Thursday, July 28, 2011

July 27, 2011 Clatsop County Board of Commissioners Meeting - Audio Transcripts


Meeting Highlights

RE-ZONE APPLICATION POSTPONED
The board again postponed action on a multi-part zone change request on a 13-acre property on Dolphin Road near Warrenton. The application, from Michael Benesch, Waldo Veelle and Warrenton Fiber Co., seeks to rezone eight acres from Residential Agriculture-5 (RA-5) to Light Industrial, and five acres from RA-5 to Natural Uplands. The application also would transfer two “density credits” from the subject property to a yet-to-be-determined location on the Clatsop Plains.
The board continued a public hearing on the application to its Sept. 14 meeting, in order to allow more work on the proposed findings of fact, and coordination with the City of Warrenton. County Manager Duane Cole noted that the subject property borders the Warrenton city limits, and rezoning the eight-acre parcel to light-industrial could complicate future annexation efforts.
Wednesday’s public hearing and board review was continued from June 22 to allow additional material to be presented by the applicants, including a noise-attenuation plan calling for trees and vegetation along the property boundary.

ENTERPRISE ZONE AGREEMENT OKAYED
The board gave its approval to an extended exemption agreement from the owners of a bio-ethanol plant in Clatskanie for an additional two years of property tax abatement in the Lower Columbia Maritime Enterprise Zone. The company, Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery, plans to expand its ethanol facility and increase its workforce from eight to 55.
The enterprise zone program allows qualified companies to receive local property tax waivers for new and expanded facilities that add employment. As a partner in the program, Clatsop County must agree to exemption agreements.

JAIL, PROBATION DISCUSSED
The board held a work session discussion with Sheriff Tom Bergin, District Attorney Josh Marquis and Circuit Court judges Paula Brownhill, Cindee Matyas and Phil Nelson on a variety public safety issues, including the transfer of Community Corrections to the Sheriff’s Office, the county jail and alternative sanctions.

COUNTY MANAGER EVALUATED
The board held a performance review of County Manager Duane Cole in closed executive session.
Following the session Board Chair Dirk Rohne said all the commissioners had strong praise for Cole’s performance.
“Each of the five all spoke highly of Duane, the professionalism he has brought to the county, and his willingness to take on very difficult issues,” he said.
The board also noted Cole’s budgetary skills, his role overseeing some difficult re-organizations within the county, and his assistance helping the three new commissioners assume their duties, Rohne said.

OTHER BUSINESS
In other business the board:
-Approved an agreement with Satellite Tracking of People for the lease of electronic monitoring equipment for use with clients of the Sheriff’s Office Parole and Probation Division.
-Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife providing $406,703 in state funding for the 2011-13 biennium for the county-operated salmon-rearing operation at the South Fork Klaskanine River.
-Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Commission on Children and Families providing $330,367 in state funding for the 2011-13 biennium for Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Youth Investment and other programs.
-Relinquished a reversionary clause on a 0.7-acre property in Cannon Beach. The City of Cannon Beach sought the action to gain clear title to the parcel, which is part of the city’s Ecola Creek Park, for the planned construction of a walking path.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I understand from a former county employee that the transition center is abandoned and we now have the jail or nothing. Anyone see an agenda here?