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Record of Proceedings

Astoria City Council Regular Meeting – January 6, 2026 (source materials list January 5, 2026)

City Council & Commissions — Tuesday, January 6, 2026
BodyAstoria, Oregon
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, January 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:58

Well, good evening and welcome to the Monday, January 5th, 2026 meeting of the Australia City Council.

1:05

For the record, the time is 6 p.m.

1:08

Ryan Quigley, could you lead us in the pledge, please?

1:12

Please rise if you're willing and able.

1:18

Hi.

1:31

Thank you, Mr.

1:31

Quigley.

1:34

Mr.

1:34

Spence.

1:36

Welcome back.

1:38

So if we could have a roll call, please.

1:41

Counselor Davis.

1:42

Here, Councilor Mozzarello.

1:43

Here, Counselor Adams.

1:45

Counselor Conklin.

1:46

Here.

1:46

Mayor Fitzpatrick.

1:49

So first up, we have a presentation.

1:52

And that's going to be from the Columbia Pacific Economic Development District, also known as COLPAC.

1:59

And with us here tonight, we have their director, Sherlock Heath.

2:02

Ms.

2:03

Heath.

2:04

Hi, thank you for having me.

2:05

It's great to see a lot of friendly faces behind the dais today.

2:08

As the mayor mentioned, my name is Sarah Lou Heath.

2:11

I am the executive director of uh ColPAC because that was a lot of syllables to get through.

2:16

Uh this is my colleague Jackie Pewitt.

2:19

Um and special thanks to Ryan for uh accepting a second version of this slideshow.

2:26

And so is there a clicker okay.

2:33

Um so a little bit about the district.

2:36

Uh we are a federal economic development district, and we get that designation from the economic development administration at the federal level.

2:44

We have been around for just over 30 years, and we work in CLATSUP, Columbia, Tillamook, and Western Washington counties.

2:52

Um our regional role is to help facilitate partnerships and collaboration, maintain federal relationships, and provide tailored on-the-ground services.

3:01

We work closely with all of our county EDCs and here in Clatsup County, that is Cedar and Kevin Leahy.

3:08

Uh, and so we make sure that we we cover our different areas and always work together.

3:15

Um of the services that we offer to our region um include grant writing and administration, um, our revolving loan fund for small businesses, uh, a new program that we are launching with the county that we'll touch more on called the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, uh several brownfield redevelopment programs, the Northwest Oregon Transit Alliance, and um a document that we hold for the region called the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.

3:45

And so we've got about 10 minutes, so we're gonna run through these pretty quickly.

3:48

So if you've uh got a question, feel free to interrupt or we can take some questions at the end as well.

3:55

I'll jump in here.

3:56

Uh Jackie Pewitt, Program Coordinator of COPAC as Sarah Lou said.

4:00

Um so we um as an organization offer uh community development black grant administrative administration services.

4:08

Um what CDBG grants are purposed for, um, but to improve quality of life in the communities, um, and especially they target communities that have low to moderate income populations.

4:22

Um two of our most recent um grant uh C B DG grant projects are the St.

4:27

Helens Sewer Capacity Project.

4:29

It's a 1.5 million dollar project.

4:31

And then also we are um assisting with a disaster recovery, so a C D BGDR um project right now, and that's been interesting to learn about.

4:41

So um think of us if you um here folks in the community um people that have needs, you know.

4:46

Um a lot of times the CDBG grants are primarily for water and wastewater treatment plants.

4:52

That's a common use for them, but there are other possible uses, um, like senior centers, libraries, um structures, and organizations that benefit the community at large.

5:00

But there are other possible uses, um, like senior centers, libraries, um structures and organizations that benefit the community at large.

5:06

So that's one of our services.

5:09

Next slide, please.

5:12

And then last year, COLPAC was able to recapitalize our economic development revolving loan fund program.

5:19

And so we do have funding available now that we would really love to get out into the community.

5:24

Um, it's for um small businesses, and the purpose um is really to find entrepreneurs and also small business owners that are looking for gap funding.

5:36

Perhaps they don't meet the criteria for traditional funding or lending, commercial lending, but they um have a good business model and um a good business plan, and they're looking for funding that will supplement um their other assets and help them expand and grow their businesses.

5:54

And so we really are looking for small businesses.

5:57

Um, obviously we're in Clatsup County tonight, but um it covers Columbia, Tillamook, and Western Washington as well.

6:02

And the funding that we provide can be used for business and industrial acquisition and monetization, purchase of equipment supplies, and so forth.

