The following are the unapproved minutes from the Hines Common Council and Budget Committee meeting held Sept. 14. The minutes were edited for clarity and length.

Amie Scott presented Duane Hutchins with a plaque that will be attached to the derrick in the Pavilion Park.

The plaque acknowledges and thanks the citizens who volunteered their time, energy, and supplies to transport the derrick from the old well site, down to Pavilion Park. Electronic signboards were added to the derrick to notify the public about activities around the city.

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City Administrator Kirby Letham reported that he spoke with the city’s attorney about the draft Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance.

The attorney said that the ordinance that Harney County drafted would cause police officers to be personally liable.

Letham asked what can be done, and the attorney provided a copy of Josephine County’s ordinance, which acknowledges provisions of preexisting law and better protects law enforcement officers.

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Letham also reported that:

• he met with the attorney for the League of Cities regarding homelessness. There is still some work to do, and they should have something more concrete to present to the council during the next meeting;

• a meeting was held Sept. 20 to review final plans for the Harney Housing Project. Efforts are under way to obtain surveying prices. The permit process will run through the full planning commission before it’s referred to the council. Next, it will go to the county for final approval;

• he and Public Works Superintendent Jerry Lewellen have been working through the Department of Environmental Quality permit renewal process;

• the park bathroom is complete;

• a Request for Quote for crack sealing was released. Seven different streets were identified with a request that each street is quoted individually so that the city can decide to do all or a portion of them; 

• the new water tank is online, and the old water tower was officially taken offline Sept. 13. The valve was closed, and it no longer provides water to the city. There are three remaining water lines to be installed. The first line is the “S” line. It serves South Roanoke from Byrd to West Barnes. The second line is on West Pettibone from upper West Pettibone down to North Saginaw. The third line is North Saginaw from Jameson. New water meters will be installed once these lines are complete. The street cuts that were made will be fixed this fall;

• the project priority list includes reformatting the Planning Code to include Municode, completing the water project, paving and street repair, park improvements, wastewater facility plan, and wastewater system improvements;

• there was surplus cash at the end of the 2020-2021 fiscal year, and he would like to reallocate some of the funds to Capital Projects. These funds could possibly be used for a fire truck and the parks;

• he will get with C&B Sanitary to determine whether leaf dumpsters can be secured for the first two weekends in November.

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During the department head reports:

• Fire Chief Bob Spence reported that the fire department has been busy responding to fires and assisting other agencies. If it doesn’t rain in October, he may extend the burn ban past Nov. 1;

• Police Chief Ryan DeLange reported that shoplifting calls have risen, and mental health cases are beginning to rise. Meth continues to be a problem in the community. 

There have been more than a dozen calls of assaults on public safety officers in the last six months.

Duane Hutchins asked whether the city has considered obtaining the traffic cameras that issue tickets. DeLange said he will look into it;

• Lewellen reported that the park bathroom is open, but a little more work needs to be done. The department has been busy cleaning alleys and around the Skate Park, and they put sand around the playground equipment.

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In other business:

• Councilor Marsallai Quick made a motion to approve a $500 donation to Harney County Home Health and Hospice for the annual memorial service. Councilor Misty Shepherd second the motion, and it carried;

• DeLange said the reporting software that Hines officers use has been in place since 1999. It is old, outdated, and no longer works correctly. 

The county jail moved to a new system. Dispatch and the county sheriff’s office are also moving to this new system. The system will cross agencies, so if dispatch logs a call that Hines officers respond to, that information will already be populated in the police report.

Councilor Robert Beers made a motion to approve updating the police department software.

Startup will require an initial payment of $4,636. The overall setup cost will be $19,000, and there will be an annual cost of $2,066.67 thereafter. Councilor Ron Williams seconded the motion, and it carried.

• Cathi’s Place RV Park applied for a business license.

Cathi McLean thanked police officers for assisting with clearing out the area, which was formally Sands RV Park. Clean up will continue at the park.

Spence said they did more to clean up the park in three days than the previous owner did in many years.

Quick made a motion to approve the business license for Cathi’s Place RV Park. Williams seconded the motion, and it carried;

• Hines Self Storage applied for a business license.

Herb Vloedman said that, as of last week, the materials are onsite. He added that the contractors are specialized in erecting this type of storage facility.

Quick asked when the business is set to open, and Vloedman replied that it should be ready by Sept. 25. Quick then asked how many units will be available, and Vloedman said each building has 70 units.

Quick made a motion to approve the business license for Hines Self Storage. Beers seconded the motion, and it carried;

• Huiyan Jin and her husband, Drew Johnson, are converting a tear drop tailer into a food truck to open Jin’s Kitchen. When they are done, they want to place it next to the Soda District. They feel that the businesses will complement each other well. 

Eldon Hart said he and his wife are neighbors, and that Jin is very gracious and the food is great.

Beers made a motion to approve the business license for Jin’s Kitchen. Williams seconded the motion, and it carried;

• Michael Doman, a general contractor out of Crane, has been getting work in Hines, so he has applied for a business license.

Quick made a motion to approve the business license for Crane Creek Construction. Shepherd seconded the motion, and it carried.