A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2021

I hope you’re having a wonderful summer and enjoying the freedom of Oregon being open after the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s an update on what’s happening in Jacksonville and what your City Council has been up to.

Budget—At the June 1, City Council meeting, your Council approved resolution R2021-002—Adopting the Budget for the City of Jacksonville for the Fiscal Year Commencing July 21, 2021—Making Appropriations, Imposing the Tax and Categorizing the Tax. Your 2021-2022 City Budget is balanced and approved. We are operating on-task and within our Budget. Thank you to the Budget Committee for your participation and expertise. Upcoming concerns on how to fund our Police and Fire Departments continue to be a priority for upcoming budget discussions.

Chamber Of Commerce—The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is actively planning for our annual Victorian Christmas celebration. After a year and a half of curtailed activities, we welcome a return of our town’s holiday activities.

Committee & Commission Meetings—At this time all Committee and Commission meetings are open to the public. Please visit the city website for times and locations.

Comprehensive Safety Plan—Councilors Mike McClain, Scott Selbe and Andrea Thompson continue to astound me in their endeavors on this committee. Look soon for a new evacuation map and educational information, particularly regarding fire safety.

We are also beginning work on a Boosters Club project aimed at cleaning-up hazardous materials along our local creeks. On July 17, Mike and Laurie Thornton presented a demonstration of how to cut down blackberries, dig out the root system, and replace them with non-invasive plants. This took place at the blackberry patch across from the Jacksonville Library. Look for more information on the city website.

Work continues throughout the city on brush, weed, and other hazardous material removal. Remember, now more than ever, we must all work together to maintain preventive fire measures on all properties. This includes trimming, mowing, and removing combustible materials. Please be sure your outside faucets are in working order and invest in new hoses if necessary.

Council Business—Our City Council Work Sessions continue to be productive. Your Council recently participated in a seminar on Urban Growth Boundaries. There will be several opportunities for the Council to study and understand the UGB process, and what growth might mean for Jacksonville. The work sessions are open to the public to attend and observe. An upcoming work session will include a detailed report on our Comprehensive Safety Plan.

At the June 29, Council meeting, City Council passed R2021-00—A Temporary Resolution Declaring Critical Fire Danger and Prohibiting Any Fireworks from July 2-6 During the July Fourth Holiday In Jacksonville.

At the July 6, Council meeting, City Council passed Ordinance O2021-001—An Ordinance Repealing Current Title 8 of The Jacksonville Municipal Code and Replacing It with a New Title 8 and Declaring It an Emergency. A full copy of the report is on the city website.

What does this repeal and replacement mean for you, as a citizen? This document takes the present code in Title 8 and makes it more readable and user friendly, avoiding legalese as much as possible. Each chapter was reorganized to condense the number of sections according to their subjects. Lists are used instead of multiple, scattered sections. The chapters were re-numbered consecutively. The City Attorney’s review and comments are also reflected in the latest drafts.

Some of the areas covered include: Public Nuisance; Fire Hazards; Fire Offenses; Emergency Procedures and Powers; Risk Management and Alarm Systems. This all is part of work related to our Comprehensive Safety Plan. The Ordinance defines the issues listed clearly, and provides plans for dealing with the issues legally. The need for this repeal and replacement ordinance became quite clear, and a priority, after last summer’s fires. The complete Ordinance is listed on the city website.

COVID-19: Status of State Re-Openings—The City of Jacksonville has followed the COVID-19 guidelines, mandated by the State of Oregon, throughout the pandemic. As of June 30, per the State of Oregon, Jacksonville is fully open. Healthcare and other organizations may be governed by different rules and regulations.

Courthouse 2nd Story Update—The second story Assembly Room of the Courthouse, also known as New City Hall, is now open for use by City Committees and Commissions. Inquiries about use by non-profits and governing agencies can now be answered by a call to the city.

Firehall Update—We have made the difficult decision to put our Fire Hall Renovation on hold at this time. The shortages of materials; prices of materials; and unavailability of contractors and workers due to a nationwide building boom make it fiscally impossible to reconcile with our original budget. Financially, it only makes sense to wait until things slow down a little to make the most of the monies we have. As updates occur, we will report back to you.

Public Works and Streets—ODOT recently replaced ADA Ramps on sidewalk corners throughout the city to meet regulations regarding materials, size, and placement. The costs were covered by ODOT. Thank you all for your patience during the weeks this took to complete.

We will continue with general paving and repairs on some streets. We are nearing completion of most of our long-planned street improvements.

We now have generators for all water pump stations for emergency power during an emergency event.

Dead Deer Removal—Due to traffic, illness, disease, or simply age, we occasionally come across the remains of one of our local deer. Any deceased animal should be removed promptly, especially with the summer heat. For removal during regular business hours, please contact our Public Works Department by email, or leave a phone message. After hours, please leave a phone message or call the dispatch number at 541-776-7206.

All-in-all, it’s been a quiet June and July. Hopefully, we will continue this trend over the remainder of the summer. After COVID-19 curtailing our activities, we can now really enjoy all Jacksonville has to offer. We can meet up with friends and family, enjoy restaurants and event venues. We can even travel. Have a great August.