6:11

Next.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Economic Development███████████11%
Water And Wastewater Management████████8%
Government Operations███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Homelessness██████6%
Technology and Innovation██████6%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Astoria City Council Regular Meeting – January 6, 2026 (source materials list January 5, 2026)

The Astoria City Council met for a regular meeting beginning at 6:00 PM and adjourning at 7:48 PM. The agenda, minutes, and transcript all identify the meeting date as Monday, January 5, 2026, while the supplied timestamp was 2026-01-06 14:00:00+00:00; this summary uses the required date in the title. Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick and Councilors Andy Davis, Andrea Mazzarella, Elisabeth Adams, and Joshua Conklin were present, along with City Manager Scott Spence, Public Works Director Jeff Harrington, Assistant City Engineer Cindy Moore, Finance & Administrative Services Director Hilary Norton, Police Chief Stacy Kelly, Fire Chief Dan Crutchfield, Assistant to the City Manager Ryan Quigley, and City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard.

Presentation: Columbia Pacific Economic Development District (Col-Pac)

  • Sarah Lou Heath, Executive Director, and Jackie Pewitt, Program Coordinator, presented. Col-Pac is a federal economic development district serving Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, and Western Washington counties. Programs highlighted included Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) administration, a small business revolving loan fund, the new Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program, brownfield redevelopment and cleanup funding, the Northwest Oregon Transit Alliance, and the region's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
  • Heath said Col-Pac's return on investment is about 20 or 30 to 1 dollar each year on average. Dues have not been adjusted since 1994 and may need to be raised on a per-capita basis to satisfy the unencumbered, unrestricted match required for the EDA's $75,000 annual funding; current dues cover about five percent of staffing. Council asked clarifying questions; no formal action was taken.

Proclamation: School Board Recognition Month

  • Council issued a proclamation recognizing January 2026 as School Board Recognition Month. Members of the Astoria School Board were present and accepted the proclamation.

Reports of Councilors

  • Councilors reported on housing and homelessness efforts, a site visit to Seaside's 'Stepping Stones' sanctioned campsite, constituent concerns about housing, infrastructure, immigration, and public safety, an upcoming town hall, and library updates including a 'Library of Things.' Mayor Fitzpatrick noted the passing of Steve Allen, a management change at Merriweather Village, recent board/commission appointments, and a Dismal Dip fundraiser that raised just under $2,000 for the Astoria Downtown Association.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 8.a (August 18, 2025 draft minutes) and 8.b (Industrial Discharge Permit for Sisu Brewing Company) were pulled for discussion before the vote.
  • Councilor Andy Davis raised concerns that the council was approximately 12 to 15 meetings behind on minutes; City Manager Scott Spence explained that verbatim minutes require significant staff time to review and format. Councilor Andrea Mazzarella asked about potential odors or impacts to neighboring businesses from Sisu Brewing's permit; staff responded that the industrial discharge permit regulates wastewater discharge only, while odor issues would be handled through separate building permit or public nuisance processes. Staff also explained wastewater capacity allocations and that Astoria's industrial users currently are breweries, with seafood processors permitted directly by the Oregon DEQ.
  • Council approved the consent calendar as presented by a 5-0 vote.

Discussion Items

  • Election of City Council President: Councilor Andy Davis self-nominated and was elected Council President for the 2026 calendar year by a 5-0 vote.
  • Ordinance 26-01 (first reading): Council held a public hearing and first reading of the annual ordinance re-adopting state statutes referenced in the Astoria Code. Staff stated that no specific 2025 legislative changes were identified as directly impacting city code, but recommended a global readoption as best practice. The motion passed 5-0.
  • Sewage Lift Stations Rehabilitation Project CM/GC contract: Staff reported that four proposals were received and evaluated based on qualifications, experience, and project approach. Emery & Sons Construction Group, LLC was identified as the most qualified proposer. Assistant City Engineer Cindy Moore said all proposers requested score sheets, one requested full proposal materials, and no formal objections were received. Council approved the Phase 1 preconstruction services contract in the amount of $61,160 by a 5-0 vote.
  • Updated City Council Meeting Policy and Procedures: Council adopted amendments covering optional sign-up sheets, a new communications/media chapter, annual review, and changing 'obey' to 'observe.' Discussion clarified that councilors should distinguish personal opinions from official Council positions. The motion was approved 5-0.
  • Tribal Engagement and Consultation Policy: Council adopted the policy establishing consultation with the Chinook Nation and Clatsop-Nehalem Tribe by a 5-0 vote, and appointed Councilor Davis as tribal liaison and representative by a 5-0 vote. The minutes credit Mayor Fitzpatrick with the second on the appointment motion, while the transcript indicates Councilor Adams seconded; all five councilors voted in favor either way.

