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Record of Proceedings

West Linn City Council Work Session – December 2, 2024

City Council & Planning Commission — Monday, December 2, 2024
BodyWest Linn, Oregon
SessionCity Council & Planning Commission
DateMonday, December 2, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 42:46

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Lovely time.

0:01

And so we'll just get started and call the meeting to order.

0:06

I would like to invite an approval, a motion to approve the agenda.

0:13

So thank you very much.

0:18

And I think we can call to question if there's no discussion.

0:24

Councilor Bonnington.

0:26

Yes.

0:26

Councillor Grohner.

0:27

Yes.

0:28

Councilor Wright?

0:29

Yes.

0:29

Council President Baumgartner.

0:31

Yes.

0:32

Thank you.

0:33

All right.

0:34

So our first order of business will be public comments.

0:38

And we'll take the first commenter.

0:42

You did you want to speak now or did you want to wait until the agenda item?

0:48

Okay.

0:49

And you each will have three minutes.

0:52

Please make sure that you are close enough to the microphone so that we can all hear you and state your name and city of residence.

1:02

No need to state your address.

1:05

My name is Gail Parnell, and I live in Westland, Oregon.

1:09

My comments have been and concerns have been submitted to you each in writing.

1:15

So I'd like that entered into the record.

1:17

I don't need to revisit that.

1:20

But I'm here to ask that you do postpone voting and implementing this ordinance on the wildlife issue.

1:30

And that you also explain to the public and myself why our current nuisance ordinant wasn't sufficient to resolve the problem.

1:44

And if it was a matter of needing tweaking for that ordinance, why that didn't occur, and why you went to the extreme of creating a completely new and different ordinance that encompasses more than just a nuisance problem.

2:05

So that's my comments and questions.

2:10

Well, thank you very much.

2:12

And I'm glad to say that we have our code enforcement officer, Nicola Higby here today.

2:19

And we, when we get to this point in the agenda, we'll I think address some of those questions.

2:25

So we we won't really maybe do a kind of that more question answer at this point if that's okay.

2:31

That's great.

2:32

Okay.

2:32

Thank you.

2:33

Thank you for your comments.

2:35

That is all.

2:37

Okay.

2:38

Anyone online seeming to want to comment.

2:52

Aaron, can you hear us?

2:55

I can.

2:56

Can you hear me?

2:58

We can.

2:58

It's a little quiet.

3:03

I will try to speak directly into my microphone.

3:06

Did you want to comment at this time, Aaron?

3:09

I I would.

3:10

Okay.

3:11

All we need is to have you state your full name and city of residence, and you have three minutes.

3:18

My name is Erin Ruff.

3:20

I use she and they pronouns, and I live in West Lynn and have for 25 years.

3:26

I am asking you to vote against or propose the wild or postpone the proposed wildlife ordinance and instead invest in providing quality enforcement remediation and other services to our impacted neighbors.

3:40

Passing the wildlife ordinance itself is not going to solve the problem in this neighborhood.

3:45

It will take enforcement of the ordinance to solve the problem.

3:49

And if enforcement can't happen under the nuisance ordinance, I would see that updating the nuisance ordinance would be a more appropriate remedy.

3:59

What I would like to see is that the city pivot from prioritizing a legislative-based response to prioritizing quality services for both our neighbors and wildlife.

4:09

Please invest in our community by bringing in wildlife professionals to help with effective conservation-based remediation and explore whether mediation or restorative practices might also help this neighborhood find their way to living more peacefully with each other.

4:24

One resource for mediation and restorative services is available at Clackmas County Resolution Services.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████████████████36%
Public Engagement███████████████████19%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Wildlife Management█████████9%
Procedural██████6%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Legal Process████4%
Summary of Proceedings

West Linn City Council Work Session – December 2, 2024

The West Linn City Council held a work session on December 2, 2024, at 1:00 PM. No votes were taken during the session. Key topics included public comments on a proposed wildlife feeding ordinance, proclamations for Pearl Harbor Day and Impaired Driving Prevention Month, a discussion on the severely rent-burdened housing report, and a city manager update. Councilor Grohner also raised an incident of anti-Semitic symbolism in the community.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gail Parnell (West Linn resident) asked the council to postpone the wildlife ordinance and questioned why the existing nuisance ordinance was insufficient. She requested an explanation of why a new ordinance was pursued instead of amending the nuisance code.
  • Aaron Ruff (West Linn resident, 25 years) urged the council to vote against or postpone the wildlife ordinance and instead invest in enforcement, remediation, and conflict resolution services. She recommended Clackamas County Resolution Services as a resource.

Proclamations

  • Councilor Grohner read the Pearl Harbor Day Proclamation, designating December 7, 2024, as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in West Linn.
  • Councilor Bonnington read the Impaired Driving Prevention Month Proclamation, declaring December 2024 as Impaired Driving Prevention Month and urging community members to drive sober.

