1 Fort Jones Town Council
Regular Meeting Minutes
August 11, 2025
CERTIFICATION OF POSTING AGENDA
I, Cynthia Keno, Customer Service Clerk, for the Town of Fort Jones, hereby certify that the agenda for the Aug. 11, 2025 regular meeting of the Town Council was posted at the Town Hall, near the door of the Town Council Chambers, Ace Hardware, on the front window of the Fort Jones Post Office, Ray’s Food Place, and on the Town’s website www.fortjonesca.org on Aug 8, 2025 before 6:00 p.m.
I declare under the penalty of perjury that the forgoing is true and correct. ______________________________________________________________________________ Cynthia Keno, Customer Service Clerk
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL:
The regular meeting of the Fort Jones Town Council was called to order in person by Mayor Madeleine DeAndreis at 6:00 p.m. In addition to the mayor, councilmembers present were Michelle DeCausmaker, Mercedes Garcia, Alex LaRiviere, and Paula Johnson.
Staff present: Cherie Stephen – Town Administrator by teleconference, Andrew Jared – Town Attorney by Zoom and teleconference, Everett Hullquist – Public Works, Clink Whitchurch - Fort Jones Police Department.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by Mayor DeAndreis
PUBLIC COMMENTS: NONE
AGENDA REARRANGEMENT:
Mayor DeAndreis announced that legal counsel, Andrew Jared, has requested that agenda items 2 and 4 be moved to before the non-action items. She asked the council for a motion.
Motion: LaRiviere motioned to move agenda items 2 and 4 to in front of the non-action items.
Second: Garcia
Ayes: M. DeAndreis, M. DeCausmaker, M. Garcia, P. Johnson, A. LaRiviere Nays: None
Action: Motion passes unanimously
2. Review, discuss, and possibly give direction to staff to put out RFP’s to replace the water main on Hwy. 3.
Public Comment: None
Legal Counsel: Andew Jared, legal counsel, indicates that this agenda item needs to be properly agendized. The council is unable to give direction to put out RFP’s as there is no plan design or 2 cost estimates to send out a proper RFP. He suggests that a proper staff report be done and the agenda item reworded. Wording recommendations were given.
Motion: LaRiviere moves to table agenda item until the special meeting on the 14th of Aug.
Second: Johnson
Ayes: M. DeAndreis, M. DeCausmaker, M. Garcia, P. Johnson, A. LaRiviere Nays: None
Action: Motion passes unanimously
4. Consideration of approval to make improvements and repairs to the existing park adjacent to the Town Hall.
Public Comment: None
Legal Counsel: Andrew Jared, legal counsel, indicates that before a decision can be made the council needs to be presented with a design proposal and a cost proposal for all the improvements that the design will entail. If the cost is under $75,000 then the public works department can do the work.
Council: Members discussed what kind of improvements they were interested in having presented. Council member DeCausmaker stated she was going to do the design work for the park improvements.
Motion: DeCausmaker moves to have a design and proposals for the removal of the ground cloth, to replace the ground cloth with a natural material, to install a drinking fountain, installation of new playground equipment, and to erect a shade cloth, be presented to council for possible approval.
Second: Garcia
Ayes: M. DeAndreis, M. DeCausmaker, M. Garcia, P. Johnson, A. LaRiviere Nays: None
Action: Motion passes unanimously
DISCUSSION / REPORTS / CORRESPONDENCE; NON-ACTION ITEMS:
A. Police Department Monthly Report
No report appears in the Aug. 11th agenda packet, only the call logs. Deputy Whitchurch did not have anything to add.
Public Comments: None
Council Comments: Mayor DeAndreis felt the call logs that didn’t pertain to our town should no longer be in out packets. The other members of the council agreed and gave the town administrator direction to ask Chief Short to only put in the calls for Fort Jones.
B. Fire Department Monthly Report
A written report appears in the Aug. 11th agenda packet. Nothing further was verbally added as Chief Hess was on a fire.
Public Comment: None
C. Public Works Monthly Report
A written report appears in the Aug. 11th agenda packet. E. Hullquist added that public works department needs two traffic rated trench plates. The cost is around $3700. 3 He will present this to the town administrator.
Public Comment: None
Council Comment: C.M. LaRiviere asked if CDBG funds could be used for sewer/water projects and what financials need to be done use them. Admin. Stephen will speak to Brandy from Great Northern to inquire about these questions.
Mayor DeAndreis thanked E. Hullquist for removing a deer from the creek.
D. Administrator / Accounting Monthly Report
No report appears in the Aug. 11th agenda packet. Admin. Stephen gave a verbal report that while she was away, she worked on interviews for the town clerk, checked and responded to emails, paid vendors, and ran employee payroll.
