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Home My WebLink About05/28/26 CC Minutes (2)CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES April 23, 2026 6:00 PM Central Point City Hall, Council Chambers 140 S 3rd St, Central Point, OR www.centralpointoregon.gov 1 Meeting Called to Order 2 Pledge of Allegiance 3 Roll Call The following members were present: At Large Rob Hernandez, Ward II Kelley Johnson, Ward I Neil Olsen, Ward IV Brian Whitaker, At Large Michael Quilty, Ward III Sarah Roberts The following members were absent: Mayor Taneea Browning The following staff were also present: City Attorney Sydnee Dreyer, City Manager Chris Clayton, Parks and Public Works Director/Assistant City Manager Matt Samitore, Police Chief Scott Logue, Planning Director Stephanie Powers, Finance Director Tessa DeLine, and City Recorder/Assistant Finance Director Rachel Neuenschwander *Rob Hernandez made a special announcement that Item 9.A. had been noticed as a public hearing and would be conducted as a public hearing. 4 Presentation A. End of Session Report - Lobbyists Greg Lemhouse from United Strategies presented an end -of-session report covering the 32-day legislative session. Key highlights included 354 bills introduced with 153 passed, major discussions on Docusign Envelope ID: B5BD8778-3EDC-810B-82B2-C19BB0DE972E Central Point City Council April 23, 2026 Meeting Page 2 of 6 transportation referral and federal immigration enforcement, and the federal tax code disconnect generating approximately $311 million in revenue. Significant legislation affecting Central Point included HB 4148 allowing flexibility in transit lodging tax proceeds for government services, SB 1517 expanding recreational immunity protections, and SB 1585 providing matching grants for cities under 20,000 population with reduced match requirements. B. Southern Oregon Alliance of Physicians and Providers Brent Kell from Valley Immediate Care presented on the Southern Oregon Alliance of Physicians and Providers, a collaborative effort to recruit primary care providers to the region. The alliance includes multiple healthcare organizations working together to address the shortage of approximately 200+ primary car e physicians in the region. They conduct joint recruitment efforts, bringing candidates out to interview with multiple organizations, with successful placements including recent hires from Louisiana. 5 Public Comments Sarah McGrath inquired about public comment opportunities for the residential code amendment discussion item. She was informed that while no public comments would be taken during tonight's discussion, future public hearings would provide those opportunities. 6 Public Agency Comments 7 Consent Agenda A. Approval of April 9, 2026 Meeting Minutes Motion: Approve Moved By: Sarah Roberts Seconded by: Michael Quilty Roll Call: Members Rob Hernandez, Kelley Johnson, Neil Olsen, Brian Whitaker, Michael Quilty, Sarah Roberts voted yes. None voted no. 8 Items Removed from the Consent Agenda Docusign Envelope ID: B5BD8778-3EDC-810B-82B2-C19BB0DE972E Central Point City Council April 23, 2026 Meeting Page 3 of 6 9 Ordinances and Resolutions A. Resolution Declaring 466 S. First Street Surplus- Public Hearing. Council President Rob Hernandez read the Public Hearing statement, no council members declared any conflicts. City Attorney Sydnee Dreyer presented a resolution to declare surplus property at 466 South First Street, a former long-standing nuisance property that the city foreclosed on and demolished. The bare land was appraised at $75,000 with an additional $4,925 SDC credit. Staff recommended listing the property at $78,000 for fixed-price sale, with the first qualifying offer to be accepted. Two individuals have already expressed interest in purchasing the property. Council President Rob Hernandez opened the Public Hearing, no one came forward and the Public Hearing was closed. Motion: Approve Moved By: Neil Olsen Seconded by: Kelley Johnson Roll Call: Members Rob Hernandez, Kelley Johnson, Neil Olsen, Brian Whitaker, Michael Quilty, Sarah Roberts voted yes. None voted no. Neil Olsen moved to approve Resolution No. 1863, a Resolution declaring certain real property located at 466 South First Street (Map No. 372W11BC Tax Lot 3800) surplus and authorizing the City Manager to sell the property via fixed price sale. B. Resolution Approving First Amendment to Hunter Franchise Agt Parks and Public Works Director Matt Samitore and Jason Robinson from Hunter Communications presented a proposed amendment to the Franchise Agreement to allow microtrenching technology in existing rights-of-way for fiber optic installation. This