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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-0818 Council Mtg MIN Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page I of 9 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR MEETING ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL August 18, 2015 Council Chambers 1175 E. Main Street CALL TO ORDER Mayor Stromberg called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers. ROLL CALL Councilor Voisin, Morris, Lemhouse, Seffinger, Rosenthal, and Marsh were present. MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Stromberg announced vacancies on the Forest Lands, Public Arts, Health and Human Services, and Transportation Commissions and the Bee City USA subcommittee. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Councilor Rosenthal amended the minutes of the Study Session of August 3, 2015 to clarify his remarks on page 3, last paragraph, and second sentence to read as follows, "Councilor Rosenthal didn't remember the question of additional staffing put forward to Council. There may have been an add-package that was not recommended. Council needs to consider staffing considerations early in the budget process, not on the last night of the budget deliberations." An additional correction added Councilor Morris to the attendance section of the meeting. The Study Session minutes were approved as amended. The minutes of the Executive Session of August 3, 2015 and Business Meeting of August 4, 2015 were approved as presented. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS & AWARDS Forest Lands Commission Chair Frank Betlejewski provided the annual presentation on the Forest Lands Commission. Current projects included looking into rerouting trails, and the 2016 Ashland Forest Plan revision timeline currently under a first tier review. Second tier review would begin December 2015, final formatting March 2016 and a presentation to City Council April 2016. He described a Geographic Information System on the city website that enabled the multiple departments to share information and collaborate. The current focus for the Commission was the social chapter that involved education, history, surveys, and watershed art. Councilor Lemhouse thanked Mayor Stromberg for his efforts with the Ashland Forest Resiliency (AFR) and noted a recent award the Mayor received from Washington DC for his dedication and work with the community to improve and sustain conditions in the Ashland watershed and ensure funding for the AFR project. Councilor Seffinger commented on the Forestlands Commission's hard work, expertise, and dedication. PUBLIC FORUM Madeline Hill/857 Mountain Meadows Drive/Wanted Council to add repeat violations of the fire code to the nuisance ordinance in the Ashland Municipal Code Chapter 9.18 and wanted the City to review Will Dodge Way. Huelz Gutcheon/2253 Hwy 99/Explained smart grids, micro grids, and micro regions and described how they worked. Rich Miller/507 Tucker Street/Thanked the Public Works Director and City officials for turning the Talent Irrigation District (TID) water back on in their area. Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 2 of 9 Joseph Kauth/482 Walker Street/The Ashland Forest Resiliency (AFR) project could contribute to global warming and climate change. There was a connection to increased lightening strikes and plastic covered flash piles from the AFR project. He recommended drug tests for politicians. Mayor Stromberg moved the Downtown Beautification project update before the Consent Agenda with permission from Council. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Downtown Beautification project update Engineering Services Manager Scott Fleury explained Council approved a list of projects for staff to proceed with design and construction. The projects selected for this phase included the corner on Winbum Way, the Plaza, the corner of Lithia Way and Pioneer Street, and the Pioneer Street parking lot. Staff recommended rejecting two formal bids and Council agreed. An informal process resulted in selecting KenCaim Landscape Architects and Covey Pardee Landscape Architects for the projects. Due to concern regarding tree removal at the Pioneer Street Parking lot, staff wanted to postpone that discussion to the September 1, 2015 meeting and focus on the corner of Winburn Way, the Plaza, and the corner of Pioneer Street and Lithia Way instead. Mr. Fleury was aware of the request by the Historic Commission to delay the Plaza improvements pending their review of the proposal. City Administrator Dave Kanner clarified there was no explicit basis for the Historic Commission to review the proposal in the code. It was within Council's discretion to postpone an item at the request of a commission. Councilor Voisin relayed the Historic Commission's concern they were not given the opportunity to review the plans for the Plaza for the second time. They wanted to review the plan during their September meeting. Council agreed to let the Historic Commission review the plan as well as Council comments from the present meeting. Alan Pardee from Covey Pardee Landscape Architects explained the proposed Plaza improvements included a low railing, replacing trampled plants, and adding three planter pots. People walked through the central planters regularly. The City could remove the rail and possibly use it in other areas. The planter pots were sturdy and used in shopping centers, 4-feet in diameter with rocks in the bottom for drainage. Council expressed concern people would use the planter pots as ashtrays. Other Council comments liked the planter pots, were interested in different sizes but had concerns regarding the low