No public comments.
1. CONSENT CALENDAR:
Public Comment: None
Council Comments:
Mayor DeAndreis had a correction to the minutes in Council Comments where is stated that she attended the LOLA meeting. She clarified that she did not attend.
C.M. DeCausmaker wanted to know why the town administrator got paid $9000 dollars when she was gone for two weeks out of the month. She stated that she had a problem with this.
Admin. Stephen stated that she was on FMLA and that she was using her sick leave and vacation time.
a) Approval of Minutes:
i. Regular Meeting June 9, 2025
b) Ratification of Disbursements: June 01 through 30, 2025 c) Review Budget vs Actual July 01, 2024 through June 30, 2025 Motion: Garcia moves to accept the consent calendar with the correction to the June 9th minutes regarding the mayors LOLA dinner attendance.
Second: LaRiviere
Ayes: M. DeAndreis, M. DeCausmaker, M. Garcia, P. Johnson, A. LaRiviere Nays: None
Action: Motion passes unanimously.
DISCUSSION / REPORTS; ACTION ITEMS:
3. Review, discuss, and possibly take action to approve the purchase of a new response vehicle for the Fort Jones Fire Department.
Public comment: None
Council Discussion: Members agreed that it would be better that the fire chief was at the meeting so that all their questions could be addressed.
Motion: Garcia moves to table until the next regular meeting so chief can be present for discussion.
Second: LaRiviere
4 Ayes: M. DeAndreis, M. DeCausmaker, M. Garcia, P. Johnson, A. LaRiviere Nays: None
Action: Motion passes unanimously.
COUNCIL COMMENTS:
Mayor DeAndreis mentioned that she attended a meeting with SHN about the sewer plant, with five engineers, and that they went to the newly proposed site. Right now, the company 1884 are leasing the lot.
Mayor DeAndreis informed council that she spoke to Rhonda Zinkle, the homeowner of the yellow house on main street, about it being purchased for the central park, but that she was not interested in selling. DeAndreis will continue looking for a location. She is working with RCAC and SCED to brainstorm.
Mayor DeAndreis stated that interviews were held for the town clerk position.
C.M. DeCausmaker commented that Jan Walton helped the Fort Jones Cemetery put all the headstones online using a program called Pontom. Dick Berry started this program and his headstone is the first one in the program due to his recent passing.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:08 p.m. The next regular town council meeting is scheduled to be held on Sept. 8, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
Attest:
______________________________
Cherie Stephen, Town Administrator
Approved:
______________________________
Madeleine DeAndreis, Mayor
12:31 PM
09/02/25
Town of Fort Jones
Payroll Summary
August 2025
Hours Rate Aug 25
Employee Wages, Taxes and Adjustments
Gross Pay
City Council Member Stipend 2.00 200.00
Retention Recruitment Officer 2.00 7,920.00
Salary (Administrator) 3.00 13,624.62
Salary (Fire Chief) 3.00 8,118.00
Salary (Mayor) 2.00 280.00
Clerk Payroll 28.00 20.00 560.00
FD Calls 10.00 0.00
FD Training 7.00 0.00
Fire Hall Seasonal 13.00 200.00 2,600.00
Firefighter Rate 4,283.00 16.50 70,669.50
Holiday - Janitorial 18.71 0.00
Janitorial Payroll 149.00 18.71 2,787.80
Library Payroll 102.00 20.00 2,184.00
On-call PW 754.75 2.00 1,509.50
Overtime- Water 2.25 40.76 91.71
Overtime-Roads 40.76 0.00
Overtime-Sewer 40.76 0.00
Overtime - Parks/Rec 40.76 0.00
Parks Payroll 79.50 22.55 1,908.23
Per Capita LLP 8.00 27.17 217.36
Road Payroll 56.00 22.55 1,304.38
Sewer Payroll 106.00 22.55 2,709.08
Sick Pay - Clerk 27.00 20.00 540.00
Sick Pay - Fire 32.00 0.00
Sick Pay - Janitorial 18.71 0.00
Sick Pay - Parks/Rec 23.50 22.55 529.93
Sick Pay - Sewer 20.75 27.17 563.78
Sick Pay - Water 1.50 27.17 40.76
Strike Team 0.00
Town Hall 12.00 22.55 270.60
Vacation - Fire 32.00 0.00
Vacation - Janitorial 18.71 0.00
Water Payroll 350.75 22.55 7,898.51
Medical Reimbursement 279.20
Total Gross Pay 6,029.00 126,806.96
Deductions from Gross Pay
2520- Med Ins Employee -1,253.40
Total Deductions from Gross Pay -1,253.40
Adjusted Gross Pay 6,029.00 125,553.56
Taxes Withheld