With costs continuing to rise, the city of Burns is moving forward with a new fee schedule for the rural fire suppression program.

At the Burns City Council meeting on May 22, Mayor Jerry Woodfin explained that the primary purposes of the program are to “enable the city to efficiently and effectively provide fire suppression services to the properties located outside the city’s incorporated limits, reduce the cost of fire suppression services to the owners of these properties, and seek to improve the infrastructure and capabilities of fire suppression in Harney County.”

Burns Fire Chief Scott Williamson said that when the subscription program was started in 2012, there was an annual $100 fee to join and a flat $100 fee if the fire department had to respond to a fire.

“Over the years, with inflation, the cost of running the fire department continues to go up, with everything,” Williamson said. “So we’ve had to look at how we’re doing the program, and $100 a year is not covering the cost for us to respond out there.”

The new proposed fee schedule is based on the real market value of the structures on the property, not the land. The fee will be set at $1.75 per $1,000 of assessed value, plus a $25 administrative fee.

Williamson added that another option would have been to base fees on the square footage of structures, as some other fire departments do.

Councilor Judy Erwin asked whether the fire department will refuse response to rural fires if the property owner is not part of the subscription program.

“Unless life is being threatened, that’s the goal,” Williamson answered. “The other thing that we’ve been looking at, our base fee has been about $400 an hour per truck if you’re not a member, if we go out there. What I’ve seen with other departments is it’s up around $600 to $800 to $1,000. The reason why they’re doing that is to wake people up, saying it pays to be part of this program, and you need to be part of this program.”

Erwin added that people who live in the rural areas that are covered by the Burns Fire Department receive the same insurance rates as those who live in town and pay taxes for the service.

“They get rated the same as those who live in the city, which is really not fair because they don’t pay taxes to support the fire department,” Erwin stated. “They get cheaper insurance rates because of the city, and I think they should be required to contribute to the city’s costs.”

A letter explaining the changes and benefits of the program is being drafted, and it will be sent to potential subscribers. Williamson said he hopes to have the new fee schedule in place by July.

•••

At a council workshop on May 8, City Manager Dauna Wensenk told the council that the loan for the sewer lagoon project will be paid off in February 2020.

Wensenk explained that in 1997, when the Department of Environmental Quality required the city to make changes to the sewer lagoons, the city added $12 to everyone’s water bills to create a reserve fund for the project. Then in 2007, the council added another $6 to go toward city infrastructure.

With the loan being paid off early next year, Wensenk asked the council what it would like to do with the $18 being collected on the water/sewer bill.

At the meeting on May 22, the council approved a motion to pay off the loan and then continue to collect the money and place it into a reserve fund, which could be used for transportation upon approval by legal counsel.

The council also voted to rescind a motion from February 2019 that transferred $36,252 from the Local Improvement District fund to the General Fund.

•••

The city received two letters of interest from residents interested in filling the vacancy on the council created with the resignation of Forrest Keady, one from Chad Strain and the other from Pamela Smerski.

Strain attended to address the council, but Smerski was absent from the meeting. The council agreed to table appointing a new member until the next meeting to allow Smerski the opportunity to address the council as well.

•••

Councilor Liz Appelman reported that the search committee for a new city manager met several times, and she asked the council to extend the application deadline to garner a larger pool of applicants. She suggested that applications be received until June 19.The committee would then present a recommendation to the council on June 26.

Appelman also requested that the committee be allowed to spend additional funds to advertise the position.

After some discussion, the council voted to approve the extension for applications and for the committee to spend up to an additional $500 to advertise the position.

•••

Wensenk reported that the Highway 20/395 pedestrian project should be getting started the first part of June.

She told the council that the city of Hines is looking at the possibility of a fuel tax to raise money for street repair, and the Hines council was asked whether Burns would be interested in doing the same. Wensenk added that the issue would have to be decided on by voters, not the councils.

Surveys regarding the town deer population continue to be returned to city hall. The three options are:

1) I don’t consider the town deer a nuisance and choose to live with the deer we have. (Spend money on other projects within the city such as roads, water system, etc.)

2) I consider the town deer a nuisance, but don’t want them to be killed at this time. (Spend money on other projects within the city such as roads, water system, etc.)

3) I consider the town deer a nuisance, and want the city to use tax-payer money to carry out the pursuing, killing, transportation, and processing of the town deer.

Wensenk said 151 surveys favor the first option, 57 selected the second option, and 65 voted for the third. She added that six surveys were returned with a different option altogether.

•••

In other business:

• Appelman reported that the safety committee is looking into painting a 3-D crosswalk on West Pierce and near the schools in an effort to get drivers to slow down in those areas;

• the council approved a six-month extension of a hardship request by Janet Alberty at 1276 N. Broadway;

• the council approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation to utilize the Burns Fire Department for fire protection, including vehicle fires and fire suppression support services, where state highways are not covered by any fire district;

• the council approved a cooperative fire protection agreement between the city and public land agencies for the prevention, detection, and suppression of wildland fires on public lands;

• the council approved a request from Dwight Ausmus to shoot off the Fourth of July fireworks from the same location as in past years.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at city hall.