railing and wanted it to be temporary. The Plaza was a gathering place with plantings. Replacing the plants were a cost of doing business. Alternately, the low railing could cause public safety issues for large crowds. Councilor Lemhouse raised a point of order on whether Council needed a motion to forward the Plaza plan to the Historic Commission and if the motion would include Council comments. Mayor Stromberg explained he was trying to move a project forward that had incurred delays and bring it to resolution and not trying to stifle comments. A motion would allow Council to add specific comments during the discussion. Councilor Voisin raised a point of order that Council had agreed to forward the plan to the Historic Commission and to make a motion would ignore the fact they may have important input. Council comments were in the minutes and the Commission could read those. Mayor Stromberg sustained Councilor Voisin's point of order. Councilor Lemhouse/Voisin m/s to refer Council comments and discussions regarding the Plaza to Historic Commission for review and comments. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. Kerry KenCairn from KenCairn Landscape Architects addressed the improvements to the corner of Pioneer Street and Lithia Way. The issue for Council and the community was removing the trees. To her, the corner Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 3 of 9 appeared blighted and the hardscape was falling apart and dangerous. There was no way to upgrade the hardscape without removing the trees already there. The trees were Red Maples and not the right tree for the space. She considered the area an urban site that had perpetuity. The current landscape was brick walls holding up depleted soil and people were kicking the bricks over. People were also sitting in, on, and parking their bikes inside the planter areas. Accessibility was poor for a prominent public corner. Her design would improve functionality. People could sit on the walls without destroying the landscape. It would make it difficult to get bicycles and other things into the landscape itself and make the area accessible. Red maples were not urban trees and would eventually start lifting the sidewalks. She spoke to an arborist who thought the trees would start falling apart soon. The recommendation was remove the trees, rebuild the corner, and plant suitable trees for an urban environment and create a hardscape that was safe and functional. The owner of the building did not want the extra access removed. The plan would replace two of the three trees removed. There was a sequence of the same trees lining Pioneer Street. They would remove one and replace it with a different variety that would have better conditions to grow. The current tree was root bound and there was no way to undo existing damage. There was a way to create a situation with structural soil, increased soil volume and a wider collar in the sidewalk that would create a healthier growing situation for the tree. Ms. KenCaim could revise the plan to retain the trees but the only kind of walls that could go in there without footings would be the same stack block walls. If they retained one of the trees, no other plants could go in that area and it would be difficult to invigorate the depleted soil. She was not sure it was the right way to go. Retaining the tree and digging footings for the wall would cut major roots and kill the tree. Currently, there were little signs of the sidewalk lifting due to the tree roots. Ms. KenCaim had designed a method using rubber sidewalks that allowed tree roots to grow and made the sidewalk malleable. However, this was a highly urban corner where a quarter inch of pavement rising could create accessibility issues. The seat walls allowed the upper and lower sidewalk to co-exist. People were already sitting around the public art piece. A seat wall around the sculpture created a better situation for sitting. She discussed paver color with Council and recommended neutral tones. The seat wall would be lower on one side and people would not be able to sit there. Councilor MarshNoisin m/s to ask the project to go back to see if one or three trees could be saved in this rendition. DISCUSSION: Councilor Marsh had high regard for Ms. KenCaim's design skills but Ashland was experiencing an elevated concern about saving trees. Projects were coming, forward and the response regarding tree removal was the species was wrong and the existing tree was not doing well. That applied to almost 80% of the street trees in Ashland. At some point, the City needed to make the trees thrive instead of removing them. Other influences compounded the issue making saving trees a high priority. Councilor Voisin wanted to save all three trees. It connected with the rest of downtown and was important to respect the people who originally planted the trees. They might not be the right kind now but at some point, there was consent it was the right way to go. Councilor Lemhouse agreed with Councilor Marsh. Some of the concerns brought forward were valid enough to ask the experts to go back and look at other options. Councilor Lemhouse/Marsh m/s to amend the main motion that Council approve in concept the rest of the plan outside of the tree removal. DISCUSSION: Councilor Marsh added some of the concepts would not work if they retained the trees. Councilor Rosenthal questioned the availability of funds for the additional contract design. Mr. Fleury responded staff would require additional funding past the original contract's amount that will need Council approval. Change orders were acceptable up to 25%, anything above that Council needed to approve. Councilor Seffinger was concerned the amendment restricted the ability to save the trees. Councilor Morris disagreed with the amendment. Asking the architect to save the trees would change the design drastically. Councilor Voisin thought Council needed to be clear on what the priority was and thought the amendment Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 4 of 9 confused the clarity. She would not support the amendment. Councilor Lemhouse clarified the concept was good. Any possible changes needed to save the trees would come forward. