Regular Meeting
MINUTES
TULELAKE CITY COUNCIL
April 05, 2022 - 5:30 PM
Mayor Pro Tem Penny Velador and Council Members Bryan Hendricks and Teresa Williams were present.
Also present were Director of Public Works, Jose Perez; City Hall Administrator, Jenny Coelho; Finance Director, Will Sargent; City Administrative Clerk, Heidi Cureton; City Clerk, Raul Figueroa; Library Branch Manager, Tricia Plass; Assistant City Admin, Aissa Martinez; Chief of Police, Tony Ross and Police Officers, Justin Anderson, and John Langford. Mayor Henry Ebinger; City Treasurer, Sarah Luscombe and City Building Inspector, John Pemberton was all present via conference call. Council Member Gary Fensler was absent.
CONTINUATION OF MARCH 15, 2022, REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING Mayor Pro-Tem Velador brought the previous meeting of March 15, 2022, to order at 5:31PM, having been unable to adjourn it due to a lack of quorum. Mayor Ebinger made a motion to adjourn the March 15, 2022, regular meeting at 5:31PM. Council Member Hendricks seconded the motion. All votes were Ayes. Council Member Williams abstained. Motion carried. (Motion 22-49) Mayor Pro Tem Velador called the April 05, 2022, regular meeting to order at 5:32PM.
APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 15, 2022, REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Mayor Ebinger made a motion to approve the March 15, 2022, regular meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hendricks. All votes were Ayes with Council Member Williams abstaining.
Motion carried. (Motion 22-50)
APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF BILLS
Mayor Ebinger made a motion to approve the payment of bills presented. The motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Velador. All votes were Ayes. Motion carried. (Motion 22-51)
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Lydia Gil wanted to thank the City Council for all they have done over the years for the city and to invite them to the upcoming Tulelake Shindig scheduled for August 13, 2022.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND/OR TULELAKE BASIN JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATE No representatives from said organizations were present for an update.
REQUEST TO HAVE A CERTIFIED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER INSPECTION DONE FOR THE MALLARD BUILDING LOCATED AT 347 MODOC, APN 050-043-010-000
The Building Inspector was not on the phone yet so Chief of Police, Tony Ross addressed the Council regarding the old Mallard building. He referred to the structure as being in dire conditions, and it was his opinion the building should be condemned. He told Council he could start the condemnation process and had authority to enter the building if needed. City Hall Administrator, Jenny Coelho questioned whether the cost to condemn the building would be carried by the city or the owner. She added that for a building to be condemned, an abatement process would have to start from the Building Inspector. The Building Inspector had joined the conference call and stated his thoughts on the topic, declaring that the building in question is extremely unsafe and was a liability to the City, which was why he has it posted "Unsafe to Occupy". He recommended the City get permission from the owner to have an engineer enter the property and do an assessment on the structure of the building. Mayor Ebinger made a motion to have Adkins, the City Engineers, do an inspection on the building after permission is obtained from the owner and then follow up as needed. Council Member Hendricks seconded the motion. All votes were Aye. Motion carried. (Motion 22-52)
APPROVAL OF NEW BUSINESS LICENSE APPLICANT
City Hall Administrator, Jenny Coelho apprised the Council of a prospective new business in the city, wanting to do business as Sandoval Handyman. Council Member Velador made a motion to welcome and approve the new business license for Sandoval's Handyman. Council Member Williams seconded the motion. All votes were Aye. Motion carried. (Motion 22-53)
Minutes of April 05, 2022 - Regular Meeting
INTRODUCTION AND POSSIBLE FIRST READING OF NEW ORDINANCE 15.40 ADDRESSING ABANDONED,
ACCESSIBLE AND DISTRESSED REAL PROPERTY
City Hall Administrator, Jenny Coelho wanted to introduce the new ordinance addressing the abandoned, accessible, and distressed real property to council. Chief of Police, Tony Ross, requested that a workshop be held to discuss some concerns he had as a property owner of such buildings. He also brought up the question of authority that the City had in telling private property owners what they should do with their private property. City Finance Director, Will Sargent mentioned that the City had the authority to make policies regarding a buildings condition and how it may affect the health and safety of the community as well as deciding the city zoning and possibly providing latitude for individuals who are adhering to the ordinance.
City Building Inspector, John Pemberton commented that the City of Weed has a similar ordinance in place, and it works well to allow the City to be able to know what is happening with the abandoned buildings within the City. After more discussion, Mayor Ebinger made a motion to schedule a workshop before the end of April to further discuss the ordinance. Mayor Pro Tem Velador seconded the motion. All votes were Aye.
