City Council Regular - Regular Meeting

Call the meeting to order. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the

republic for which it stands,

one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And we have roll call, please. Present.

Lorich? Here.

Burke? Present. Neschke? Here. Nor? Here.

Klein? Here. And Senescu? Here.

You.

This is the public's opportunity to provide comments to the council. You may supplement your comments with printed handouts, electronic, or digital aids will not be permitted during the public comment period. Please state your name and your city of residence. You'll have three three minutes to speak. Please direct your comments to the council as a whole instead of individual members, staff, or audience members. Please come forward if you're in the chamber to the chairs at the table or raise your hand in the Zoom app. Please remember that public comments are not a discussion. Public comments are to inform the council of your views. So is there anyone in the chamber that would like to step up to the end

of the

table in the chamber and give three minutes' worth of comments.

Mercy, Camus Washington. Couple things. The work is supposed to be closed at dusk, which on the weekends, it's sad they don't have the covering lit. There's nowhere for kids to go in this town. But my second thing is those tennis court lights are on, and people are there until 10:30 on Friday and Saturday nights. I have video. I have photos. Yep. Old people that live in in assisted living directly across the street. My house is two blocks over and then up.

I can see them from my house. And then, you know, it's just maybe make it if you're having those lights on for some reason for kids to play not just kids, to play badminton or whatever, maybe think about doing it just until the lights don't need to be on. Maybe think about allowing the kids to be there on the weekends underneath that covered area. It's not a new thing. You know?

The kids did that when my son was in school. They just all bring their flashlight. Kids need to be able to have things to do in this town, and that would not hurt a thing, but the tennis court lights being on, that's obnoxious. And I hate to see that the people across the street are disrupted. And then, again, the sidewalk between Northwest 15th and Northwest 14th still is not fixed.

Somebody fall a couple months ago. You're not gonna have I mean, it's ridiculous. It's not that it's not known. I've sent emails over the years. It's nothing new.

It's from a tree, and there's actually a slight uptick in one right down across the next little segment, so where the next tree is. But it would be nice for people to be able to walk and people being able to walk going down Garfield instead of the people on 6th parking in their driveway, making it to where people on first Friday were having to walk out in the road because they had their truck parked in the driveway. And that's not a new thing because I've texted pictures of that too. I don't care what you do. Just don't impede people. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else in the chamber that would like to have three minutes to make comments?

Good evening, council staff. Brad, I don't I don't mean to call you out, but Name. At the last Name. Oh, Tyler Sanders, chemist. Brad Richardson, over the last couple of meetings, I I I've noticed him coming and and dutifully giving us some awesome updates on the goings on at the Port Of Camus Washougal.

I I believe he was here last time, and he might be here to do that again today. And and he did he's he's done so in the form of a public comment. And as to my recollection, I I believe representatives from other organizations in our community have come and given updates to the council also in that same forum as public comments. And it it just seems like there's gotta be a better way for valued community organizations to whether it's government related like the port or or a local nonprofit like the DCA. It just feels like there's gotta be a better way for these organizations to to have a forum at at this council regular meeting to present in a in a more formal fashion to the council.

I I believe there may be some mechanism like this at the work session. I'm I'm not entirely clear on it. But either way, that's that's only a partial solution for for those working people who can only make it to the regular meeting anyways. So, really, I'd I'd just like to ask the council to consider a mechanism by which those representing these community organizations could provide meeting materials of ahead of time and speak in their own formally designated, slot on the agenda with perhaps a a more generous allotment to that as well. I I recognize that I say this as the organize organizer at Strong Town's campus that could that could benefit from this.

But, really, from the perspective of of just a citizen in in our town, I really do believe that it could be a a very large benefit to these organizations in our community as well as a benefit to the council to have a more formal venue for these treasured organizations in our city, carved out for them to present to the council at these regular meetings. That's all

I wanted to say. Thank you. You. Is there anyone else in the chamber that would like to step up? You have three minutes worth of comment.

Thank you, mayor. Council, the the sweet canvas. Thank you. Sent in an electronic copy of this treatise, not working on another master's. Right?

But this is a summary of one of the research I've done on the IVR issues along with my wife over the last year and a half, and it's accelerated in the last couple of weeks because of the, environmental impact statements submitted by the IVR project of well over 20,000 pages to the, Department of Transportation. I was trying to delve into that, make sure I have my information right. So, it's rather visual, so I hope you have it in front of you or on the screens. So, in the summary section here are the I've got titles reasons to oppose light rail. I've got four, the low bus ridership, which I've talked about a number of times, modeling issues where they predicted to go up 19 times what it is now, and details concerned about their model now that I know some details that are deep into their information.