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Rosenthal, Marsh, and Lemhouse, YES; Councilor Voisin, Seffinger, and Morris, NO. Mayor Stromberg broke the tie with a YES vote. Motion passed 4-3. Continued discussion on amended motion: Councilor Morris explained Ms. KenCaim was trying to give Council the best possible project. The boxes the City planted trees in were too small and substandard. Enlarging the box might help but it would take away part of the required sidewalk width and he doubted they could retain the tree on Pioneer Street. He would like to retain the trees but did not want issues with the sidewalk and wall that resulted in their removal 4-5 years from now. Councilor Voisin thought there might be another way of looking at the project that could save the trees. She would support the motion. Councilor Seffinger would support the motion. Trees in the downtown were important for a variety of reasons and it would take years for new trees to provide benefits. Councilor Rosenthal thought the motion was asking for another option that incorporated the existing trees. It would come back to Council and might not be a feasible option for the long-term. Roll Call Vote on amended Main Motion: Councilor Voisin, Rosenthal, Seffinger, Marsh, and Lemhouse, YES; Councilor Morris, NO. Motion approved 5-1. Ms. KenCaim noted James Urban developed a structural soil method currently required in the City of Medford for all new street trees. This technique provided enough oxygen so tree roots would not lift sidewalks and produced trees that thrived. Mr. Pardee recommended the City do an aggressive inventory of the trees downtown. From his experience structural soil was working. There were some instances where natural soil worked but most did not. Ms. KenCaim explained getting oxygen and water down into the root zone of current street trees would help strengthen the existing canopy. There were strategies that would work except for trees already root bound. Mr. Pardee added tree roots developed root memory and as they started to circle a tree, even if they had more room, would continue to circle. Ms. KenCaim went on to address the project at Winburn Way and Main Street. The footing for the seat wall would go under the sidewalk instead of towards the existing tree. The City was expanding the landscape area, moving the curb further into the street that would provide more water and oxygen for the tree. The boulder would remain because it had integrated into the tree. She explained her role regarding protection measures for the tree during the project. Councilor Rosenthal/Marsh m/s approval of the Winburn Way beautification project. DISCUSSION: Councilor Rosenthal noted the project was straightforward and looked forward to seeing the results. Councilor Marsh thought the corner would become a popular place to sit. Councilor Lemhouse supported the motion, appreciated Ms. KenCaim's effort, and patience. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Voisin, Rosenthal, Seffinger, Marsh, Lemhouse, and Morris, YES. Motion approved. Councilor Marsh requested a Study Session to review funding for the next biennium due to recommendations made by the Downtown Beautification Improvement ad hoc Committee, discuss an urban tree plan, and designate funding. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Minutes of boards, commissions, and committees 2. Class-special procurement with Portland Engineering 3. Approval of an intergovernmental agreement with Oregon Department of Transportation for accessible ramp improvements 4. Approval of an intergovernmental agreement with Rogue Valley Council of Governments and the designated management agencies 5. Approval of an intergovernmental agreement with United States Department of the Interior - Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 5 of 9 Bureau of Reclamation, Talent Irrigation District, and the City of Ashland 6. Special procurement for the purchase of a Volvo Model PF4410 Asphalt Paver 7. Appointment of Sherman Lucas to the Airport Commission 8. Appointment of Douglas Kay to the Wildfire Commission Councilor Lemhouse/Rosenthal m/s to approve Consent Agenda items. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. PUBLIC HEARINGS (None) NEW AND MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS 1. Appointments to Ad-Hoc Climate Action and Energy Committee Councilor Lemhouse/Seffinger m/s to accept Mayor Stromberg's appointments to the Ad-Hoc Climate Action and Energy Committee. DISCUSSION: Councilor Voisin raised a point of clarification and asked when the other members would be appointed. Mayor Stromberg wanted to appoint a nucleus of 7-8 members with the possibility of it growing to 10-12. Councilor Rosenthal had a question regarding the draft scope of work. Councilor Voisin raised a point of order on Councilor Rosenthal's inquiry. Mayor Stromberg ruled in favor of the point of order and explained they would discuss scope after Council voted on the motion. Councilor Lemhouse supported the council liaison appointment, member appointments, and the committee. Councilor Voisin noted it was important to fill the entire committee. Councilor Seffinger also supported the Mayor's appointment choices. