NEWBERG, Ore. — The Newberg City Council on Aug. 18 authorized the police department to purchase two Chevrolet Silverado trucks for $101,119 to deploy drone equipment. The city intends to recover the cost through a Newberg-Dundee Police Department Foundation grant that has already been awarded, meaning no fiscal impact to the city budget.
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The council also discussed a street art project, heard a presentation on liability insurance, considered changes to construction noise hours, reviewed outdated city codes for possible repeal, and delegated Mayor Bill Rosacker to attend the League of Oregon Cities annual meeting in person.
Due to equipment failure, the first half of the City of Newberg City Council Meeting from Aug. 18 is not available through the city’s YouTube account.
Attendance
Mayor Bill Rosacker, Councilors Jeri Turgesen, Mike McBride, Elise Yarnell Hollamon, Peggy Kilburg and Robyn Wheatley were present. Councilor Derek Carmon was absent.
City Manager’s Report
City Manager Will Worthey presented an overview of city operations for June 2025.
The library recorded 9,203 door counts and 33,168 checkouts, both increases over last year. Public records requests in August surpassed the total received throughout all of 2024. Building inspections remained steady in the mid-400s. Water production hit a record high, with 105.22 million gallons produced and 62.19 million gallons treated in June.
Public Comment
Affordable Housing Commission Chair Casey Banks spoke in opposition to the council’s decision to award $700,000 to the SPARK Newberg project and asked the council to reconsider.
Commission member Megan Markel also opposed the funding decision. The council agreed to place the item on a future agenda for legal advice.
Street Art project
City staff met with community member David Heddy about a concept for the Jodi Ct. neighborhood street painting project. Discussions included policies and procedures for working in street rights of way. Staff described the project as a way to promote transparency, build trust, and revitalize downtown through volunteer-led public art. The project is not expected to have any fiscal impact. The council directed staff to move forward with the pilot effort.
Liability Insurance Training
Marcus Pitts, account executive with the public entity law practice of Brown & Brown Northwest, gave a presentation on how liability insurance protects city councils and other public bodies.
He outlined the Oregon Tort Claims Act, O.R.S. 30.260, and explained the duties of council members, examples of wrongful acts, and limits on damages and liabilities. Common claims include bribery, discrimination, negligence, harassment, libel, misuse of funds, and conflicts of interest.
“For example, if a council member writes a response to an unfair criticism on Facebook—this is something that commonly happens and we’re not going to tell you not to do it—just be aware that if you respond to somebody and it goes viral and it turns out to hurt them … that can be a situation where (insurance is) denied, especially if you’re out of step with what the rest of the council thinks,” Pitts said.
He added that if responses reflect an official council position noted in the minutes, they are more likely to be covered.
Nuisance Ordinance Change
Community Development Director Scot Siegel and Capital Engineering’s Brian Kershaw presented a proposal to expand permitted construction hours.
Current code allows construction only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Staff recommended adding Saturdays and limited Sunday hours, after police approved requests for weekend work to help contractors complete projects. Sherwood allows noisy construction during all daytime hours, while McMinnville permits it every day until 8 p.m.
The council directed staff to prepare an ordinance allowing construction to begin at 7 a.m. Saturdays and return it for consideration at a future meeting.
Repealing Outdated Code
City Recorder Rachel Thomas presented three outdated code sections for repeal.
They included cigarette vending machine regulations, which are no longer legal under state law; dance permit regulations, which require minors under 15 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian at public dances; and the long-defunct Cable Communications Commission.
Thomas noted that school dances have chaperones, and events such as the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival should not be regulated by city code.
The council supported repealing all three sections and recommended removing requirements for police security at dances. Staff will bring back an ordinance for adoption.
League of Oregon Cities Delegate
The council voted unanimously to send Mayor Rosacker as Newberg’s voting delegate to the League of Oregon Cities annual meeting. Councilor Yarnell Hollamon was named alternate if Rosacker cannot attend.