And then about the allocation of space, talked about that before. But something quite new is that, their, the plan that they have does not reduce congestion. At '29 twenty twenty forty five, it would be worse than it is was in 2019. But they have a plan, a modified plan that actually could reduce congestion. So if you jump then to page 16, I've compared I've gone through a lot of pages, found this table figure seven, comparing what they say the congestion and existing conditions in 2019, southbound, northbound, hours, travel time, extended congestion, etcetera, etcetera.

Then they have two models, their preferred model, which has just one auxiliary lane each way. And then on the far right is two auxiliary lanes each direction. And they show that, congestion 2019 southbound in hours, it's three three hours congestion now, and it's gonna get worse in 2045 after spending 17,000,000 billion dollars, whatever. You go through compare these different things, but then you see if you go northbound, it goes from with the two lanes, it gets considerably better. Congestion goes way down.

Travel time goes way down. Instead of congestion goes way down. And that's illustrated in these, what, already the time, these heat maps. So this is something they use. So congestion, this is distance from I 205 in Salmon Creek down Markham Hill, in time from 5AM to 9PM. This is southbound. This is their plan in 2045. The red means very, very slow traffic. Now if we compare that to their two auxiliary lanes side by side, you see it gets a little better with two auxiliary lanes softbound, but not a lot. But northbound, this is their prediction. Just jammed up going northbound. They go to two auxiliary lanes. Look. Almost no congestion at all. Huge improvement.

So what I suggest is that they they they want don't wanna do that. Two auxiliary lanes because it's cost too much. Well, drop the light rail because it really does nothing and put that money into two auxiliary lanes.

Is there anyone else in the chamber that would like to give, three minutes worth of comments?

Hello. Brad Richardson, Camas, Washington. And, yeah, I'm just coming to, speak on behalf of the Port Of Camas, Washington with a quick update. I don't have a lot today. So, obviously, we had our airport advisory committee, that came together just a week or so ago, and we are excited.

We have our marina advisory committee that's coming together at the ports. It'll be the second one, and it'll be on June 11 at 4PM at the port offices. And if anyone was able to attend the airport advisory committee and you were went through that budget one zero one and felt that was very riveting to learn about the finances, gonna have the same budget one zero one, this time for the marina. So if you're interested in to know how the operations and the funding work with the marina, please attend that. Both anyone on council and anyone in the public, we'd love to have you come do that.

And then, just a a note of, of excitement. We had, Trang Lam, our, executive director, do a penguin talk about the port, which was very successful, and we are looking to, potentially work with Clark College to do more of a port series to continue to educate the community on what our port does for our community. Other than that, that is all I have for this evening, and thank you for your time.

Is there anyone else in the chamber that would like to have minutes worth of comment? Seeing none, do we have any hands raised in the Zoom app?

Mayor, there are no hands raised. K.

With that, we'll move on. What would the

council do with the consent agenda?

Move to approve the consent agenda.

Second. It

was moved on birth

and seconded to approve the consent agenda. Any discussion? Shall we do all in favor, aye. Aye.

Aye.

Opposed, say nay. The motion passes. Next item on the agenda, mayor announcements. And, we have a proclamation. And here for the proclamation is, Easton Lee and, in addition, Cam Huang and Annie Lin, and their families.

So, I will read the proclamation, then we will have those special guests come up in a picture, and then, they can make some comments. So proclamation. Whereas America has been continually renewed and enriched by people from diverse backgrounds and whereas each brings their unique heritage, which over time becomes part of the shared heritage, and whereas generations of Asian Americans have helped make America what it is today, And whereas there are more than 500,000 Taiwanese Americans in The United States with a significant Taiwanese American community in Camas, Washington. And whereas Taiwanese Americans have been indispensable have made indispensable contributions to the diversity and prosperity of the American society as successful and notable artists, Nobel laureate scientists, researchers, human rights activists, and business leaders, and whereas Taiwanese Americans are proud of their roots and their role in strengthening our nation and whereas the year 2026 marks the forty seventh anniversary of the enactment into law of the 1979 Taiwan relation Relations Act, which together with the nineteen eighty two six assurances forms the cornerstone of The US Taiwan relations. And whereas this week recognizes the long standing friendship between The United States and Taiwan.

And whereas during this special week, Taiwanese Americans can embrace Americans' diversity and celebrate our shared traditions that make America a great nation. Now therefore, I, Steve Hogan, mayor of the city Of Camas, do hereby proclaim the week of May 10 through the sixteenth twenty twenty six as Taiwanese American Heritage Week, City Of Camas, and I encourage all citizens to join in this observation observe. Excuse me. And with that,

Doug, we need a pickup.

Hold it anyway. Okay. Yeah.

Well, it's better to leave. So we can go on both sides, and the flags will be behind us.

Good. I've got all all of you in there. K. There we go. Hang on.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. You. You have

Anyone who wanna make comments?

Thank you, mayor Hogan and council members for continually to recognize Taiwanese American Heritage Week. We feel actually honored and included. Thank you. My name is Easton Lee, president of Taiwanese Association of Greater Poland, a nonprofit of or volunteer organization dedicated to promote the Taiwanese culture and the strengthening the community connections. For our community, this week is about both heritage and the values, sharing our culture while recognizing the values we share with The United States, democracy, and the freedom.