New Business

  • Council discussed improving the meeting minutes process. Councilor Davis proposed moving to summary or action minutes supplemented by posted transcripts; Mayor Fitzpatrick preferred retaining verbatim minutes and asked about restoring the old captioning feature. Council members generally supported faster public access to meeting records. No formal action was taken; staff agreed to bring options back for consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comment was received on the regular agenda items.
  • During non-agenda public comment, Jacqueline Lamar of Astoria (Grand Avenue) thanked council members for visiting Seaside's 'Stepping Stones' campsite and encouraged housing-first solutions and safe, stable shelter for unhoused residents. She said the current camping ordinance does not seem to be working and that 'homelessness ends with a home.'

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the consent calendar, including the draft minutes, Sisu Brewing Company's industrial discharge permit, and authorization to solicit bids for the 2025 Trestle Repair Project, 5-0.
  • Elected Councilor Andy Davis as City Council President for 2026, 5-0.
  • Passed the first reading of ORD 26-01 re-adopting referenced Oregon Revised Statutes, 5-0.
  • Awarded Emery & Sons Construction Group, LLC a $61,160 CM/GC Phase 1 preconstruction services contract for the Sewage Lift Stations Rehabilitation Project, 5-0.
  • Adopted the updated City Council Meeting Policy and Procedures, 5-0.
  • Adopted the Tribal Engagement and Consultation Policy and appointed Councilor Davis as tribal liaison, both by 5-0 votes.
  • Took no formal action on minutes-process changes; staff will bring options to a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Well, good evening and welcome to the Monday, January 5th, 2026 meeting of the Australia City Council. For the record, the time is 6 p.m. Ryan Quigley, could you lead us in the pledge, please? Please rise if you're willing and able. Hi. Thank you, Mr. Quigley. Mr. Spence. Welcome back. So if we could have a roll call, please. Counselor Davis. Here, Councilor Mozzarello. Here, Counselor Adams. Counselor Conklin. Here. Mayor Fitzpatrick. So first up, we have a presentation. And that's going to be from the Columbia Pacific Economic Development District, also known as COLPAC. And with us here tonight, we have their director, Sherlock Heath. Ms. Heath. Hi, thank you for having me. It's great to see a lot of friendly faces behind the dais today. As the mayor mentioned, my name is Sarah Lou Heath. I am the executive director of uh ColPAC because that was a lot of syllables to get through. Uh this is my colleague Jackie Pewitt. Um and special thanks to Ryan for uh accepting a second version of this slideshow. And so is there a clicker okay. Um so a little bit about the district. Uh we are a federal economic development district, and we get that designation from the economic development administration at the federal level. We have been around for just over 30 years, and we work in CLATSUP, Columbia, Tillamook, and Western Washington counties. Um our regional role is to help facilitate partnerships and collaboration, maintain federal relationships, and provide tailored on-the-ground services. We work closely with all of our county EDCs and here in Clatsup County, that is Cedar and Kevin Leahy. Uh, and so we make sure that we we cover our different areas and always work together. Um of the services that we offer to our region um include grant writing and administration, um, our revolving loan fund for small businesses, uh, a new program that we are launching with the county that we'll touch more on called the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, uh several brownfield redevelopment programs, the Northwest Oregon Transit Alliance, and um a document that we hold for the region called the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. And so we've got about 10 minutes, so we're gonna run through these pretty quickly. So if you've uh got a question, feel free to interrupt or we can take some questions at the end as well. I'll jump in here. Uh Jackie Pewitt, Program Coordinator of COPAC as Sarah Lou said. Um so we um as an organization offer uh community development black grant administrative administration services. Um what CDBG grants are purposed for, um, but to improve quality of life in the communities, um, and especially they target communities that have low to moderate income populations. Um two of our most recent um grant uh C B DG grant projects are the St. Helens Sewer Capacity Project. It's a 1.5 million dollar project. And then also we are um assisting with a disaster recovery, so a C D BGDR um project right now, and that's been interesting to learn about. So um think of us if you um here folks in the community um people that have needs, you know. Um a lot of times the CDBG grants are primarily for water and wastewater treatment plants. That's a common use for them, but there are other possible uses, um, like senior centers, libraries, um structures, and organizations that benefit the community at large. But there are other possible uses, um, like senior centers, libraries, um structures and organizations that benefit the community at large.

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