As the city of Hines moves forward with the water system improvement project, City Administrator Kirby Letham wants residents to be aware of ongoing survey work. At the council meeting on July 23, Letham said surveyors with the engineering company Anderson Perry are currently conducting a study on the location of the existing water lines in the city. To do so, the surveyors will be accessing alleys for a couple months.

“Some of you may have  already seen the surveyors out. They’ve already started. That’s who they are. They’re with Anderson Perry. It’s for the whole water system improvement project,” Letham said. “If you see them around, let your neighbors know that they may be in the back alleys.”

Mayor Nikki Morgan pointed out that some alleys are overgrown with trees in the easements or right of ways, and she asked if the city will be responsible for cleaning the alley if that’s where a water line needs to be placed.

“It depends on what it is,” Letham answered. “If somebody has a fence built there, the city may ask them to remove that fence because they built into the easement where they shouldn’t have. I think it’s going to be a case-by-case basis, but in general, if somebody’s in an easement, it’s going to be their responsibility to get out of the way so we can come through and replace that [water line].”

Letham added that the surveyors will be letting residents know about the easements and where the water lines will be going in. By doing the survey now and creating an up-to-date map, work on replacing the water lines can begin in the spring.

Also in his report to the council, Letham said the new playground equipment arrived and was expected to be set up in the park and ready for use on Friday, July 26.

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With the paving project on Roe Davis Avenue complete, the next paving project for the city is West Hanley Avenue.

Letham told the council that Anderson Perry (AP) had concerns about the number of driveways and other elements that need to be considered on West Hanley, so they recommended more pre-project studies be completed to eliminate any liability to the city or to AP.

Letham reviewed the new proposal from AP, which included design surveying and design engineering.

He said the previous proposal from AP would cost the city $4,500, but with more work involved in the newest proposal, the cost is significantly more — $22,500.

Councilor Ron Williams questioned the city’s responsibility for driveways that have extended out into the city’s right of way over the years.

“We have a right of way that’s ours (the city’s), not the homeowners’,” Williams said. “Sure, we grant it like we do an alleyway. They get to use it, but when it gets right down to it, I just think this is a lot of additional cost for a very short piece of road that’s going to be fixed.”

The council discussed the additional cost and the liability issues, and decided to invite a representative from AP to attend a meeting with the council. Because the city wants to complete the project before the start of school, the council directed Letham to see how soon the representative could be in town, and call a special meeting if needed.

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The council also discussed the new rural fire suppression program that was adopted by both Hines and Burns. Letham said the contracts that were sent out contained language from the previous program, which is no longer correct.

He explained that, with the previous program, subscribers paid a flat fee and would still be billed if the fire department was called out.

With the new program, subscribers are billed an amount based on the tax assessor’s real market value of the home, and will not be billed if the fire department is called out.

The city will send out receipts to subscribers who have already signed up, along with a corrected version of the contract and a brief explanation of how the program works.

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Lyman Fisk of LS Networks attended to provide a presentation on the company’s plan for expansion of fiber optics in the community.

Fisk said the company’s direction at this time is to focus on rural communities, and build a fiber-based infrastructure.

He explained how the network works and its reliability. Fisk told the council he can help the city put together a strategic plan, and said there are different ways to finance a plan.

He said the first step would be send out a questionnaire to get an idea of how many residents and businesses would sign up with the network and what they would be willing to pay. If it is feasible, Fisk said he would work with the city to make it possible.

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Nick Brown, a representative with the U.S. Census Bureau, told the council that the next census will be conducted in 2020 and explained its importance. Information obtained from the census is used to determine the number of seats a state gets in Congress, how much federal funding states and communities receive each year, and creates jobs. Brown said that a 2016 study performed by George Washington University showed that every person in Oregon was worth $3,200 in federal funding, or about $13 billion to the state.

Brown went on to say that it is important for every citizen to be counted in the census, once and only once, as it affects representation for every town and area of the state.

He said the census also provides part-time job opportunities, paying $14.50 to $16 per hour. The hours are flexible, and the position includes paid training.

Brown said people wonder whether their information is going to be safe.

“The Census Bureau goes above and beyond, all the time, to protect data,” he said.

Brown pointed out that if any census bureau member gives out any personal information, they could face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If a census employee gives out personal and business information, they can face 22 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. Brown said the bureau employs the top experts in the world to try and break into the networks, and releases only aggregate information and statistics, no personal information. In addition, once all the information has been gathered, those servers are taken completely offline.

A canvassing of addresses will begin in late August.

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Lola Johnson, executive director of the Harney County Chamber of Commerce, told the council that holding fast to its decision of not giving the chamber 25 percent of the Transient Lodging Tax will be detrimental to the chamber.

Johnson said it will take away tourism promotion, the state fair, Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, and a position at the chamber.

She said she doesn’t promote just one town, but the entire county, and if the city of Hines pulls the funding, it will be destroying the community by not working together.

She said she wants to work with the city and will attend meetings regularly.

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The next council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, at city hall.