We are very grateful for the strong US Taiwan partnership and the support that help Taiwan remain free and open. And recently, the documentary movie, the film Invisible Nation, now future at OVB across all the Americans since May 1. In recognition of the Taiwanese American Heritage Week has helped more people to see Taiwan's story and apply our democracy measures And, locally, to sell celebrate the special week, we invite you to join us for Huya Taiwan by National Taiwan University of Sports on May 19 at Winningstadt Theater in Poland. This performance has shown Taiwanese culture through the dance and the storytelling. Until you the tickets almost sell out, so buy the tickets soon.

And now it's my pleasure to introduce you with two outstanding Chinese American students, and who will share what this week means to them. Thank you.

Evening, council members. My name is Annie Lin.

My name is Kim Huang. We are juniors from Union High School. It is an honor to speak today in recognition of Taiwanese American Heritage Week, a time to celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of the Taiwanese American community.

When our friends ask us where we're from, we say Taiwan. We're often met with confusion or sometimes they never heard of it. In those moments, we realize how easy it is for a for a place so important to us to feel invisible to others. But for us, Taiwan isn't just a location on a map. It's a culture, our family, and a huge part of who we are. Personally, even though we don't live in Taiwan, we stay connected to our culture in various ways. Whether it be spending time within the Taiwanese community through potlucks or helping out at local events, we never want to forget our cultural roots. Additionally, we've participated in programs such as Advent, where we travel back to Taiwan during the summer to help teach English. Through this experience,

we are not only giving back, but also reconnecting with the culture, meeting people, experiencing daily life, and gaining a deeper understanding of our roots. Advent allows us to share American culture and also spend time in the motherland with like minded people, creating a different experience for each person.

We would also like to recognize TSMC and WaferTech for their role in supporting and strengthening in the Taiwanese community here. They also promote community involvement through events like tree planting and environmental cleanups at Lacamas Lake, where volunteers come together to pick up trash and help care for the local environment. These efforts reflect values that are important in the Taiwanese culture, giving back, taking responsibilities, and supporting the community.

Apart from volunteering, a large source of our pride comes from our grandparents. In every summer trip back to Taiwan, our grandparents show us the importance of love and heritage. Whether it's through the stories that they share, the traditions they continue, or simply the time that we spend together when we visit, they help us stay rooted in where we come from. Moments like these remind us that heritage isn't just about where you live. It's about the effort that you make to stay connected, learn, and share your culture with others.

Taiwan is a small island, but it has a rich history, diverse culture, and a strong sense of community. It's known for its night markets, traditions, and values like resilience, education, and respect for family. Our culture is an integral part of us, something we value deeply. Taiwanese American Heritage Week gives us the opportunity to share these traditions and stories while also recognizing the impact of Taiwanese American individuals and communities around the world, including here in our own.

Humanities like the ones here in Camus show that culture doesn't disappear when you move. It continues through the people that carry it forward. Amer Taiwanese American Heritage Week is not only about celebrating traditions, but also about increasing awareness, understanding, and appreciation. We want to shine a positive light on our culture, heritage, and country. Together, we create an environment inviting environment for Taiwanese and American culture to grow. Thank you for listening, and we hope that you can experience the beauty of our community.

Okay. Next item on the agenda is appointments, and we have had a change. Tim Hine has decided not to be a part of the JPAC RFA, and Mark Meltingray is going to be on the list that you have in front of you. So what would the council do with the appointment recommendations from the mayor? Mayor? Yes. Councilmember Saras.

This is a well, Jen has been posted. Correct? Yes. So this amendment our for our rule policies and procedures, any amendment to the agenda after it's been posted requires a majority vote of council to approve it. We need to have a motion about that first, then we'll accept the agenda change. We have to in our policies and procedures.

I move to accept the agenda change.

Second.

It was moved by Senescu and seconded to, have the agenda change approved. Any more discussion?

Yeah.

Yes. Councilmember Slurich.

I just wanna remind us that there's a reason we have policies and procedures. And at times, we get casual about them, and I think it's important that we follow them. That's the only reason I brought this up.

Thank you.

K. Any more discussions? Comments. All in yeah. Is there a motion?

Yeah.

We do have a motion on the table. So it was, first of all

It was moved by Senescu.

Change the agenda.

Okay. So all in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed, say nay. Nay. Are there any abstentions? Okay. It passes. So, with that, we will move on. Thank you.

Why don't we change the vote

on this? We voted on whether to accept it on the agenda.

Okay. Okay. So at this time, we have to go through the motion and do the whole thing over again?

We're back on council assignments now. Yes. Or your slate.

Yeah. Okay. Which

was accepted as an amendment to the agenda. So now you can just move forward.