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Morris, Lemhouse, Seffinger, Rosenthal, Marsh, and Voisin, YES. Motion passed. Councilor Rosenthal suggested changing language in the draft scope of work, page 2 of 2 in the Council Communication, first sentence of the third paragraph from "...however the activities of consultants hired by the City to work on the plan or technical reports associated with the plan shall be directed by the City and not by the ad hoc committee," to "...committee should advise the city staff regarding activities of consultants on the project." Council consensus agreed with the change. Councilor Marsh expressed concern regarding language in the draft scope of work prohibiting the committee to create and appoint subcommittees without prior consent of Council and suggested deleting the sentence. Councilor Lemhouse clarified it would still allow the committee to create a subcommittee of its own members. City Administrator Dave Kanner did support removing the sentence. Subcommittees created by commissions or ad hoc committees were public meetings that required staff time, public noticing, and minutes. A couple of the appointees had made it clear they wanted eight or more subcommittees. It would create an inordinate amount of staff time and he did not believe an ad hoc committee should be able to make that type of decision without some form of prior approval. Councilor Marsh understood the drain on City staff time and noted the council liaison would guide the committee and remain sensitive to staff time. She was open to another form of approval other than City Council. City Recorder Barbara Christensen explained a subcommittee consisted of members on the committee and could be one to two people. The subcommittee could create their own minutes and it was easy to notice meetings. The main thing to ensure was that no new people joined a subcommittee, only current committee members. They could do a presentation or public hearing as long as they met public meeting guidelines. The committee could meet with the City Recorder and City Attorney for clarification on what they could or could not do. Councilor Rosenthal would actively serve as Council Liaison and Chair for the ad hoc committee. Councilor Marsh/Rosenthal m/s to remove the sentence with the caveat that Chair Rosenthal will keep the committee in check. Voice Vote: Councilor Voisin, Morris, Lemhouse, and Seffinger, NO; Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 6 of 9 Councilor Rosenthal and Marsh, YES. Motion failed 4-2. Councilor Lemhouse/Marsh m/s to appoint Councilor Rosenthal as Chair of the ad hoc committee and that he would come back to Council with a plan regarding the potential subcommittees being formed. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Voisin, Morris, Lemhouse, Seffinger, Rosenthal, and Marsh, YES. Motion approved. 2. Annual renewal of liquor licenses City Recorder Barbara Christensen explained the Oregon Liquor License Commission (OLCC) sent the City a notice in July listing all the establishments within city limits with a current liquor license for annual liquor license renewal. Ms. Christensen forwarded the list to the Utility Billing department to determine if business licenses were current and not in arrears for the previous year's renewal fee. She also sent a copy of the list to the Chief of Police. Due to prior discussions regarding two establishments that have been problematic, Ms. Christensen wanted to ensure her office was following the process for liquor licenses appropriately. The Ashland Municipal Code stated if a license met the criteria for an unfavorable recommendation according to the code and OLCC guidelines, she would report to the City Council regarding the filing, prepare sufficient documentation or findings that supported an unfavorable recommendation, and mail a letter to the applicant on the unfavorable recommendation. The recommendation would go on the next Council meeting agenda for approval. She recently met with OLCC Investigator Amy Nevine from the Medford OLCC and Sarah Morgan, the supervisor with the License Servicing Division in Salem regarding reasons for liquor license denials. Ms. Christensen referenced a document that listed the reasons a city could deny or restrict a license and reasons a city could not consider denying a license. The City needed to document violations and situations that occurred at these establishments and the court proceedings that followed in order for OLCC to consider denying a liquor license. The City needed to better document violations and instances and maintain a running file on these establishments. Ms. Morgan informed them OLCC could not deny the renewal of a liquor license based on the information the City had on the Vinyl Club or the Granite Tap House. The denial process was time consuming and could take up to a year for OLCC to make a determination. During that time, the establishment in question retained their liquor license. Once the City had enough documentation to support a denial they could contact OLCC and recommend revocation prior to the annual renewal process. Since the City did not have sufficient documentation to request liquor license denials on the two businesses, Council could approve the renewal of all the liquor licenses and convey wording within a motion or recommendation that put the owners of the Vinyl club and the Granite Tap House on notice. This action would help a potential denial in the future if needed. Police Chief Tighe O'Meara addressed documentation needs and that the Vinyl Club was closer to a negative recommendation than the Granite Tap House. The Chief included the Granite Tab House because