Council on track to proceed with Wastewater Treatment Project

DAYTON–City Council confirmed it is proceeding with the Wastewater Treatment Project and Misty Yost stepped down in business June 14.

Following an executive session to discuss the Wastewater Treatment Project where no action was taken, Council confirmed they are proceeding with negotiations with a landowner for the project who requested anonymity until an agreement is reached. Representatives from Department of Ecology were present to guide the request for an extension on the project.

On the meeting agenda, an executive session was scheduled to discuss options for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade Project. Mayor Zac Weatherford did not offer the exemption for the executive session, but explained the purpose was for discussion about negotiations with a property owner for the project site who has requested to remain anonymous until they reach an agreement. Members of the public questioned whether the executive session was permissible according to the Open Public Meetings Act. County Attorney Dale Slack suggested they consult with the City Attorney about citing appropriate statutes for specific reasons when calling for an executive session.

Following the session, Councilmember Teeny McMunn affirmed the City has a plan for the project that she is “excited about,” which includes a property that would allow the wetlands option to move ahead. Fellow councilmembers voiced agreement.

“This is a perfect example as to why Council asked questions...we work together as a team,” said Councilmember Laura Aukerman. “Council is not here to knock things down. Council is not here for any other agenda. Council is here to do what’s best for the city. We just proved that.”

Tiger Dieu and Kyle Anderson expressed they believed they are moving in a good direction.

Weatherford asked the Council how they wanted to respond to the letter from Department of Ecology for a formal project extension request? Aukerman said the letter should state that a permit renewal would allow the city to proceed. Permit Supervisor Art Jenkins from Ecology agreed with Aukerman but added that dates of project goals should be included. He assured Council of his willingness to help with the letter. Once the extension is granted, Jenkins said, a compliance schedule will be issued.

Misty Yost resigned and will assume the position of City Deputy Clerk in July. Letters of interest are being accepted to fill the vacancy. Yost reported for County Emergency Management since she has been acting as interim director when Ashley Strickland gave notice last month.

She is leaving that position for the city position. Yost told Council that the remaining staff member in the county department Desirae Lockard is also going in maternity leave and it is yet to be determined who will be reporting to Council next month.

Updates were provided on the pending upgrades to the radio and phone systems, as well as the drone project.

Numbers were given for calls in the city and county over the previous month. Law enforcement was at 391 for the city and 116 for the county. The Fire District was at seven for the city and zero for the county. Emergency services had 39 calls for the city and three for the county.

In other business, reports were provided by representatives from contracted Columbia County departments, and items were presented to Council for consideration including the approval of policy for creating and operating City of Dayton social media pages and the execution of two agreements with Anderson Perry.

Sheriff Joe Helm reported for his department to say that two new deputies will be going through academy. Another deputy is coming from Walla Walla and is expected to be on the road in July. He said with the other recent hires, the department has had more cases referred to the prosecutor’s office than they have had in 15 years due to their coordinated efforts. Some of the deputies will be trained as a special response team for preparation for critical threat events.

In addition, a Sheriff’s Posse Program is being started to provide a countywide “neighborhood watch” to reduce crime. Volunteer citizens will be provided certified training to offer services such as security checks and traffic control including for events. Firearms certification will also be available. A town hall meeting will be scheduled to provide more information and recruit volunteers. Helm invited the city to participate in community-based Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings with the Sheriff’s Department and other local stakeholders including hospital representatives and local counselors, as well as the YWCA Domestic Violence Advocate.

The mayor presented several action items to Council most of which were requests from Public Works Director Ryan Paulsen. Of note was the request for authorization for the mayor to approve an administrative policy for staff to create and manage City of Dayton social media pages. This would provide city-related content to the public including job openings. Another was to approve the execution of two contracts with Anderson Perry. One for City GIS mapping services for which a portion of the funding is in place, but more will be requested. The other was for general on-call engineering services, and architectural and general land surveying services. Paulsen spoke of the long-term relationship the city has had with the firm and their vast knowledge of the area and their ready availability that cannot be surpassed. All three were approved by Council.