OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

West Linn City Council Special Meeting and Work Session - December 16, 2024

City Council & Planning Commission — Monday, December 16, 2024
BodyWest Linn, Oregon
SessionCity Council & Planning Commission
DateMonday, December 16, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:14:06

Transcript — Verbatim
0:10

City Council meeting.

0:11

It's Monday, December 16th, 2024.

0:15

And the first item of business is to approve this agenda.

0:19

So is there a motion to approve the agenda?

0:21

Yes.

0:22

Mayor, I move to approve the agenda for the Monday, December 16th, special meeting and work session.

0:30

And I second.

0:31

It has been moved and seconded to approve the agenda for the Monday, December 16th special meeting and work session.

0:39

Any discussion.

0:42

Seeing none, uh go ahead and call the roll.

0:44

Councilor Bonington.

0:46

Yes.

0:46

Councilor Bright?

0:47

Yes.

0:48

Council President Baumgardner.

0:49

Yes.

0:49

Counselor Growner.

0:50

Yes.

0:51

Maybe let's ask you.

0:52

Yes.

0:53

Thank you.

0:53

The agenda is approved.

0:55

That takes us to public comment.

0:57

There are none.

0:59

Okay.

1:01

No public comment tonight.

1:03

So then that brings us quickly to mayor and council reports.

1:07

The schedule says 6 20, but uh we're right there a little bit early tonight.

1:11

So 20 seconds.

1:13

Any reports from community advisory groups.

1:16

I'll just share that the youth advisory council met today.

1:20

I wasn't able to be at the meeting.

1:21

Uh, but they are going to come and present to the city council in January on pedestrian and traffic safety.

1:28

They've taken that up on their own initiative.

1:30

Uh and so they'll we're gonna schedule that in January at one of our meetings.

1:35

It's my report.

1:36

I'm glad to be back after a two-week time away on vacation.

1:41

Council President Mongo.

1:42

Thank you.

1:43

And I just wanted to mention that the um Wednesday um was the meeting for Willamette Neighborhood Association, and they continue.

1:52

Um we continue to have challenges about um quorum, not for them, but they discussed combining with Savannah Oaks neighborhood association.

2:02

So I think it's a topic that we need to have somewhere soon on our agenda or maybe our retreat is discussion of neighborhood associations.

2:13

Thank you.

2:15

Thank you for raising the issue.

2:16

I saw staff nodding their heads, so we'll add that to the retreat agenda at some point.

2:22

Councilor Brown Councillor Groener and then Councillor Bonnington.

2:24

Uh yes, I and I believe several other members of the council uh did have a meeting uh during the week over the uh waterfront project and saw some details about the project.

2:36

And uh basically I'm continuing to study it.

2:39

It generally looks very promising at this point.

2:43

Obviously, we have to see how it's executed.

2:47

Very exciting stuff, thank you for sharing.

2:50

I'm sure we'll have an update at a city council meeting in the near future with the regard to the waterfront.

2:55

Uh Councilor Bonnington.

2:57

Uh we'll start on Saturday where we had the holiday parade that parks put on.

3:03

And it was incredibly uh surprising that just a few people were able to completely close down that street, transform it, and then undo it in the course of 90 minutes.

3:15

So before that, there was also uh the historic lamet uh wreath decorating contest that I was able to announce winners for, and that was pretty cool.

3:28

Our own police department got second place in their category.

3:34

Um then going back to Thursday, there was the parks board meeting.

3:40

Um that was largely discussing a conference that some of the park staff had been to, and planning for 2025.

3:52

Now there was also the economic development committee that night, and there's a lot of discussion about kind of what their job is, what their role should be, what we as council are asking them to do specifically.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████33%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Strategic Planning██████████10%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Personnel Matters████████8%
Economic Development█████5%
Land Use Law████4%
Urban Renewal████4%
Community Advisory Groups███3%
Summary of Proceedings

West Linn City Council Special Meeting and Work Session - December 16, 2024

On Monday, December 16, 2024, the West Linn City Council held a special meeting and work session beginning at 6:00 p.m. The council unanimously approved the agenda, renewed the City Manager's employment agreement for two years, and held a joint meeting with the Historic Review Board (HRB) to discuss three priorities. The council also discussed plans for a January 4, 2025 goal-setting retreat and received a city manager report.

Business Meeting

  • Agenda Bill 2024-12-16-01: City Manager Employment Agreement – Deputy City Manager Elissa Preston presented the renewal for December 2024 to December 2026, which included an automatic one-year renewal clause and updated terms reviewed by attorneys. Council voted 5-0 to approve. Council members expressed appreciation for City Manager John Williams' leadership, his ICMA certification, and his community engagement (e.g., running every street in the city). Williams thanked staff and council, noting it is a team effort with the city's 140 employees.

