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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012.06.12 Forest Lands Commission Minutes Draft Minutes FOR A MEETING OF THE ASHLAND FOREST LANDS COMMISSION Tuesday, June 12th, 2012 5:30PM to 7:30PM Siskiyou Room, Community Development Building 51 Winburn Way I. CALL TO ORDER: 5:30 PM Present: Dan Maymar, Jim Berge, Frank Betlejewski, Chris Chambers, Gary Pool, John Williams, Stefanie Seffinger, Albert Pepe, Barbara Christiansen, Dave Lohman, Marty Main. IL INTRODUCTIONS City Recorder Barbara Christiansen and City Attorney Dave Lohman III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 8th Minutes Minutes were approved as submitted with all ayes. IV. PUBLIC FORUM None V. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA Barbara and Dave presented laws and policies related to commissions. She will pass on the power point packet to Chambers to distribute to the commission via email or hard copy. Commission shouldn't stay and discuss any issues related to business of the commission if there is no quorum. Field visits are OK as long as the information is then taken back to an official meeting for discussion and you don't deliberate toward a decision or make one. Take a look at Chapter 2.10 of the City Municipal Code to give feedback to the Recorder or City Attorney. Attendance at meetings has been a thorny issue thus far. Excused absences are something you don't have control over such as sickness, family matters, etc... Vacations are not an excused absence. The Recorder would like to hear from commissioners about this. Written minutes must be taken for all public meetings. Items that must be present are those present at the meeting. Must have substance of the meeting, decisions, and references to public documents. Chair needs to make sure that everyone is being heard. Use Roberts Rules of Order as needed in order to conduct business. Three year retention rule for any notes taken at a commission meeting. Best not to communicate via email and if group information is being shared, send it to the staff liaison for distribution and retention. Council is the final decision maker for all commission business. Commissioners are considered public officials under state law. Commissioners can't have any personal benefit or use of City equipment. Commissioners can't vote on a matter G:\fire\F'orest Interface DivisionTorest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2012\June 12th,2012 draft.docx related to their position that would gain them personal benefit. Gifts have a 50 dollar limit per year. Commissioners should not participate in decisions that can cause them to benefit, or any relative to benefit. Disclosing any potential conflict is always the best recommendation. Section 3.08 of the City Code addresses this same conflict of interest issue. Council will consider the attendance issue with feedback from all the commissions. There is an issue of how long a person can serve as Chair, what the definition of"term" is. Commissions are not required to have a meeting every month as long as business is being addressed. Any questions should be addressed to the City Attorney, but his advice does not"protect" someone from bad decisions. VI. BUSINESS A. Trails/Recreation Update Karns said the budget request to work on trails and planning was not approved by the budget committee. The current sign posts for Bandersnatch are being worked on right now and AWTA will help install. Parks will help some with materials and Karns would like to see public works contribute. Main would like to see citizens help with fund raising. Chambers gave example of AWTA raising money for the watershed trails assessment NEPA study. Consistency is important to meet the growing need on the landscape being created by additional recreation. Pool sees this dovetailing with trail sponsorship that he's looking into. B. City Lands Prescribed Burn Review: Unit J Chambers explained that the burn perhaps did not consume enough fuels, but that was better than too much. It did create public awareness, trust that the work could be done safely, and a valuable relationship with the contractor. Main pointed out that the City has made a strategic connection with the Forest Service's work to create an effective fire management area over the period of 30 plus years with various types of treatments. This would make a good success story considering the long term view of it across ownerships. C. AFR Project Update Contract is in place for commercial thinning on the more gentle slopes in block 2. Main is working on prescriptions and helicopter contracting along with Chambers. The RFP will be out soon and then a tour and eventual selection of the operator. A lot of work is moving forward right now. Non- commercial work has moved forward ahead of the commercial thinning. Community engagement is taking place including a community open house on June 14th at 7:00pm at the Community Center. AFR partners canvassed the downtown area and Granite St to talk with people and invite them to the meeting. Pepe asked about using small diameter materials from the cutting in AFR. Main and Chambers explained the access and economic difficulties with that, but encouraged Pepe to keep asking about this issue. G:\fire\Forest Interface Division\Forest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2012\June 12th,2012 draft.docx Pepe motioned to adj ourn at 7:31, Pool seconded. D. Ashland Water Advisory Committee Update E. Watershed Outreach Plan Review F. Ashland Forest Plan Revision G. Update Commission 3-Year Goals VII. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS VIII. REVIEW AND SET COMMISSION CALENDAR/NEXT MEETING A. Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting: July loth, 2012 IX. ADJOURN: 7:30 PM In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting,please contact the Public Works Office at 488-5587(TTYphone number 1 800 735 2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting(28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title I). G:\fire\Forest Interface Division\Forest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2012\June 12th,2012 draft.docx