Okay. So are there any motions?

I move to approve the council, assignments, appointments.

Second. It was moved by Senescu and seconded by Hine to accept the council appointment. Any more discussion?

Uh-huh. So I think last time we heard about the council member Berg, interest about being the premier pro. Tim, also, her interest in being the part of chemist for sugar, part of that. Just gonna talk about that opportunity.

Okay.

So is there any discussion on this?

I have made no secret of my desire to be. I think that rotating assignments like that is important. I think that, the more of us that have a more intimate knowledge of the the machinations of a city, a municipality, the better we are. I believe it's shared governance. I appreciate you bringing that up, Councilor Eschke. Regarding the port, I had I really was very interested in being the alternate to parks and rec. And since I have been nominated for that position and Councilor Elzingre has been nominated for the Port Of Camus Washoebo. That that's

Thank you. Any more comments, questions? Council member

think, several items were brought up the last meeting regarding assignments here. I believe that council member began asking the question. Were all of the questions that we had or the requests were brought up the last time taken under consideration?

They were by me. Yes.

Are you willing to discuss how we got to some of those places apparently weren't looked back on here?

Basically, when I make the recommendation for the positions, I go through my own thought process. And

but the

one that I think is the one that I would like to see on that alternate or the representative, the person that I would recommend.

Guess who

I'm saying that they're my recommendations. They're just my personal choices as the mayor.

Again, some people expressed some desires or it was discussed the last time around. So I just wanna know that those were taken under consideration.

Thank you. Any other discussions? K. Yes. Council member Savaraj. Thank you.

To Maryland's excuse me. Councilor Burke's and councilor North's position. Lots of people expressed lots of interest. Department heads did. Counselors did. It appears that, you know, you made what you thought was the best decision for you. You since if you look down this list, my name is missing, even though I requested several appointments. And out of this out of this counsel for the money Glory. We want to we want to serve.

And

if you don't get a chance to serve, you're selectively left out of the chance to serve. My opinion is not best for the council or the community. And I will move to amend the with the chain following changes to this appointment list. Councilor Burke to be mayor pro tem, councilor Swilaris to replace Elsin Gray on the JPAC committee. That's a motion that I will make, and I I have made.

It requires a second.

Well, I I'm gonna second that motion because that's shared governance.

No thanks.

To those who have served as mayor pro tem and mayor pro tem temp. That's not about that. It's about sharing those responsibilities in that.

Where are we at this point?

You have a motion and a second to amend the main motion so that it's debatable, and then you can move to a vote to amend.

Are there any comments?

Can I just clarify really quick? Yes. The motion was to make Burke, mayor pro tem, and Swalarich in place of Elsin Gray on the JPAC committee.

So member Savaraj.

Thank you. I think counselor Brooks said it very eloquently about the serving in the joint governance and the importance of it. So thank you, because I think that's what this is about.

Councilmember Nora.

It's probably a procedural question here, but our policies and procedures book dictates how the mayor pro tem is selected. And it says that the mayor will call a meeting with the current mayor pro tem and the pro tem tem to talk about qualifications for the next time around. I don't know that that can be superseded if our policy book and how it's done, it can be superseded with this amendment.

Any other discussion?

K.

Council Member Savara.

Our Our policies and procedures also says that the council can vote down the mayor's recommendation, the mayor pro tem and mayor pro tem tem's recommendation, and then move to another vote if there's an objection. And I think this falls under that procedural process. And I also think that I don't wanna ask it, but somehow I think there's not a lot of objection. I don't think no. I I don't even know.

Let's just say that the current mayor pro temo bet he's wouldn't be offended if he rotated out. And I'm I'm not gonna put words in your mouth, but I think you understand that. And I'm not telling you how to vote. I'm just saying that isn't like an offense, right, in my opinion. And so when we're going through a process and a procedure to make some changes that a lot of people ask for that I think are healthy for the for the council, I think it's straightforward.

Councilmember Ellison Gray. So my question is, so if we vote not to accept oh, actually, no. We're voting to actually change everything that's in there. Everything. Called. To change the Pro Tem and to change the JPEG together. Would they be together? Say it again.

We decided together. Well, it's a it's a motion to amend the main motion, and then you'd vote again on the new motion with a different revised slate. Wait. There'll be two votes.

Just to say, no. We don't accept this.

First the first vote is to amend the motion.

Yeah. To change the names. Exactly.

And if you vote yes on that, then there could there's a set the second vote on the actual amended motion, which with the new slate. So there's two votes if the if the amended motion passes. If the amended motion doesn't pass or the motion to amend, the main motion doesn't pass, then you just go to the original slate and vote on that.

Your question Sorry, Mayor.

Go ahead. Your question was, do those need to be tied together? Is that is that what you're asking? The question.

The amendment was made.

No. That's why I realized it's already been made.

Jennifer Senescu.

