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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Astoria City Council Work Session – July 28, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Tuesday, July 28, 2026

BodyAstoria, Oregon

SessionCity Council & Commissions

DateTuesday, July 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:10:24

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:11

Thank you for joining us.

0:24

So are we recording?

0:26

We are.

0:41

So we are recording.

0:44

We are good evening and welcome to the Monday, July 27th, 2026 work session of the Australia City Council.

0:54

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

0:56

Mr.

0:56

Spence, if we could have a roll call, please.

0:59

Councillor Conklin.

1:00

Here, Councilor Mozzarella.

1:02

Here.

1:02

Counselor Adams.

1:03

Mayor Fitzpatrick.

1:04

Here.

1:06

So first tonight, we are going to have a minor change to our agenda.

1:10

We are going to start with item 3B, which is Australia state legislative priorities.

1:16

Mr.

1:16

Spence.

1:19

Thank you.

1:20

So this has been acknowledged and discussed in our council as part of our dialogue about wanting a legislative priorities.

1:28

We've been active somewhat in our own right, but most cities will have a traditional state legislative priorities agenda.

1:36

So any time that we're speaking to our representatives, either at the House level or the Senate level, or even with the governor's office, we are on point and having the same message.

1:45

And so what we prepared tonight is really a potential what I call as a lead behind what you would typically do when you have an opportunity to talk to one of our representatives or senators.

1:56

And this would outline essentially what our priorities are, and then we'd provide a little more detail.

2:02

And this would be really our entryway into, I would say, advocacy on behalf of the community.

2:12

If we're going to get into the advocacy process with our state legislators, it really is a long-term commitment.

2:23

We've uh been successful.

2:25

I think Casa Miraposa is a good example where we work with partners and Councilman Adams and Council Mozzarella spoke and testified, and that was successful in getting advancing one of the community-based projects with the capital budget.

2:38

We've been pretty good about sharing our concerns about our infrastructure.

2:42

And that's always going to be an issue for the city of Astoria, just given the complexity of our utilities and the age of those utilities.

2:51

So tonight really is an opportunity to kind of discuss what those priors would be.

2:56

We would then go to a future council meeting and basically find those and affirm those.

3:00

What would be an appropriate process to do once we have a affirmed state legislative priorities list would be to invite our state delegation to a meeting probably in fall, right before the session, kind of get an idea what they believe the session is gonna, you know, pertain, what they're hearing, those type of issues, and then have an ongoing dialogue.

3:21

It would make sense to identify one to two individuals from council to sort of be that liaison for the state legislative priorities and hopefully advance our priorities on behalf of Astoria.

3:33

So with that, um, I'm just gonna go roughly discuss some of the priorities that we've identified um collectively as council, but also um uh from a staff perspective.

3:44

So given the focus on workforce housing, and that is a state objective and goal right now.

3:49

I think we have a real opportunity to take our customs house project and potentially ask for a capital ass.

3:55

That could be an infrastructure or pre-development cost, but I think that's an opportunity to have dialogue with our state delegation and see if we could advance that.

4:03

The other one which should not be a surprise is really um we need to advocate at the state level if there's funding for communities like Astoria, rural communities for help with local infrastructure.

4:14

Um ARPA is a great example.

4:16

We have $13 million that advanced significant projects within our community.

4:21

The water caucus, um, the year prior was very, very active.

4:25

They listed um millions upon millions of projects statewide.

4:30

Um that project or that caucus is no longer active, I think for lack of funding, but that's uh an initiative that would should be a continued dialogue with the city council.

4:40

Um, another one is too, we have community buildings and projects.

4:44

So it would not be out of line to ask if the if we wanted help on our aquatic center.

4:49

So we have an expansion project to provide indoor activities for our youth that would be in alignment with our values, but also it could be an ask at the state level.

5:00

Um obviously we deal with this on a different level, but there is mental health and drug addiction issues that really only the state can actually direct dollars and priorities.

5:07

So how can we be part of that whole discussion?

5:10

We talked about this at the council retreat, but we have a chairwall system that runs or supports the state highway 30 through commercial as well as marine drive, and that's in varying degree of repair.

5:22

And so at some point we need to have a dialogue with our state leadership about is that on their radar to ensure that those state highways um are maintained in a thoughtful manner.

5:33

There's been another discussion too about SB 48 that was basically um reform in the judicial system or the I guess uh incarceration system.

5:43

Uh, we've seen some maybe negative outcomes just in our own communities experience.

5:48

It would be good to have some kind of discussion or dialogue with state representatives and house of representatives figure out is there any room for reform in that?

5:56

Um a recent example, we had someone who um you know called on one one, someone was threatening to enter the house, and luckily that person was not hurt, but that person did not go to jail based on the current SB 48 guidelines.

6:10

So I think from a community perspective, that was surprising to most people.

6:14

Um, but as the structure is within this SB 48, there's a point system, and really only the most um serious crimes against person causing injury or death will be actually uh result in a jail sentence.

