Astoria City Council Regular Meeting - September 9, 2026

The Astoria City Council met in the Council Chambers at 1095 Duane Street on the date provided as September 9, 2026. The agenda and raw transcript identify the local meeting as Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.; the supplied UTC timestamp corresponds to September 9, 2026. The meeting included Mayor's Awards, an ODOT update on the Highway 30/Columbia-Bond Street merger, a Latin American Heritage Month proclamation, consent calendar approvals, a first reading of a building-code ordinance, authorization of the cooperative library IGA, and approval of the Teamsters Local 58 Public Works collective bargaining agreement.

Mayor's Awards

• Mayor Fitzpatrick presented Mayor's Awards to Celeste and Estelle, the Tango twins, for teaching Argentine tango in Astoria for 11 years, performing at local venues, and building community around dance.
• Mayor Fitzpatrick presented a Mayor's Award to Peg Johnson, a ceramicist who launched a weekly Coffee and Pastry for Veterans event at the Elks and has become an active community member.

ODOT Update: Highway 30 - Columbia/Bond Street Merger

• ODOT Area Manager Bill Jablonski explained that the eastbound merge pilot, installed in 2023, reduced Highway 30 from four lanes to two with bike lanes and a continuous left-turn lane. Complaints, skid marks, and close calls led to a redesign that added a 350-foot merge area and drop lane, double right-turn lanes, new signs, pavement legends, and striping.
• Councilor Mazzarella said she had personally counted 47 vehicles since August 1 driving straight from the right-turn lane. She described a truck pulling a large RV nearly hopping the curb and said she had been nearly sideswiped. Jablonski said ODOT is monitoring by word of mouth and offered to consider a variable message sign and a sign on Hume directing drivers back to Highway 30.
• Councilor Adams asked about the pilot's future. Jablonski said ODOT has no plans to extend the pilot and no funding identified to make it permanent; the final decision would rest with the city.
• Jablonski also gave a Northwest Area Commission on Transportation update. Of 168 projects competing for the 2031-2037 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, 54 were selected statewide. No Northwest ACT project was selected; Councilor Adams noted the 33rd Street signal project was not funded and that alternate funding would be pursued.

Proclamation

• Council proclaimed September 15 through October 15, 2026 as Latin American Heritage Month in Astoria, recognizing the histories, cultures, and contributions of Latin American communities, including Indigenous, Afro-Latinx, and non-Spanish-speaking communities. Norma Hernandez of Contejo Espanol accepted the proclamation, along with Jenny.

Reports of Councilors

• Councilor Davis highlighted the August 25 Conversations with Councilors event and said constituents are engaged on the vacancy tax proposal, Shively Park disc golf, downtown parking, and housing topics.
• Councilor Mazzarella said she walked the proposed Shively Park disc golf course with the parks director, noted the parks board meeting on September 23 at 6:45 a.m., and toured Helping Hands after the July 1 Shelter First policy change.
• Councilor Adams reminded residents to drive safely during back-to-school, said the SAFE fisheries program needs continued funding advocacy, and honored Jim Bergeron, a gillnetter, educator, filmmaker, oral historian, and former Astoria port commissioner.
• Councilor Conklin reported attending the Owens Adair 2 grand opening and Pier 39's Rigs and Reggae event, and discussed utility issues with a 27th Street resident affected by land movement.

Consent Calendar

• Council approved the entire consent calendar, items 8a through 8h, on one unanimous roll-call motion.
• The consent calendar included approval of five sets of draft minutes; a resolution revising Astoria Public Library procedures; a budget resolution accepting a $25,000 Oregon Department of Emergency Management grant for cameras at the Public Safety Building and Fire Station 2; and authorization to apply for up to $250,000 from Business Oregon's 2026 Regional Infrastructure Fund for Customs House Workforce Housing planning, research, and design.
• City Manager Spence explained that item 8g moves the camera grant from the General Fund, fund 001, to the Capital Improvement Fund, fund 102, for proper accounting.