of the incidents that occurred there posed a significant security risk at the time. One of the owners contacted him the day before expressing a sincere interest in mitigating access issues with their establishment. The arrest report of one of the Granite Tap House owners did not include whether alcohol was a factor in the assault that occurred at another bar. That was a failing on the Police Department reporting. The Vinyl Club demonstrated more alarming behavior and there was an ongoing feud between the venue and some of the residential neighbors. The City recently determined that AMC Chapter 9.18 Chronic Nuisance Property was applicable to any part of town and that included businesses. The ordinance stated that if any property had three or more qualifying violations or crimes committed on it in a thirty-day period and if the City Attorney's office made a motion with the Municipal Court Judge to do this, the Judge had tremendous power to affect the business and property that included shuttering the business up to 180 days. The City was also considering adding fire Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 7 of 9 code violations due to occupancy to the ordinance, expanding the qualifying violations, and extending the time from 30 days to 60 days. Council noted the incident of first responders unable to open the door at the Granite Tap House from the outside. The documentation received did not seem show a real effort to remedy that issue by the bar owners. Chief O'Meara explained the efforts made by the owner were not adequate for an emergency. Recently, the owner contacted the Chief that they were no longer using the elevator and staffing the stairway exit so there was always someone there for first responders. It was a step in the right direction but not the final resolution to the situation. Division Chief Fire Marshal Margueritte Hickman met with one of the owners of the Granite Tap House and learned the door opening mechanism was not operating properly. She addressed overcrowding and blocking exits. In the nation's catastrophic events that occurred in nightclubs where many people died, two of the common characteristics in all of the events were overcrowding and blocked exits. The Granite Tap House received two citations on Halloween 2014. The Vinyl Club incurred three citations, one from the Fire Department and two from the Police Department since new ownership. Michael Leslie/Vinyl Club Owner/Confirmed that had received two violations regarding over capacity on separate occasions. In the last three years, police calls for the Will Dodge Area had declined. The majority of the calls came from two people. The owners were striving to create a safe environment for students, young adults, and the community. The Vinyl Club was trying to give back in any way. Mr. Leslie explained the steps taken to address noises issues ad overcrowding included closing their doors between 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and keeping the music down when the doors were open. For over capacity, he did a head count every five minutes and had a state certified security person at the front door and one inside. Ryan Bottano/Granite Tap House Owner/23 North Main Street/Agreed the majority of what was brought up was correct. The Granite Tap House was cited on Halloween and New Year's Eve. This was two of the busiest days of the year. They were working as diligently as possible to correct any infractions and problems with ingress and egress situations. They were incorporating an Allen key that will unlock the door and no one will be able to lock it without the proper tools. They would install a sprinkler system and wanted to ensure they complied with everything the Fire Department suggested. He was certified as an executive manager by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). Using the stairwell instead of the elevator enabled them to control capacity better and they were constantly upgrading their systems to ensure everyone was safe. They anticipated the door would be fixed soon. The sprinkler system would be installed by winter. Councilor Lemhouse motioned that Council recommend approval of liquor licenses for the listed establishments with exception of the Granite Tap House and the Vinyl Club. The motion died for lack of a second. Councilor Rosenthal/Marsh m/s to approve the OLCC renewal list for liquor licenses in Ashland and to direct staff to pay particular attention to the Vinyl Club and Granite Tap House and document issues. DISCUSSION: Councilor Rosenthal explained this was the suggested motion from the City Recorder. He preferred Councilor Lemhouse's motion. He thought the Vinyl Club had more of a problem and listed violations they had incurred since November 2014. Councilor Voisin appreciated staff going to OLCC to learn what was required. It was now clear what needed to happen. Councilor Lemhouse would support the motion. He supported going forward with what OLCC recommended and noted there definitely needed to be some changes. It was important to have a vital downtown and the businesses that Mr. Leslie and Mr. Bottano owned contributed to that vitality. It was up Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 8 of 9 to the business owners to deal with challenges they had with their buildings, not their neighbors. It was Council's job to represent the citizenry and people were not happy with what they were seeing. Councilor Lemhouse/Rosenthal m/s to amend the main motion to state a review period spanning from August 18, 2015 to February 2, 2016 of the Vinyl Club and Granite Tap House will be instituted and during that period, each establishment will meet with City officials to come up with a plan