6:27

So I think there's maybe room for dialogue on that discussion also.

6:31

So those were some of the ideas.

6:33

We provide a background sheet on a number of issues just for ideas to generate the discussion.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Government Operations██████████████████████████████████████38%

Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████20%

Affordable Housing██████████████████18%

Procedural████████8%

Mental Health Awareness████4%

Public Engagement████4%

Transient Lodging Regulations███3%

Public Safety██2%

Transportation Safety██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Astoria City Council Work Session – July 28, 2026

The Astoria City Council held a work session on July 28, 2026, to discuss state legislative priorities, set the upcoming agenda, and receive updates on the Customs House workforce housing project. The Council reached consensus on five legislative priorities, reviewed the fall meeting calendar, and heard comments from a state representative’s field representative.

Public Comments & Testimony

John Lansing, field representative for State Representative Cyrus Javadi, commended the Council for developing legislative priorities and advised maintaining regular contact with decision-makers, establishing relationships immediately after elections, coordinating with the League of Oregon Cities and other rural communities, and consistently keeping Astoria’s priorities before legislators.

Discussion Items

3.b Astoria's State Legislative Priorities

City Manager Scott Spence introduced a proposed state legislative priorities program to ensure consistent messaging with state legislators and the Governor’s Office. He recommended developing a concise advocacy document, inviting Astoria’s legislative delegation to a future meeting, and identifying Council members as legislative liaisons.
Potential priorities presented included: funding for the Customs House workforce housing project, continued state investment in local infrastructure, funding for Astoria Aquatic Center improvements, mental health and substance-use response resources, evaluation and repair of the Highway 30/historic downtown chair-wall system, and potential reform of Senate Bill 48.
Council discussion included ranking of priorities, the need for a comprehensive study of the chair-wall system (noting it is more than 100 years old), tying priorities to committee assignments, alignment with League of Oregon Cities priorities, and balancing ambitious projects with smaller, attainable requests.
Councilor Conklin supported placing the chair-wall higher on the priority list due to its impact on traffic. Councilor Adams emphasized coordinating with existing advocacy work and including both ambitious and obtainable goals. Councilor Mazzarella supported long-term advocacy for the chair-wall and aligning state asks with state mandates such as housing requirements and public-safety laws.
Public Works Director Jeff Harrington reported that the City’s Capital Improvement Plan identifies approximately $45 million in water, wastewater, stormwater, and transportation needs. He explained that prior chair-wall reviews were limited; one was superficial, and an ODOT review found deterioration in timber piles at one intersection. He recommended seeking state funding for a comprehensive structural study before requesting construction funding.
Discussion clarified that the chair-wall system is distinct from older retaining walls and sidewalk supports, as some property owners have incurred costs to reinforce settling caused by the chair-wall.
Regarding mental health and substance-use response, City Manager Spence suggested state funding for crisis-intervention teams and coordination with Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare. Councilor Adams recommended framing this as enhancements to the behavioral-health response system.
Council reached general consensus on the following five legislative priorities:
1. Workforce housing, including investment in the Customs House project
2. Continued state investment in local infrastructure
3. Investment in the Astoria Aquatic Center
4. Funding for a comprehensive study of the Highway 30/historic downtown chair-wall system
5. Discussion of Senate Bill 48 and related public-safety and behavioral-health system improvements
Councilor Adams expressed interest in serving as a legislative liaison; Councilor Mazzarella expressed interest as a backup; Councilor Conklin offered to assist as his schedule allowed. Final liaison assignments were not made.
Staff will further develop the priorities and return to a regular Council meeting for formal consideration. No final decision was made on this item.

3.a Agenda Setting and Customs House Update

City Manager Spence reviewed the upcoming regular meetings and work-session calendar, noting a full schedule through the end of 2026.
Council discussed the August 3 agenda, which includes a citizen ballot initiative and an appeal of a Historic Landmarks Commission decision. Councilors Adams and Mazzarella requested advance education and clear legal guidance on these items. Mayor Fitzpatrick advised Council to review the HLC record and stated he would provide procedural guidance during the quasi-judicial hearing. The supplemental appeal packet had been published and was available for review.
Councilor Mazzarella asked about a joint meeting with the Port of Astoria; staff indicated previous discussions had occurred and the topic would be revisited with Port leadership.
Community Development Director John Roberts provided an update on the Customs House workforce housing proposal. The concept includes 16 detached, owner-occupied homes on approximately one acre, with the historic Customs House preserved. Edlen Co was selected as the development team, and Proud Ground would use a community land-trust model to maintain long-term affordability.
Anna McMasters of Edlen Co, participating remotely, explained that accessible units were included to improve competitiveness for state funding. Preliminary home prices were estimated at $230,000 to $300,000, averaging about $270,000. Homes financed through the anticipated Oregon Housing and Community Services LIFT program would be limited to households earning no more than 80% of area median income.
City Manager Spence stated that staff’s goal is to bring a development agreement to Council by the end of 2026. He emphasized the agreement would establish a partnership requiring some level of City investment.
Director Roberts reported that a joint meeting with the Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled for September 25, 2026, to discuss housing and planning initiatives.
City Manager Spence also reported that a Darigold redevelopment request for proposals is unlikely to be issued in 2026 due to staff capacity, project complexity, and parking-related costs. The project remains under consideration.
Councilor Conklin asked about public engagement for the Customs House project. Director Roberts said preliminary neighborhood outreach could occur before the end of 2026, with more formal public engagement anticipated in January or February 2027.
Councilor Adams requested that Building Division program and operational priorities and a review of the Astoria City Code be placed on a future agenda. City Manager Spence confirmed those items remain on staff’s work plan.
No final decision was made on agenda setting; items were discussed for informational and planning purposes.

