Newberg City Council Meeting | February 20, 2024

Attendance

• Councilor Mike McBride
• Councilor Robin Wheatley
• Councilor Elise Yarnell Hollamon
• Council President Peggy Kilburg
• Mayor Bill Rosacker
• Councilor Molly Olson
• Councilor Derek Carmon

The Executive Session was canceled.

Newberg City Manager’s Report

Newberg S.T.R.I.V.E. Program

City Manager Will Worthey highlighted the purpose of the city’s S.T.R.I.V.E. program, through which city employees receive recognition for representing the values of the City of Newberg as well as register complaints for those who do not act according to the morals and values of the city.

Councillor Yarnell Hollamon asked if there were ways for people to submit allegations anonymously, to which Worthey said if there was an allegation, then the person should put their name behind it to ensure it can be investigated properly and the submitter understands the weight behind the allegations. Councilor Yarnell-Hollamon said there should be a mechanism built for specific categories of allegations to receive and process anonymous complaints. Worthey responded by saying that it could inhibit progress if people feel they may be reported for anything at any time, and Councilor Yarnell-Hollamon brought up a hypothetical scenario of sexual misconduct from a supervisor or something similar.

The Interim Human Resources (HR) Manager, Alison Seiler, jumped in to say that S.T.R.I.V.E is a secondary outlet reporting mechanism to report to HR, as outlined in the employee handbook. She added that she finds allegations that come from an anonymous source more difficult because “it’s extremely hard to investigate them.” 

Instances of sexual misconduct likely would not make it to the S.T.R.I.V.E. committee, she added, and would be handled by managers rather than the committee.

The conversation concluded with Worthey and the City Councilors agreeing that anytime sexual misconduct or any other more serious allegation is reported, it should be treated seriously and escalated immediately.

City Manager’s Report

Newberg City Manager Will Worthey reviewed city facts and figures from December 2023. This included building permits, community engagements, accounting, a hire in the Human Resources department, the recruiting process for a new IT Manager in the city, public safety statistics, and public works production.

Blaine Street Trees Removal

The City of Newberg announced plans to remove trees closest to the Newberg-Dundee Police Department — a coastal redwood and two Oregon white oak trees — next to the gazebo in Memorial Park. Concerned residents raised public comments against the plans to remove the trees during the February 5 City Council meeting.

According to Newberg Public Works Maintenance Superintendent Preston Langeliers, the trees are causing damage to the City of Newberg’s infrastructure. The 75- to 80-year-old sequoia (redwood) tree is roughly 8 feet from one of the City of Newberg manholes, and has now pushed the manhole sideways in the ground, separated piping underground, and is starting to intrude in some of the storm pipe, he said.

“Tree roots, as we know, grow toward nutrients,” he said. “Our storm pipes and sewer pipes provide great nutrients, so they all tend to grow there first.”

The options are to abandon the storm pipe and rebuild on the other side of Blaine Street, which could be upwards of $500 to $750 thousand. Alternatively, they could build the pipe on the other side of the park, which he estimates to be roughly $1 million. The last option is to remove the tree and commence repairs, which would cost the city approximately $100 thousand.

“Unfortunately, even though it’s a beautiful tree, the right decision is to get rid of it,” Langeliers said.

He also addressed a leaning oak tree in the park, which they discovered had lightning damage and is 24 feet overbalanced, as well as an oak tree 11 feet north of the redwood that needs to come down as the oak tree’s roots grew into the redwood tree, making it susceptible to toppling due to wind as part of its root system is destroyed according to an arborist report.

Langeliers stated the trees were not being removed to expand the NDPD parking lot, addressing comments made from the February 5, 2024 meeting. The NDPD parking lot expansion is in the works, he said, but not related to these trees coming down.

“The infrastructure for the storm [line] needs to be repaired — simple,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s going to lead to flooding issues and more issues in that area.”

The department is working with Chehalem Parks and Recreation Department (CPRD) to plant five new trees after these are removed.

Joni Zimmerman appeared on behalf of the Sustainable Solutions Group to express appreciation for City Manager Will Worthey and Public Works Director Russ Thomas’s time and explanation about removing the trees in Memorial Park but is asking City Council to slow the process while they explore alternatives to removing the trees.

“There’s always a handy reason to justify cutting down a tree,” she said. “But we hope we can start reframing the questions to prioritize saving these amazing trees that were planted by thoughtful Newbergundians many years ago who had a vision of a lovely cityscape for future residents: us.”

A full story is coming soon on Newsberg.

Consent Calendar

The motion to approve $466,438.97 for the purchase of four vehicles, equipment, and truck attachments to replace aging equipment on Public Works Maintenance trucks was approved unanimously. The equipment is as follows:

• One John Deere 5105 M Utility Tractor to replace a 21-year-old John Deere tractor.
• One 2025 M2 Freightliner M2 106 Plus to replace a 28-year-old 1996 International Dump Truck.
• One Stellar Slider 26 Hook Lift System to be installed on the Freightliner.
• One Extreme Vac DCL800SM14HL (hook lift leaf loader) to supplement the fall and winter street sweeping program.

The purchase of this equipment is included in the approved FY2023-2024 budget. Per the City Purchasing Manual, any purchase over $100,000 requires approval from the City Council before purchasing.

System Development Charges (SDCs) Changes (Second Reading)

Ordinance 2024-2922

The ordinance would go into effect on April 1, 2024, which would set the line for permits applied for after April 1, 2024, but not before that. Businesses and residents who are applying for change of use permits should wait until after April 1, 2024, to apply to take advantage of the changing rates, Worthey said.

Councilor Kilburg moved to approve the SDC revision ordinance, seconded by Councilor Olson. The motion passed unanimously.

“I would like to thank the council and thank the staff,” Mayor Rosacker said. “This is probably the most important issue that we have worked on to date…what we have just done is going to make Newberg more business-friendly, and I think it’s a good thing.”

Read the full story about SDCs on Newsberg.

Discussion about Council Newsletter

The council talked about their first Quarterly Council newsletter, in which City Council members highlighted various accomplishments of the City Council and the Mayor over 2023. Councilors and Mayor Rosacker discussed the topics for the upcoming newsletter. They’re planning to publish the next newsletter at the beginning of April.

Read the last City Council Quarterly Newsletter here.

Discussion of Signal and Traffic on College on 1st Street

Councilor Mike McBride addressed voiced citizen concern about crossing the street at 1st and College Streets, a popular thoroughfare for students and faculty at George Fox University getting into town. Councilor McBride proposed an official letter from Newberg City Council that could be sent to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to address the concerns around crossing 1st and Hancock Streets in Newberg. 

Councilor Molly Olson echoed Councilor McBride’s concerns, saying she semi-frequently experiences dangerous situations around that intersection. Councilors Olson and McBride both recommended sending more frequent letters to ODOT to act as a “squeaky wheel.”

Watch the Newberg City Council Meeting on YouTube.