JOINT CITY COUNCIL MEETING

CITY OF BINGEN & CITY OF WHITE SALMON
 

September 22, 2005

 

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Roger Holen and Mayor Brian Prigel at 6:30 p.m. Bingen Council members present: Terry Trantow, Betty Barnes, Barbara Hylton, Randy Anderson and Laura Mann. White Salmon City Council members present: Francis Gaddis, Susan Benedict, Susan Gookin, and Penny White Morris. White Salmon City Council members absent: Ricky Marx. Bingen staff present: Clerk Treasurer Jan Brending. White Salmon staff present: Judi Culp, Rich Cortese. Audience: Timi Keene, Don Struck, Skip Grimes, Jesse Burkhardt.

 

Bingen-White Salmon Police Department

Roger Holen said the interlocal agreement between Bingen and White Salmon for law enforcement services calls for a periodic joint meeting of the two city councils to see how things are going.

 

Brian Prigel asked Rich Cortese, Police Chief for a status report on staffing.

 

Rich Cortese said the department currently has eight officers. He said that due to budget issues the 9th position was cut. Cortese said he hopes to add the 9th position in 2006. He noted that calls for service are higher this year than last year.

 

Rich Cortese said that he has reviewed the number of dog complaints the department has received in response to a recent letter to the editor. He said the department has responded to 145 dog complaints and impounded 39 dogs. Cortese said the department receives a lot of dog calls and that officers do try to pick up the dogs.

 

Rich Cortese said that six of seven officers have gotten training in “weapons of mass destruction” including bio-weapons. He said this training, including all travel, was provided through a grant program. Cortese said the Washington State Training Commission is going to make this type of training mandatory. He said the Bingen-White Salmon Police Department is one of the few departments that already has 90% of its officers trained.

 

Rich Cortese said the department received an $8,000 grant to purchase tazers. He explained what a tazer is and how it is used. Cortese said again the Bingen-White Salmon Police Department is one of the few departments to have fully equipped its officers with tazers.

 

Rich Cortese said incidents involving people on “meth” have increased in the area. He said two of his officers have been assaulted by people on “meth”.

 

Laura Mann asked if the drug calls have increased and what kind of increase is happening in our area.

 

Cortese said that out of 45 arrests, 28-32 of the individuals were under the influence of “meth” or were in the possession of “meth”.

 

Betty Barnes asked if there is a local community awareness program related to the use of “meth”.

 

Rich Cortese said there is a committee working in Klickitat County made of law enforcement officers and others who are trying to come up with an education process. He noted that two billboards on Highway 97 between Dallesport and The Dalles are being used for education purposes.

 

Betty Barnes suggested a newsletter to parents to describe indicators of “meth” use might be helpful.

 

Laura Mann asked what the police department’s goals are for next year and what can the city of Bingen do to help.

 

Rich Cortese said funding for the 9th position and new vehicle are important. He said the department is also in the process of looking for a new location for office space. He said a market analysis is being done of two properties the City of White Salmon owns that could be sold to provide funding for new offices.

 

Brian Prigel said Bingen would like to be kept apprised of the office relocation process. He said the city owns property located at 400 W. Steuben that could be used for both temporary and permanent office space.

 

Roger Holen said the use of 400 W. Steuben as a location for the Bingen-White Salmon Police Department was discussed several years ago as an option.

 

Rich Cortese said he wants to maintain and increase training for his officers. He said good training makes it more attractive for the officers to stay with the department. Cortese said the failure to provide training is also a risk liability. He said another goal is to look at records management and the department’s computers and software and provide for an upgrade.

 

Roger Holen said he is proud of the combined police department. He said he can remember when the skeptics said it couldn’t be done and was illegal. Holen said the department and process has exceeded his expectations and has worked well.

 

Betty Barnes said she has a couple of concerns. She noted that the city has posted “no bicycling or skateboarding” signs at its city hall/fire hall. Barnes said her concern is that officers have driven by the property with such activity occurring and nothing has been done. She said she feels the officers should take initiative when they see such activity instead of waiting for a complaint to come in. Barnes said another issue was the illegal parking of equipment near a fire hydrant located at the Assembly of God Church. Barnes said she feels things are going well but would like to see a little more initiative by the officers.

 

Barbara Hylton asked how many of the dog complaints involved harm to humans. Rich Cortese said he did not have that information available.

 

Barbara Hylton asked how many of the dogs picked up are in compliance with having tags and up-to-date shots.

 

Rich Cortese said the majority of them are not legally licensed and he does not have information about the shots.

 

Rich Cortese noted that any time a dog bite is reported a form is completed and sent to Klickitat County.