Key Outcomes

Council reached consensus on five state legislative priorities for advocacy; staff will refine them and bring to a regular meeting for formal adoption.
Interest in legislative liaison roles was noted: Councilor Adams (lead), Councilor Mazzarella (backup), Councilor Conklin (as schedule allows); final assignments pending.
Staff will work toward a development agreement for the Customs House project by end of 2026, with a work session prior to formal Council consideration.
Joint meeting with Planning Commission scheduled for September 25, 2026.
Darigold redevelopment RFP postponed; remains under consideration.
Council to receive additional legal and procedural preparation for the August 3 meeting items, including the citizen ballot initiative and HLC appeal.
The meeting adjourned at 7:09 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you for joining us. So are we recording? We are. So we are recording. We are good evening and welcome to the Monday, July 27th, 2026 work session of the Australia City Council. For the record, the time is 6 p.m. Mr. Spence, if we could have a roll call, please. Councillor Conklin. Here, Councilor Mozzarella. Here. Counselor Adams. Mayor Fitzpatrick. Here. So first tonight, we are going to have a minor change to our agenda. We are going to start with item 3B, which is Australia state legislative priorities. Mr. Spence. Thank you. So this has been acknowledged and discussed in our council as part of our dialogue about wanting a legislative priorities. We've been active somewhat in our own right, but most cities will have a traditional state legislative priorities agenda. So any time that we're speaking to our representatives, either at the House level or the Senate level, or even with the governor's office, we are on point and having the same message. And so what we prepared tonight is really a potential what I call as a lead behind what you would typically do when you have an opportunity to talk to one of our representatives or senators. And this would outline essentially what our priorities are, and then we'd provide a little more detail. And this would be really our entryway into, I would say, advocacy on behalf of the community. If we're going to get into the advocacy process with our state legislators, it really is a long-term commitment. We've uh been successful. I think Casa Miraposa is a good example where we work with partners and Councilman Adams and Council Mozzarella spoke and testified, and that was successful in getting advancing one of the community-based projects with the capital budget. We've been pretty good about sharing our concerns about our infrastructure. And that's always going to be an issue for the city of Astoria, just given the complexity of our utilities and the age of those utilities. So tonight really is an opportunity to kind of discuss what those priors would be. We would then go to a future council meeting and basically find those and affirm those. What would be an appropriate process to do once we have a affirmed state legislative priorities list would be to invite our state delegation to a meeting probably in fall, right before the session, kind of get an idea what they believe the session is gonna, you know, pertain, what they're hearing, those type of issues, and then have an ongoing dialogue. It would make sense to identify one to two individuals from council to sort of be that liaison for the state legislative priorities and hopefully advance our priorities on behalf of Astoria. So with that, um, I'm just gonna go roughly discuss some of the priorities that we've identified um collectively as council, but also um uh from a staff perspective. So given the focus on workforce housing, and that is a state objective and goal right now. I think we have a real opportunity to take our customs house project and potentially ask for a capital ass. That could be an infrastructure or pre-development cost, but I think that's an opportunity to have dialogue with our state delegation and see if we could advance that. The other one which should not be a surprise is really um we need to advocate at the state level if there's funding for communities like Astoria, rural communities for help with local infrastructure. Um ARPA is a great example. We have $13 million that advanced significant projects within our community. The water caucus, um, the year prior was very, very active. They listed um millions upon millions of projects statewide. Um that project or that caucus is no longer active, I think for lack of funding, but that's uh an initiative that would should be a continued dialogue with the city council. Um, another one is too, we have community buildings and projects. So it would not be out of line to ask if the if we wanted help on our aquatic center. So we have an expansion project to provide indoor activities for our youth that would be in alignment with our values, but also it could be an ask at the state level. Um obviously we deal with this on a different level, but there is mental health and drug addiction issues that really only the state can actually direct dollars and priorities. So how can we be part of that whole discussion? We talked about this at the council retreat, but we have a chairwall system that runs or supports the state highway 30 through commercial as well as marine drive, and that's in varying degree of repair.

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