keady said.

Following some more discussion, a motion was made to incorporate the portion of the Astoria ordinance dealing with dangerous, vacant, derelict buildings into the existing Burns ordinance. The motion failed on a 5-2 vote.

The council did agree to table the matter until the next meeting so councilors could gather more information.

•••

In other business:

• Councilor Gary Estep was sworn in at the beginning of the meeting after being elected in November 2018;

• Mayor Jerry Woodfin appointed Wensenk and Councilors Appelman, Lynda Fine, and Erwin to an ad hoc committee to review the city budget;

• Burns Fire Chief Scott Williamson reported that his department handled 165 calls in 2018, 143 calls in 2017, 115 calls in 2016, and 108 calls in 2015. He also reviewed the amount of training and certifications the Burns Fire Department has received, and said they received $234,593 in grants between 2013-2018;

• Wensenk reported that she attended a meeting to discuss broadband services and recommended Keady join a committee to look further into broadband.

Wensenk said she received a second complaint about the snow berms in the drop-off area at Slater School and snow on the sidewalks. She explained that the public works department plows the streets and clears sidewalks as soon as possible. She also reminded residents and businesses that they are responsible for shoveling sidewalks after a snowstorm.

Wensenk also reviewed two amendments from the Oregon Department of Transportation regarding pedestrian improvement projects.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, at city hall.