Thank you, mayor. You know, in in light of a recent reprimand, you know, I I think it's been our position that a certain council member, may not be, in the best position to serve on a committee. And I think that's where, I know that's where I'm coming from. So I would, disagree with the amendment.

Okay. Council member Hai.

Thank you, mayor. And I with council member Senesky. I mean, that reprimand carries over into responsibility such as being. That's my personal opinion. It is absolutely no influence or was part of the mayor's recommendations that we see before us.

Councilmember Noah.

You all know I work in a public entity, and we are governed quite a bit by protocol, how we discipline people. And when we hit when we discipline people, we state what the discipline is, what the sanctions are, and for the length of time that the sanctions shall be in effect. What I believe we did with one of our council members is we gave them a letter of reprimand for some activities. I guess I would ask that as we would provide for anybody else in society who is being sanctioned for something, whether that be put in jail, put on probation, or put in some other situation, that they know what the length of time is, and they know what they need to do to back in consideration for some other things. So if that has not been done, I would encourage that discussion to occur so that somebody would know what that length of time is.

Because in a rhetorical question, council members did the reprimand indicate that there should be no other assignments or anything like that. Right? And I don't know that we ever discussed anything like that. So, while I understand and agree to an extent of where we're coming from on there, everybody deserves to know what they're supposed to do to have a punishment come to an end.

Mhmm.

Yeah. Thank you, mayor. Councilmember Nora, I agree with you. And and I will tell you what I think that comes from. And from what I have not yet heard, even for since the reprimand, any acknowledgment or apology to this community? Done. Still open in my mind. Haven't heard it. And until I hear that, I personally don't believe in further engagement in communities. We're would support that. That's my addition. I don't make the recommendations.

Mayor? Yes. Sergeant. Council Member Senescu.

Thank you. And to, Council Member Hines' comment, I believe the quote that was in the Colombian, and if it was misquoted, I apologize, was that it's it's a shame when it's a crime to throw a rock in a river. That was the apology that I heard. So please correct me if I'm wrong.

But members of Arch?

Pretty sure, and I think I could dig it up document wise, that I issued an apology in public at the council meeting tonight that the reprimand was voted on. If it wasn't an adequate apology, I'm sorry. That's that's what I do. There was one there, and it was in public. So pulling bits and pieces out of the paper, not feeling that you got your pound enough flesh from me, so be it. Mhmm.

We have a a motion before the floor. Right. And I'm cognizant

of that. Good. I'm also cognizant of the fact that I recommended you for when we took you off of the committees, you step stepped in and went to the committee meetings and talked. And you were in violation of, the code of conduct in the way that you talk to people in the community, in the library, in various other activities. And I said that you would not be on a committee for a year till 2027 in the letter that I sent to you.

Read it. Yes. I did.

Read it. And I will point out, Mara,

that

all these incidences that you alleged to Allege. Okay. You have never talked to me about them directly. You've talked to others, but you never come to me and said, counselor, this is what I've heard.

What about this? So It's not true. It is absolutely true. It is not true. Absolutely true. So we have a problem because we're putting the council in a voting position when I've reprimanded you as the CEO of the city. You have no authority over council. I do have authority over you. Yeah. And I when you're putting the public and the staff in a position, then they could feel threatened.

It's a toxic environment, and that's what I reprimanded. So do you guys still wanna have you be a mayor pro tem? I don't wanna be

mayor pro tem. Where do you

wanna be? I wanna be

on the JPAC committee. Councilor Burke wants to be mayor pro tem. The clerk has the motion. We have a mo a motion before the floor, and she has the verbiage for it.

K. K? So if you if we if

we don't have no other debate, let's call for a vote.

We

have a motion.

I think I have the right to veto that. No. You don't. Do I have a right

to You don't there's you don't have anything nothing but decided yet. Right now, we're just motion to amend. Okay. That's all we're at right now is motion to amend the main motion. It's it's debatable, and you're debating it. At some point, you'll need to ask for a vote.

Here. Go ahead.

I regret that my desire to be mayor pro tem is kinda wrapped up in this kind of emotional conversation. It is. So I am going to support the amendment because I want to be mayor pro tem. Right? Because I think I would do a great job at that. And I think for the reasons that I stated before, I just wanted to put that out there.

Alright.

One of Mr. Wilson to separate the amendment we wanna make to the mayor pro tem with the JPEG. I beg your motion.

We can't qualify it. Right? We have to vote on that motion.

You modify the pending

The motion to amend via.

Yeah. Do you

have to

go up or down on the pending motion, and then you could revisit it, amend it again? Again, I'm trying to think how we've handled Mero Pro Tem before. I kinda remember we've always been a kinda stand alone motion. But, again, history is my guy, and I could be wrong. But I but I understand your point, council member Burke, about that as well as you. But, no, as it stands right now, you have a motion to amend the main motion.