to immediately remedy concerns brought forth to the Council. DISCUSSION: Councilor Lemhouse thought the situation required more than a verbal commitment from the business owners. The time stipulated would cover holidays. Councilor Rosenthal concurred with the additional clarity Councilor Lemhouse provided. Councilor Marsh was not sure Council could compel a business owner to meet with them. Councilor Lemhouse further clarified his intention was giving them an opportunity to meet, not compelling them to meet with Council and explained City staff involvement. Councilor Voisin questioned if the amendment asked staff to come up with a plan. Councilor Lemhouse explained during the review period staff would come up with a plan to help mitigate these issues. Councilor Voisin did not think it was a good use of staff time and preferred the business owners coming to the City with a plan instead. Councilor Morris noted the owners would have to meet with staff when they addressed fire safety issues and were responsible to remedy any of the other issues without staff involvement. He could not support the motion. Councilor Marsh/Lemhouse m/s to separate the motion. The first part of the motion was the six- month review and the second part to require the owner to come forward and work with staff. DISCUSSION: Councilor Marsh thought the six-month review was a good idea. Councilor Morris would support a six-month review but preferred a three-month review. Councilor Lemhouse wanted to encapsulate the holidays and see how the business owners worked with the new plan. Mayor Stromberg clarified the vote was separating the motion. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Morris, Lemhouse, Rosenthal, Marsh, Voisin, and Seffinger, YES. Motion passed. DISCUSSION on the six-month review: Councilor Lemhouse commented establishing a review period kept the businesses accountable. Councilor Marsh agreed a six-month review was good. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. DISCUSSION on requiring the owners to come forward and work with staff: Councilor Lemhouse explained it was not his intention to require the business owners to meet with the City. He intended the motion to direct staff to put together a plan with the owners should they choose to participate. Councilor Lemhouse withdrew the second part of his motion. Councilor Lemhouse motioned for staff to meet with business owners of both establishments to formulate a plan to mitigate concerns brought forward by staff. Motion died for lack of a second. Ms. Christensen restated the amended motion would have Council approve the OLCC renewal list for liquor licenses in Ashland and directed staff to pay particular attention to the Vinyl Club and Granite Tap House and was amended to include a review period from August 18, 2015 to February 2, 2016. DISCUSSION on amended main motion: Councilor Seffinger would have been more comfortable if the motion stated in compliance with OLCC documentation. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Voisin, Morris, Lemhouse, Seffinger, Rosenthal, and Marsh, YES. Motion passed. Councilor Lemhouse/Rosenthal m/s direct staff to update the chronic nuisance ordinance to include applicable codes as mentioned in the staff report. Ashland City Council Meeting August 18, 2015 Page 9 of 9 Councilor Voisin raised a point of order and questioned whether a motion could be made on something that had not been noticed. Mayor Stromberg clarified the motion was staff direction and when it came back to a Council meeting it would be noticed. DISCUSSION on motion: Councilor Lemhouse thought the chronic nuisance ordinance needed review and potential updating especially regarding fire code issues. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Morris, Lemhouse, Rosenthal, Marsh, Voisin, and Seffinger, YES. Motion passed. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS (None) OTHER BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERSIREPORTS FROM COUNCIL LIAISONS Councilor Voisin announced Laura Lippert, Mildred Schwendener, and Robert Cox from the Senior Center received the President's Volunteer Service Award. Each received a presidential certificate from the White House, a letter from President Obama, and a presidential insignia pen. She went on to note two veterinarians would provide rabies shots and other health benefits for dogs and cats at the United Methodist Church September 28, 2015. Councilor Lemhouse relayed a concern the Wildfire Mitigation Commission had regarding work on the wildfire hazard zone. Apparently it was lowered on the priority list. This was a public safety issue and the Commission wanted it higher on the priority list. He went on to announce the recent passing of Craig Hooper, a former long-term police officer with the Ashland Police Department. He honored Mr. Cooper, his hard work, efforts, and shared a personal interaction he had with him when Councilor Lemhouse worked for the Ashland Police. Councilor Marsh announced August 26, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the Ashland Community Resource Center would hold the second annual Family Fest. The Food Bank and other agencies would be present to provide services. The Food Bank would also be open for evening shopping. City Administrator Dave Kanner described a recent and dangerous code violation related to a renter in a house who had incorrectly redone the wiring system in the house to grow marijuana. He suggested the City put together an educational program for people interested in growing marijuana safely to mitigate potential hazards. ADJOURNMENT OF BUSINESS MEETING Meeting was adjourned at 10:04 p.m. Barbara Christensen, City Recorder ohn Stromberg, Mayor