Motion carried. (Motion 22-54)
APPROVE THE NOTICE TO PROCEED FOR THE 2020 STATE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR THE 2022 TULELAKE STREET PROJECT WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN CONSTRUCTION Director of Public Works, Jose Perez informed the Council the approval of this Notice to Proceed was needed to begin the project. The STIP project will begin this summer and will encompass Main, First, Fifth and Park Street as well as Modoc Avenue. Mayor Ebinger made a motion to approve the Notice to Proceed for the 2020 STIP for the 2022 Tulelake Street Project with Rocky Mountain Construction. Council Member Williams seconded the motion. All votes were Aye. Motion carried. (Motion 22-55)
APPROVAL TO RENT TWO ROLL-OFF DUMPSTERS FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT AND ONE METAL DUMPSTER FROM KLAMATH METALS FOR THE SPRING CLEAN-UP DAYS ON APRIL 21 - 22, 2022 Director of Public Works, Jose Perez asked the Council if they would approve the rental of roll-off dumpsters for the spring clean-up days on April 21-22, 2022. He informed them he was planning to place the bins in the unapproved items and from people outside of town dumping their unwanted things. The cost to the City for off dumpsters from Waste Management and Klamath Metals for the spring clean-up. Council Member Hendricks seconded the motion. All votes were Aye. Motion carried. (Motion 22-56)
CITY HALL'S HOURS OF OPERATION AND NOT BEING OPEN FIVE DAYS A WEEK Council Member Williams explained how several people have brought to her attention that City Hall was not open five days a week or during lunch. Mayor Ebinger reminded her that this issue had already been addressed at a previous meeting and Council had come to the decision that the currently scheduled time was in the City's best interests in terms of monetary savings. Mayor Pro Tem Velador announced that she saw the points of both sides regarding this item and suggested that the City Hall staff rotate their lunches to accommodate the public during the lunch hour. After much more discussion with all departments adding their opinions, Mayor Ebinger made a motion for City Hall to remain closed on Fridays but to decide how to be open during the lunch hour to accommodate customers who may need to come in. Mayor Pro Tem Velador seconded the motion. Council Members Williams and Hendricks both voted Nay. Motion failed.
THE CONSTRUCTION/DESIGN OF THE VETERANS PARK BENCHES AND CONCERN THAT THEY ARE
DANGEROUS
Council Member Williams explained that a resident had informed her of the possible danger they thought the design of the Veteran's Park benches created. Mayor Ebinger stated that the artist designed the benches to - represent the historical aspects of Tulelake and the design was voted on by the community. He also said that unfortunately, this type of liability was always a possibility whenever and wherever the public was involved.
Mayor Ebinger suggested the City could have the Building Inspector look at them to see if they were an unnecessary danger to the public. After more discussion, Mayor Ebinger made a motion to have the Building Inspector look at the potential safety hazards in the Veteran's Park benches. Council Member Hendricks seconded the motion. All votes were Aye. Motion carried. (Motion 22-57) CLOSED SESSION: COMPLAINT AGAINST CITY EMPLOYEE. GOVT CODE §54957 Mayor Pro Tem Velador announced that the Council would now go into closed session at 6:26PM. 2 Minutes of April 05, 2022 - Regular Meeting
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION
Council returned to open session at 7:28PM. Mayor Pro Tem made an announcement that no action had been taken at this time and there will be further discussion with department heads.
DEPARTMENT HEAD UPDATES:
Chief of Police, Tony Ross: No updates currently.
City Hall Administrator, Jenny Coelho: stated the bids for the demolition of the Clyde hotel would be going out soon. She also informed the council she and Cardno had submitted the Department of Toxic Substances Control grant for the Brownfield program. She told Council that things are moving right along with the Dollar General and finally, told Council that she learned from the SCORE meeting she had attended that insurance rates for workman compensation, liability and property are increasing between 6 and 12 percent for the 2022/2023 fiscal year.
Director of Public Works, Jose Perez: No update was provided. ( City Finance Director, Will Sargent: mentioned he was working on the Government Compensations report and will have it completed before the due date.
City Clerk, Raul Figueroa told Council he will be graduating in June and will be applying for jobs out of the area and may be leaving in July.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Ebinger made a motion to adjourn the April 5, 2022, regular meeting at 7:35PM. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hendricks. All votes were Ayes. Motion carried. (Motion 22-58) Henry A Ebinger, Mayor
Attest:
Minutes of April 05, 2022 - Regular Meeting