 

Brian Prigel noted that Hood River County has begun investigating the possibility of building a dog shelter. He said it is possible that the two cities could work with Hood River County for dog impounds. Prigel said however that this discussion has taken place in the past with very little movement forward.

 

Brian Prigel said that in general the combined police department has been very successful. He said it has given stability to the department and has worked very well for Bingen.

 

Klickitat County Proposal for Building Official Services

Don Struck and Skip Grimes provided an overview of previous discussions with the two cities regarding providing building official services. Klickitat County would issue building permits and do inspections for the cost of the building permit fees. The current draft of the interlocal agreement would provide for a 20% surcharge on the building permit fee which would be remitted to each appropriate city.

 

Roger Holen said he is concerned about the 20% surcharge because residents in the city limits would be paying a higher building permit fee than those in the county. He said he would like see the fees the same for everyone.

 

A discussion took place regarding the 20% surcharge which would be remitted to the appropriate city to cover their management costs for reviewing zoning and availability of water and sewer services.

 

Brian Prigel said it is important that building permits be routed to the City of Bingen so staff can check the zoning. He said in addition it is important that the city knows what is going on within the city.

Skip Grimes said that all calls related to building permits would be forwarded to the county. He said that he feels his department is very easy to work with and is focused on customer service.

Laura Mann said she agrees. She said that Mann-Made Construction has always received good assistance from the county.

Brian Prigel noted that grading and fill permits would not be handled by Klickitat County.

Terry Trantow asked Skip Grimes if he sees a problem with building that is taking place on steeper grounds particularly related to cuts and fills. He asked if these issues initiate any concerns.

Skip Grimes said he sees these problems throughout Klickitat County but particularly on the west side. He said engineered foundations may be required. Grimes said that if a cut and fill is associated with the construction of a building then it will be reviewed by the county.

Brian Prigel noted that the city of Bingen could retain a civil engineer to review those grading and fill projects that might not be associated with building construction.

Penny White Morris asked if the county will handle enforcement related to building codes and permits.

Skip Grimes said building permits will be enforced. He said enforcement is complaint based. He said he does not seek out violations. Grimes said all complaints are required to be in writing. He said that enforcement takes time and is handled by the county as a civil infraction.

Don Struck said the county is very sensitive to the public and that the county’s job is to serve the public.

Don Struck said the proposal to provide building official services to the two towns will not generate a revenue stream for the county but will allow the county to put another building official on the west end of the county.

Roger Holen asked how appeals would be handled. Skip Grimes said the county has an appeals board that is made up of lay people, including an engineer, construction contractor, electrician and others.

Roger Holen asked if the county would consider appointing someone from the two cities. He said this would allow the cities to be responsible to their citizens.

Don Struck said that could be a possibility if it is allowed by law.

Brian Prigel asked how much commercial and industrial facilities does the county permit. He noted that there is more commercial development happening in the two cities.

Skip Grimes said the building officials are certified to review commercial and industrial facilities. He said the county has reviewed schools and industrial facilities at the Port of Klickitat.

Betty Barnes asked if the county would be interested in putting on educational seminars for property owners and contractors.

Skip Grimes said the county has a number of educational handouts and that information is also available on the internet. Grimes noted that the county is in the process of upgrading its permitting software. He said the software will allow the cities to have read-only access to the data base.

Roger Holen noted that the interlocal agreement says the county will review utility connections up to 2 feet outside of the structure versus to the meter.

Skip Grimes said review and inspection of utility installations is not an appropriate item for the county to be doing. He said it would best be done by the appropriate utility department.

Brian Prigel asked how the county handles abatement issues such as abatement of dangerous buildings.

Skip Grimes said it is handled through the county’s nuisance ordinance and is complaint driven. He said the county reviews the issue and status of a building. He said there are different levels of action that can be taken and a “dangerous” building may not always require it being torn down. Grimes said he would be willing to come out and inspect a building to determine whether it meets the definition of a dangerous building and make a recommendation to the city.

Skip Grimes said he hopes the cities will make a decision soon so that the county can have a 60-day notice to start the implementation process. He noted that the interlocal agreement is good for one-year unless there is a breach of the agreement.

Timi Keene asked what the cost savings would be to the cities.

Jan Brending said she does not have an exact dollar amount but there would be a cost savings to the City of Bingen by using Klickitat County.

Barbara Hylton noted that the citizens would also save money because the building permit fees would be lower by using Klickitat County.

At 7:25 p.m. the Council adjourned.

Jan Brending                                                            Brian Prigel
City Clerk                                                                Mayor