The Monday, August 4th, 2025 2025 work session of the Australia City Council for the record, the time is 7 52 p.m.

Mr.

Spence.

Do we need a roll call?

We're all here.

Let's jump in and get this thing on.

So thank you, Mayor and City Council.

Before you is your work plan, and I guess I would just uh make a couple of comments.

This was reviewed during your council retreat earlier this year.

Um I want to point out the fact that council was deliberate in their work plan and also wanted to communicate more clearly what their priorities were.

Um this is organized now by housing for all Astorians, a thriving local economy, resilience as a community and livability and quality of life for residents.

Um again, I think the object here is to be able to clearly communicate what the goals and priorities of the city council is to improve the community.

Secondarily, you'll notice that uh we also put top priority on some of the headings to clearly communicate again.

There are priorities, but they're also top priorities.

This is a recognition that this is a very ambitious city council work plan, and there are limited resources of time that staff can actually devote and carry out those.

And if we're going to be successful, we also need to be deliberate and giving ourselves a little bit of grace on certain things that are still a goal and a priority, but there also are things that need to advance in a more timely fashion.

Um, I would make one recommendation.

I think this is also part of the context of knowing that certain things had to happen.

So maybe they were not listed as a top priority, but I would recommend putting the library project as a top priority, given the fact that the library voters overwhelmingly supported the passage of the bond to renovate our library, which will be done and actually open to the public in October.

Um, the other one would be, and we just talked about it, which is our mandate from the state to um fully develop a housing capacity analysis as well as a housing production strategy.

Those things do need to happen.

And again, it sort of provides context of why we're working on those goals.

Um with that, I think this is very again ambitious plan.

I think it clearly articulates what council wants to do and move the city forward.

And I'd be happy to answer any questions, but more importantly, this is to affirm this is the direction you've given staff, and we've articulated in a fashion that uh is supported by council.

Great.

Thank you, Mr.

Spence.

Um, I appreciate you bringing this in front of us this evening.

Um and agree that it is uh what we uh what the council has stated we wanted to see in the work plan.

I agree library should be a top priority.

Um, even though it's ongoing and it's going to happen and so on.

I think it's good to have it showing as a top priority.

The bond passed overwhelmingly.

And I think this is a good signal to our constituents that uh council understands that getting that library finished is a a priority.

So um I didn't have any other concerns in here.

Did any of the counselors have any concerns?

Are you comfortable?

Uh affirming to staff using their term that this is what we agreed is uh should be in our council work plan.

Councilor Lump is acknowledging yes, I suppose I should say um so it's on the record.

Uh but yeah, I think that this definitely reflects um our discussions we've had, and and I'm I feel satisfied of showing um both to the community and to staff.

Um, you know, we've got a lot that we want to do, but we have uh a smaller group of things that we're gonna try really extra hard to do.

Um as best we all can.

And so um, I feel pretty good about it.

Great.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Lump.

Other thoughts for council or for staff from the council.

Counselor Adams.

Thank you, Mayor.

I just want to thank the staff that have worked so hard on this for us.

I know that this is quite a large document and a lot of ideas and personal opinions and opinions of constituents that we've tried to put into this work plan.

And I feel very proud to see a document like this for us to guide uh our work here at council and pass on to people who may sit in our seat at another time and see how they can pick up that torch and continue or adjust based on what is current and important to uh the community.

So thank you so much to staff.

And I I think the most important part of this is the measurables and the deliverables and how we're gonna actually check things off the list and deliver.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you, Counselor Adams.

The other counselors agree.

Other concerns?