We have

motion in a second. Unless the motion's withdrawn or or or the second's withdrawn, you have a standing motion. It's just to amend. And then if that passes, then you have main motion has been amended, then you go to a a second and debate on that main motion. If that mil motion to amend is defeated, then you're back to where you started before, which you have a standing motion. You'll have to go back and see who made that.

I think

it was. And I think I've got it right so far.

Okay. So right now, we're going to motion to Amend. Amend.

And roll call this one. Yeah.

Roll call.

Do the Okay. Senescue?

No.

Fine? No. Nor.

I vote no because I want the policy and procedure guide followed. We wrote down about how

we do ProTel. Do speaking motions, speaking speaking answers.

That in here, we only get yes

or no? Well, you should say yes or no.

I said no. Okay. And I said what? Okay.

No.

Large?

Yes.

Nose in gray?

No.

So the have it.

The noes have it?

Okay. You're you're back to the main motion. Okay. A second. Motion and a second. Back where you started.

So we're back where we started, and

The mayor's late. You do a roll call vote, Kimmy.

Well, we're

Oh, we have are we debating this now?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Okay. Then are there comments on this? Council members?

No. I'll state my physician again. I I'm voting no on this because I think it's two separate issues that that we had the mayor pro outlined in our policies, procedures. I would encourage the mayor to consider holding that meeting with the current mayor pro tem and the pro tem team and discussing whether or not it was into consideration. But if it came up in January, it came up again in April. So I won't be in support of it for that. K.

Any other comments? Mayor Proton

Can we approve it, but excluding the mayor, Tim, to be discussed later, or we wanna approve it and then later?

Stance, the slate includes ameroprotin. If you wanna take the ameroprotin off, that would require an amendment to the motion again.

That's it.

The second debate passes, and that's the new slate, then you'd come back to a vote on the slate.

I'm gonna make the motion to amend this list, approve it, exclude the mayor pro tem from the appointment for today.

Second. It was moved by Mieske and seconded to remove the nominations for mayor pro tem and pro tem tem. Any discussion? Mayor? Yes.

Sean, does that mean that we if we remove that don't vote on tonight that we do not have a standing mare pro tem?

I don't know. The other one just continues. I don't

know. Yeah. No. I don't know.

It's I mean, the way would or would would work in practice is if the mayor couldn't make it, then the council amongst themselves would say, hey. For this meeting, I nominate so and so to to handle this meeting. So it's it's fixable. It's not Policy is not the end.

Senior most counselor. Yeah.

It's In

practice in practice, that's how it works.

As far as debate on the motion to amend, I would suggest, as we did last time we talked about this, the council had a lot of questions for the mayor about the process and requests. Mhmm. And I think if we could send it back to the mayor, bring it to the next meeting, and see if it we don't have to go through this motion to amend, exclude, back and forth. Let's I think the mayor probably understands some of council's questions and concerns. Send it back to you. Bring it back to us. Consult with others if you need to, and we'll meet next time. That's that's my debate. That's that's not a discussion between you and me. That's part of the debate on the motion.

K.

Any more comments?

My intent of motion was to move forward with it, and then we keep that, mayor pro tem and pro temtem for based on the procedure that council member Norm mentioned. So my assumption was the current, mayor pro tem, an alternate will continue to serve their position until next time we after your meeting. Do I

change my motion? Or You don't have to. That's that's just clarification.

Yeah.

Council member Senesky.

Thank you, mayor. I support what council member Esky is proposing. I say, you know, let's move forward with the slate and, table the mayor pro tem, so that as council member Nor mentioned, we can look into, the proper way to look at that position. But I think we should, and I believe council member Eschke did the amended motion that we approve the slate sans the mayor pro tem. Just reserving that.

Motion to amend the main motion, and then you go back and vote on the amended motion. Robert's rules. Learn it. Know it. Love it.

Recall for move. And roll call. Yeah.

Burke?

We're voting

on the amendment. Correct? Yes.

Nor?

Yes.

Lansing Gray?

Yes.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

It passes.

Okay.

So now we're

back to

the main.

Main motion as amended.

Okay. So now we're back to the original motion, and we need to have the opportunity to have a discussion. Anyone want to discuss any further?

May I withdraw my motion?

I don't think you have a motion on the table. Right?

He made the he made the main motion.

Oh, k.

Are you making that withdrawal motion? I need to

think about that one. I mean, they called me

I was like, do we need the main motion to have the

amended motion? Hold on, counselor. I may need to call recess so we can figure this part out because I'm not sure it's her motion anymore because it's been amended. And so if that's the if that's where we're going, can I get five minutes to kinda figure this out? Because or councilor Sinescu, you still wish to explore the opportunity of withdrawing your motion, or are you withdrawing that request to withdraw your motion?

Whatever moves this forward. So I I'm withdrawing my request to withdraw it. How about that?

Okay.

Motion stands.

Motion stands as amended.