Building Inspection Program and Article 9 Ordinance - First Reading (9a)

• Community Development Director John Roberts said the proposed changes update the operational plan required every four years by the state Building Codes Division, document new housing units for the state population survey, incorporate the once-uncounted 40-unit Merwin development, modernize references to electronic permitting, and clarify enforcement for dangerous or unsafe buildings. The city manager earlier said 89 new units were reported, while Director Roberts said 88 new units were reported; the transcript contains both figures. Roberts also said building fees are about 68 percent of the average among comparable cities.
• Staff identified three final amendments: remove the outdated requirement that the operational plan be adopted by ordinance, refer specifically to the building division, and correct an appeal deadline from 30 days to 10 days.
• Council discussed state specialty code requirements, penalty enforcement, building number sizes, and the difficulty of unsafe-building enforcement. Director Roberts said the changes are meant to make it easier to identify and document dangerous buildings, though demolition remains difficult.
• Council unanimously approved the amended motion to hold the first reading, and Finance Director Hillary Norton read Ordinance 26-08 by title. The ordinance will return for second reading and adoption.

Cooperative Library Intergovernmental Agreement (9b)

• City Manager Spence said the updated IGA among Astoria, Seaside, and Warrenton maximizes library collections through reciprocal borrowing. Seaside already passed the agreement in July; after Astoria's approval, it will go to Warrenton and Clatsop County.
• Library Director Suzanne Harold said holds usually arrive in one to two weeks using the Tuesday and Thursday courier, and that a card works at all three libraries. Non-residents can purchase cards for $70 per year, for shorter terms, or for $6 per month with up to six items.
• Councilor Davis asked about countywide library service; Harold said it is on her long-term list and she plans to approach the county commission after the next election.
• Council unanimously authorized the city manager to execute the cooperative library IGA.

Teamsters Local 58 Collective Bargaining Agreement (9c)

• City Manager Spence said Teamsters Local 58 had ratified the three-year contract covering the Public Works bargaining unit for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.
• Contract terms include a 3.5 percent COLA in year one and 3 percent COLAs in years two and three; market adjustments of 1.5 percent in year one and 2.5 percent in year two; on-call pay increasing from $550 to $600 per week; an additional eight hours of personal leave after three years of service; city-provided uniforms; and name changes related to the health and dental plan and hazardous material team premium.
• HR Director Ashley Deeds explained the timing: bargaining usually aims to finish before the spring budget process, but this round was delayed because union members were slow to respond and the union business representative was unavailable for personal reasons. The agreement is retroactively effective to July 1, 2026.
• Council unanimously adopted the collective bargaining agreement and the associated salary resolution.

New Business and Non-Agenda Public Comments

• City Manager Spence reported that the Riverfront Trolley is down for diesel generator repairs, ODOT will begin paving Highway 30 on September 17, and a joint council-planning commission meeting on housing capacity analysis and the community development work plan will be held September 28.
• Jan Mitchell urged the city to prioritize Cascadia earthquake and tsunami preparedness, including signage directing people up Franklin Avenue and training downtown businesses. She noted the last rupture was about 326 years ago and the average interval is about 240 years.
• A CMH radiation therapist, identified as Tiffany Baker at the start and Stephanie Baker later in the transcript, said she lives in a van because she could not find a North Coast rental despite owning a home in Roseburg. She said she is one of only two people in Clatsop County qualified to perform her specialized radiation-therapy job, and asked the city to consider overnight parking permits for hospital staff living in vehicles.
• Mary Ng described a police incident involving a man with a skull fracture and raised concerns about possible excessive force. She urged body-camera review, peaceful crisis intervention, and wellness resources for officers.
• Matthew Miller asked whether the officer involved in the same incident was under the influence of drugs, referencing the man's behavior.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar unanimously, including the library procedures revision, camera grant budget amendment, and $250,000 grant application authorization.
• Advanced Ordinance 26-08 on first reading unanimously; second reading and adoption remain pending.
• Authorized the city manager to execute the cooperative library IGA unanimously.
• Adopted the Teamsters Local 58 Public Works collective bargaining agreement and salary resolution unanimously.
• Issued the Latin American Heritage Month proclamation.
• Received the ODOT update and non-agenda public comments; no formal action was taken on those items.

Mayor Fitzpatrick adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m.