Wildlife Ordinance Discussion

  • Code Enforcement Officer Nicola Higby presented the proposed ordinance, which would add a new public nuisance provision (Chapter 5.425) prohibiting intentional feeding of wildlife in extreme cases. She noted current code lacks enforceable provisions for this issue. The ordinance would be complaint-driven, with a presumptive fine of $440 for a Class A violation. She clarified that bird feeders and hummingbird feeders are excluded.
  • Council questions: Councilor Grohner confirmed the process is complaint-driven and bird feeders are allowed. Councilor Bonnington asked about enforcement escalation; Higby explained that each day is a separate violation and multiple citations can be issued. Councilor Bright asked about the scale of the problem; Higby reported two active skunk-feeding cases in the city, each attracting 10–20 skunks, causing nuisance to neighbors. Councilor Bright expressed that legislative action is needed because neighbor-to-neighbor resolution has failed.
  • City Attorney Katie Klein noted that a catch-all provision exists but is cumbersome, and she can refine the language to focus on public health impacts rather than listing specific animals. She suggested targeting the impacts of droppings and pests.
  • The council reached consensus to send the proposed ordinance to neighborhood associations for further input and to refine the language based on attorney feedback. The item is expected to return in January 2025.

Severely Rent-Burdened Housing Meeting

  • City Manager Williams reported that Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) identified West Linn as one of about 35 cities where renters spend more than 50% of income on housing. The city is required to hold an annual public meeting on the issue. No members of the public signed up to speak.
  • Councilor Bonnington noted the statistic that 30% of renting households in West Linn spend more than half their income on housing, calling it concerning. He referenced Oregon City’s affordable housing project as a potential model.
  • Councilor Bright linked housing affordability to transportation access, noting that lack of public transit can exacerbate the burden. Councilor Baumgartner agreed and stressed the need for regional and state partnerships.
  • The city’s housing production strategy, developed by an advisory group, is expected to yield a final document in February 2025, with council and planning commission review in March and potential adoption in late spring.

City Manager Report & Council Comments

  • City Manager Williams noted upcoming meetings: December 9 business meeting (code process amendments, election certification) and December 16 special meeting/work session (joint meeting with Historic Review Board). Council will reconvene in early January 2025 for swearing-in and priority setting.
  • Councilor Grohner reported a police report of an anti-Semitic symbol (swastika) on private property in West Linn. He proposed a future proclamation or resolution condemning hate speech and noted the police investigation is ongoing. The mayor and council expressed unanimous condemnation.

Key Outcomes

  • The wildlife ordinance will be revised by staff to focus on public health impacts, then sent to neighborhood associations for comment, with a goal of council action in January 2025.
  • No action was taken on the rent-burdened housing item; the meeting fulfilled the state requirement for a public hearing.
  • Council will certify the 2024 election results at the December 9 meeting and hold a joint meeting with the Historic Review Board on December 16.
  • A proclamation or resolution condemning hate speech will be considered at a future meeting following the anti-Semitic incident.

Meeting Transcript

Lovely time. And so we'll just get started and call the meeting to order. I would like to invite an approval, a motion to approve the agenda. So thank you very much. And I think we can call to question if there's no discussion. Councilor Bonnington. Yes. Councillor Grohner. Yes. Councilor Wright? Yes. Council President Baumgartner. Yes. Thank you. All right. So our first order of business will be public comments. And we'll take the first commenter. You did you want to speak now or did you want to wait until the agenda item? Okay. And you each will have three minutes. Please make sure that you are close enough to the microphone so that we can all hear you and state your name and city of residence. No need to state your address. My name is Gail Parnell, and I live in Westland, Oregon. My comments have been and concerns have been submitted to you each in writing. So I'd like that entered into the record. I don't need to revisit that. But I'm here to ask that you do postpone voting and implementing this ordinance on the wildlife issue. And that you also explain to the public and myself why our current nuisance ordinant wasn't sufficient to resolve the problem. And if it was a matter of needing tweaking for that ordinance, why that didn't occur, and why you went to the extreme of creating a completely new and different ordinance that encompasses more than just a nuisance problem. So that's my comments and questions. Well, thank you very much. And I'm glad to say that we have our code enforcement officer, Nicola Higby here today. And we, when we get to this point in the agenda, we'll I think address some of those questions. So we we won't really maybe do a kind of that more question answer at this point if that's okay. That's great. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. That is all. Okay. Anyone online seeming to want to comment. Aaron, can you hear us? I can. Can you hear me? We can. It's a little quiet. I will try to speak directly into my microphone. Did you want to comment at this time, Aaron? I I would. Okay.

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