Any more discussion? Can we have a roll call vote?

Yes. One second.

Fine. Yes.

Yes. Yes. No.

Moore?

Yes.

Anescue?

Yes.

Anescue?

Yes. The motion passes. Thank you. And, with the mayor of town, will have a discussion at a later date.

Okay.

Now. Very lucky.

The, next item on the agenda is public hearing considering the vacation of the public easement of a public waterline easement. Jim Carruthers.

Thank you, mayor. I'm gonna give a little background and then the summary of why we're doing this public hearing. So the Camas Woods 1 subdivision applicant received preliminary plat approval on 05/08/2025. This subdivision property is located adjacent north, to Camas High School as shown on the aerial on the screen. In 1924, the city purchased a waterline easement across the subject property or a nominal fee.

A transmission mainline was installed about a hundred years ago, and this pipe has been abandoned for some time now. Property owner and development applicant, HSR Capital LLC, has formally requested the city's vacation of the sections of easement across the Camas Woods 1 property. That's also shown up on the screen there. It's in gray. The total easement area is 37,541 square feet or approximately point eight six acre.

HSR hired an appraiser to evaluate the easement. The appraiser determined the fair market value of the easement to be $40,000. Based on the infrastructure to be donated to the city, the development of this land, h r HSR is requesting that, quote, council consider whether additional monetary compensation is necessary in connection with the easement vacation. And based on the applicant's obligation to remove the abandoned water main and the extent of the infrastructure of on-site and off-site water sewer and transportation improvements that are to be donated to the city, staff recommends approval of vacation at no additional cost to the applicant. RCW thirty five ninety four zero four o requires a public hearing for public easement vacations.

A resolution would need to follow the public hearing to allow the vacation or release of the easement to be recorded. So staff recommends counsel hold the public hearing, take public testimony, and direct the city attorney to prepare a resolution authorizing the vacation of the public waterline easement. Happy to take any questions that you might have at this time.

Do you have any questions? Councilmember Noor.

Can you remind us that, I think you mentioned it last time. We sell this, the city is is held harmless or indemnified for anything that comes from that later on.

I mean, no. That's a that'd be a legal question. I mean, we would no longer have the easement. They are, removing the water main, so there's nothing there. There wouldn't be anything there for of the cities that would remain.

So when we remove the easement, that's giving up our property rights to it, but then they're taking the pipe out.

Yes. Correct. Literally,

not at all.

Any more comments, questions? Councilmember Himes. Thank you, Mayor.

Thanks, Curly. Question on the on the $40,000 price. Do you have any comparables to suggest that this is an appropriate fair market value

for that?

We've we've not done any. The the value and and, basically, the value of the I can give you an idea of what they are donating. They're actually gonna build the roundabout at Everett Drive and Everett Street. They're doing water main off-site and offs on-site. They have an off-site sewer main they're running. They'll be dedicating all of the all the right of way that you see there up there in the streets. That'll all be dedicated as well as the water in the sewer that they're installing. So staff didn't see that it made much sense to spend any money trying to check their valuation.

Thank you.

Any other council member?

It it thanks, Curly, for the the update. As I recall, they're they're the ones that are gonna take out the pipeline, do all the grading. We don't have to do any of that.

That's correct.

So then it's all done.

Yes. Great.

I just wanna make sure.

Thank you. Council member Burke, I wanted to

just thank Kerley for, once again, and as always, this comprehensive every question that I had, I just had to keep going, and there the answer was. So just thank you. I really appreciate you. You. Any other comments or questions?

Okay. Shall we open the public hearing? Counsel, the, public hearing is open. I will now open the public hearing. This is the time to state your support or opposition to this item. And if you are in agreement with the previous speaker's statements, we can simply state that is your entire comment. We will take the in person comments first and then comments from those attending remotely. If you're here in person to comment, come to the table, state your name and your city of residence. If you are remote and want to make comments, please raise your hand in the Zoom app. Sydney will enable your audio.

Unmute yourself and state your name and city of residence. Is there any way one who wishes to

comment? Dorsey Smith. I would like to know if a developer is developing. Why is it their gift to us that they are paying for water sewer to go to the development? Because, like, we built a house before.

We had to pay for water sewer garbage to come up. Vancouver didn't pay for it, and neither did Oregon City when my parents had one built there or my brother in Vancouver. So is this I mean, I'm asking questions. Is this where myself as a homeowner, I'm just supposed to keep paying more and more and more and be grateful when the developer pulls it up to their project. So, I mean, like, I was hearing that there's gonna be water mains changed out.

Is that gonna be on us? And I've heard before in meetings that, you know, older homes, they don't deserve new utilities. We've been paying them for years. My house has been paying them for almost a hundred years. Not me, but the homeowners for that.