Joint Meeting with Historic Review Board

  • Mission Statement Adoption – The HRB requested council adoption of a mission statement: "to identify, preserve, and protect the integrity of West Linn's historic resources." The board explained it guides their land use decisions and helps them address neglect and demolition.
  • Community Development Code (CDC) Chapter 58 Update – The HRB requested prioritization of an update to the Willamette Falls Drive Commercial Design District code to remove ambiguities, clarify decision-making authority (advisory vs. decision-making), and modernize historic design standards for new buildings. They noted challenges from a recent project and the need to align with state laws on infill.
  • CLG Grant for Historic Inventory – The HRB requested council support for a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant (up to $15,000, with city match) to conduct a historic inventory of the Moores Island/Willamette Falls Drive area (from the new roundabout to the power substation) and possibly along Highway 43. Chairman James Manning emphasized the urgency due to potential mill closure and loss of historic structures. He noted mill management is open to inventory. The board also mentioned that property owners must agree to listing; the inventory would identify eligible properties.
  • Council took the three requests under advisement for discussion at the January goal-setting retreat, noting no decisions could be made at a work session.

Discussion: January Goal Setting Retreat

  • Council discussed format and priorities for the January 4, 2025 retreat. Ideas included: longer-term goals (2-3 years) with measurable milestones; regional cooperation (e.g., pedestrian bike bridge to Oregon City, coordination on Highway 43); a 20-year community vision (revisiting "Imagine West Linn"); sustainability integration into budget and projects; and inviting state lobbyist Doug Riggs for a legislative update on Highway 43 funding and tolling. City Manager Williams will work with the mayor to draft an agenda, seek a facilitator, and consider having department heads present for a portion of the day. Council also suggested a public call for input via the city newsletter and making the retreat accessible on YouTube.

City Manager Report

  • City Manager Williams thanked staff, especially those working during holidays, and noted city hall closure days (Christmas Day, December 27, and January 1). He highlighted the new bus line and encouraged council to promote ridership. He expressed optimism about waterfront and Highway 43 projects, stating adoption plans are imminent.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Agenda – Motion carried 5-0.
  • City Manager Employment Agreement Approved – Motion carried 5-0 for December 2024 to December 2026.
  • HRB Requests – Taken under advisement for January 4 retreat; no formal action taken.
  • Goal Setting Retreat Planning – Directed staff to prepare a draft agenda, identify a facilitator, and consider public engagement. Council will provide topics for department head presentations.

Meeting Transcript

City Council meeting. It's Monday, December 16th, 2024. And the first item of business is to approve this agenda. So is there a motion to approve the agenda? Yes. Mayor, I move to approve the agenda for the Monday, December 16th, special meeting and work session. And I second. It has been moved and seconded to approve the agenda for the Monday, December 16th special meeting and work session. Any discussion. Seeing none, uh go ahead and call the roll. Councilor Bonington. Yes. Councilor Bright? Yes. Council President Baumgardner. Yes. Counselor Growner. Yes. Maybe let's ask you. Yes. Thank you. The agenda is approved. That takes us to public comment. There are none. Okay. No public comment tonight. So then that brings us quickly to mayor and council reports. The schedule says 6 20, but uh we're right there a little bit early tonight. So 20 seconds. Any reports from community advisory groups. I'll just share that the youth advisory council met today. I wasn't able to be at the meeting. Uh, but they are going to come and present to the city council in January on pedestrian and traffic safety. They've taken that up on their own initiative. Uh and so they'll we're gonna schedule that in January at one of our meetings. It's my report. I'm glad to be back after a two-week time away on vacation. Council President Mongo. Thank you. And I just wanted to mention that the um Wednesday um was the meeting for Willamette Neighborhood Association, and they continue. Um we continue to have challenges about um quorum, not for them, but they discussed combining with Savannah Oaks neighborhood association. So I think it's a topic that we need to have somewhere soon on our agenda or maybe our retreat is discussion of neighborhood associations. Thank you. Thank you for raising the issue. I saw staff nodding their heads, so we'll add that to the retreat agenda at some point. Councilor Brown Councillor Groener and then Councillor Bonnington. Uh yes, I and I believe several other members of the council uh did have a meeting uh during the week over the uh waterfront project and saw some details about the project. And uh basically I'm continuing to study it. It generally looks very promising at this point. Obviously, we have to see how it's executed.

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