method cuts narrow, shallow trenches in roadways for placing fiber conduits, proceeding at approximately 4 feet per minute and allowing completion of neighborhoods in 1–2 days compared to a year for traditional directional drilling. The technology has been successfully used in Docusign Envelope ID: B5BD8778-3EDC-810B-82B2-C19BB0DE972E Central Point City Council April 23, 2026 Meeting Page 4 of 6 Medford with over 500,000 feet of trench placed. Motion: Approve Moved By: Sarah Roberts Seconded by: Kelley Johnson Roll Call: Members Rob Hernandez, Kelley Johnson, Neil Olsen, Brian Whitaker, Michael Quilty, Sarah Roberts voted yes. None voted no. Sarah Roberts moved to approve Resolution No. 1864, a Resolution approving that First Amendment to the City of Central Point Telecommunications Franchise Agreement - Hunter Communications & Technologies, Inc. Microtrenching Authorization and authorizing City Manager to execute same. 10 Business A. 3rd Quarter Financial Report — As of March 31, 2026 Finance Director Tessa DeLine presented the third quarter financial report. The general fund is performing well with revenues at 43% of the budget and a strong ending fund balance of $7.1 million. Areas of concern include police department expenditures and finance expenditures exceeding budget due to audit costs. The stormwater fund shows a negative balance due to awaiting a FEMA payment of approximately $500,000 for fire-damaged culvert repairs from several years ago. Water fund improvements are expected following recent rate increases, while building fund revenues are below budget due to low development activity. B. Avista Franchise Agreement City Manager Chris Clayton presented options for the Avista franchise agreement renewal, specifically whether to increase the franchise fee from 5% to 6%. The increase would generate an additional $40,000 - $60,000 annually to help offset rising costs of maintaining public rights - of-way where utilities operate. Regional precedent shows mixed approaches, with Pacific Power already at 6% and Klamath Falls recently moving Avista from 5% to 6%. Council indicated support for moving forward with the 6% rate, with formal approval expected in June. Docusign Envelope ID: B5BD8778-3EDC-810B-82B2-C19BB0DE972E Central Point City Council April 23, 2026 Meeting Page 5 of 6 C. Residential Code Amendment Discussion Planning Director Stephanie Powers presented the draft comprehensive residential code amendments addressing regional density requirements (6.9 units per acre until 2039, then 7.9 units per acre), state housing mandates including House Bill 2001 middle housing requirements, and modernization of existing codes. The amendments create both clear and objective standards and a discretionary review pathway. Key discussion points included garage placement standards, horizontal width limitations (50% of dwelling width), and building articulation requirements. Council expressed general support for the dual pathway approach while requesting a study session to further discuss whether to expand the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) overlay to all new development areas or apply the new conventional zoning standards instead. 11 Mayor’s Report No mayor's report was given as the mayor was not present. 12 City Manager’s Report City Manager Chris Clayton deferred his report due to the meeting's length, indicating items could wait until the next meeting. 13 Council Reports Council members provided brief reports on various meetings and activities they attended, including the Citizens Advisory Committee, RVCOG board meeting, school district meetings, and other community engagements. One member noted that teacher appreciation week would be May 4th – 8th. 14 Department Reports Police Chief Scott Logue reported on a multi-agency school reunification exercise conducted over the previous two days with School District 6, involving mock evacuation scenarios. Multiple agencies participated, with some observing and others actively part icipating. The exercise was Docusign Envelope ID: B5BD8778-3EDC-810B-82B2-C19BB0DE972E Central Point City Council April 23, 2026 Meeting Page 6 of 6 deemed very successful and proactive. No other department reports were given due to the meeting's length. 15 Adjournment Neil Olsen moved to adjourn, all said aye, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:11 PM. The foregoing minutes of the April 23, 2026, Council meeting were approved by the City Council at its meeting of May 28, 2026. Dated: 05/28/2026 _________________________ Mayor Taneea W. Browning ATTEST: __________________________ City Recorder Docusign Envelope ID: B5BD8778-3EDC-810B-82B2-C19BB0DE972E