But, you know, whatever gets the city out of responsibility, I guess, is best, but it's just kinda, like, irritating to hear, well, their gift is they're trying to pull up utilities to their development. That's not a gift. That's pulling up to their development. So, I mean, Gammes does things a lot different than other towns, and I do know that. But whatever makes the town better. Thank you.

Yep. Is there anyone else that would like to make comments? Are there any hands raised?

Have no hands raised via Zoom.

Yeah. Once again, are there any other, people in the chamber that would like to make comments before we close the public hearing? K. That the public hearing is closed. We've gone through. So now, do we have a motion?

Sure. I move to direct the city attorney to prepare a resolution authorizing the vacation of public waterline easement.

Second. It's moved by Burton and seconded to direct the city attorney to prepare a resolution authorizing the vacation of the public waterline easement. Any discussion? Do we have a roll call vote?

I'll roll call this one?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Rose and Gray?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Okay. Unanimous. Motion passes. Thank you. We have another opportunity to provide public comments to the council. While you may supplement your comments with printed handouts, electronic or digital aids will not be permitted during public comment. Please state your name and your city of residence. You'll have to open it. Please direct your comments to the council as a whole instead of individual members. Staff or audience members, please come forward or raise your hand in the Zoom app. Please remember that public comments are not discussion. The public comments are to inform the council of your views. Is there anyone in the chamber that would like to step up to this end of the table and give the minutes for the comment?

Darcy Smith, and this is why it came down to the meeting, just my feelings about when it was brought up a couple months ago about getting a city manager and having the mayor just do kissing the babies or whatever. We don't need another person in here. We elect our mayor. We don't always agree with everybody on the board or with the mayor, but we elect them. We don't pay them.

We have a great person who handles finances so you can okay the budget. But I'm really tired of things getting farmed out. We don't need a city manager. We have everything in place that we need. And I just I feel for me, my own feeling, I feel like it's too easy for people to say, well, we can just do this.

It's easier, and who cares how much it costs? Or who cares what the people who live here care? Because we do take it very seriously when we vote for the people that we vote for. This is our town. We're supposed to all live in it and contribute, not have it taken away to where the city can decide what happens and then hire a a city manager.

We're still a small town, relatively speaking. I mean, people don't even come to this meeting. So is it really that big of a deal? And a mayor doesn't just kiss babies, and neither do the members on the board. So I appreciate the people who have integrity within this board and this room. Thank

you. Yep.

Is there anyone else in the chamber that would like to have three minutes to speak? Seeing none, do we have any hands raised in the Zoom, ma'am?

No hands raised via Zoom.

Last chance in the chamber. And is there anyone else that would like to make comments? That, we will end the public comments. We, do we have any staff updates?

No.

No, mayor. Thank you.

Council updates. Mark?

I'm happy to be back in town. Camus. Just wanna come home. I'm certainly happy to be here.

But

other than that, I

have no comments. Thank you. Council member Hine.

Nothing further to add, mayor.

Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. Council member Eschke.

Just, quickly on the school, district. So it was concerned about e motor bicycles. I think it's a great idea. We, engage our school and students. Maybe we form a student advisory group before we really take it to law enforcement. I think that takes some burden. So I was hoping to add it to the next, school board agenda so we can ask school to engage with us. The other one is actually a group of students. We're so inspired by council member Burke. You had a QA session with them.

So I I was approached by a couple, and they are they're hoping to find a way to be engaged in government and, understand how they can be volunteer in some positions, maybe for middle school, high school. No pressure, but I thought I'll nominate you. You are already engaged, but just hearing how much they were inspired by your present and your presentation. I thought just to bring it up and hopefully find ways to engage with students. That's all I have.

Thank you.

Council member of Senescu.

Hey. I I just really think it's not May 6 yet. Can we rethink turning on well thirteen? It's not too late. I I've just heard such a public outcry, and I don't wanna buy a new filtration system. I drink five, six glasses of tap water a day. So, anyway, that's all I have. Thank you.

Council member Burke.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I would I'd like to kind of expound a little bit on this. The the present I was asked to speak to some, student leaders from all of our secondary schools. So middle schools, four high schools, and the topic was empowerment.

And so what I charged them with, they had some questions for me, and I talked with them about those questions. And I you know, when I was a principal, I I used to say to my students, notice and act. And so that's what I spoke to them about is notice what's happening around you. And if you see a a wrong that needs to be righted, if you see something that you could be improved, then act upon. I, I appreciate hearing, and I got a thank you note from him.

I appreciated hearing from them, how my challenge to them, which I phrase it in that way, my challenge to notice and act, It empowers us. So it's very, you know, my life as a public servant and public education, I've always wanted to give kids a voice, and I'll be thrilled to anything that has to do.

Yeah. Thank you. Council Member Svarge? No further comments, mayor. Thank you. Council Member Noor?

Just like to make the comment that, democracy in action isn't always pretty, but I appreciate everybody's efforts and and the fact that we that's how we work things out. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay. With that, I think we'll end this meeting. Thank you.