Councilor Sarah Jobe questions nearly $4 million resolution and issues strong call for transparency
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023
At the most recent Independence City Council meeting, Councilor Sarah Jobe voted against a nearly $4 million resolution that was called a "housekeeping" item by the city manager, citing a history of “messy” financial decisions during a period of accumulating city debt, which now exceeds more than $36 million.
To explain the reasons for her no vote, Jobe read a statement calling for more transparency and expressing disappointment with the way the city has handled certain past financial transactions.
Reactions to Jobe by those outside the meeting have been universally positive, although only a small number of residents appear to be aware of the statements she made at the city council meeting.
City Manager Kenna West and Interim City Finance Director Rob Moody explained that no history of the nearly $4 million sum to which Jobe alluded could be found – other than a money transfer in 2017. However, it obviously represents an intended loan by the city to the urban renewal fund and, by formally recognizing it as a loan, a repayment schedule will officially begin, according to Moody.
Jobe asked for an apology from those who were councilors at the time, noting that there was no record of a loan being approved six years ago – only the transfer of funds.
City Councilor Shannon Corr countered that “it may have been approved by the council, but they just don’t have the paperwork.”
One of those who viewed the city council meeting called Corr’s assertion of this incident a “restating of the obvious” – and labeled the missing paperwork as concerning, not reassuring.
“With the date, and being unable to track this down, and given the time of this, it probably had something to do with development of Indy Landing or the new city hall because MINET was always tracked,” said the viewer, who didn’t want to be named. It now raises questions about whether, at the time, the city wanted this to be “out in the open.”
In fact, some of the sums that originated about the same time – 2017 to 2018 – are attributed to city payments for covering system development charges assigned to the developers of Independence Landing, including one for $564,270. “The urban renewal needed money to do the projects,” Moody told Jobe. Jobe was joined in voting against the resolution – an amount of $3.867 million – by Councilor Dawn Roden, who said she wanted more clarity on the proposed resolution, as well.
Roden reminded the council that she had mentioned concern about the financial status of the city when she came aboard the council a few years ago. “I was called uneducated, uninformed, unaware – essentially stupid,” Roden recalled.
Due to the excused absence of one councilor, Marilyn Morton, the no votes of Jobe and Roden split the decision evenly, forcing Mayor John McArdle to break the tie – in favor of the resolution – and he cast other yes votes, as well, on a list of resolutions that brought the total sum to more than $4 million.
City Manager West repeatedly has cited a shortage of financial staffing as a reason for unanswered questions by Jobe and others. Staff can “only work as fast as they can work,” she said.
Before voting no, Roden stressed that “my desire to create more work for staff is not as important as making sure we get details right.”
(Disclosure: the author of this article, Anne Scheck, has attempted to get a response from the city on several issues that involve Independence, and she has been unable to do so. A mistake spotted by Jobe at a work session on city debt, and subsequently researched by Scheck, shows the city mistakenly called nearly $19 million of the city debt as caused by MINET, a miscalculation of the actual $8.3 million owed by the municipal fiberoptic company. City Manager Kenna West, during a personal encounter, had told Scheck she refused to confirm that finding by Scheck, and advised Scheck that she could risk error by printing her own numbers or wait until the city council meeting for further documentation. Scheck published her own figures, which proved accurate. In a presentation to the city council, Scheck asked that the city either abide by its media policy, which pledges to answer media questions in a timely manner or drop or change the policy.) ▪
A homeowner who's spent years fixing up an old house says the city's restrictions are too costly
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023
A homeowner near downtown who asked the city to approve a proposal to make the house she occupies a safer, better-insulated place by substituting look-alike siding to match the original wood planking was turned down by the city's Historic Preservation Commission – a decision she said will force her to move.
“I would love to keep it,” Beverly West told commissioners of the small historic home. However, the wood siding it came with requires continual repainting – there is periodic peeling, apparently due to caulking undertaken by a previous owner.
Asked what she would do if her plan was disapproved, West said: “I think at that point we would probably prepare the house for sale.”
The circumstances West now faces – pitting the cost of historic preservation against practical alternatives – is one that is being seen in cities across the country as historic homes in more reasonably priced areas become unaffordable to homeowners. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent federal organization, has begun looking at this potential cause of displacement as a result of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Since then, studies have shown that, in some historic districts, early buyers who struggle to refurbish homes can find the costs imposed by cities – often once gentrification is fully underway – so burdensome as to make the neighborhoods attractive only to those who have the purchase power for careful restoration.
The move to reject the siding West proposed would cost thousands of dollars more to purchase the aging wooden ship lap, rather than the substitute lap siding, she pointed out to the commissioners. The character of the home would be retained. “It is not going to look out of place,” she asserted.
The single-family home, on A Street, is considered part of the Independence Historic District. West’s proposed project sought to replace two windows, as well as the siding. The windows were approved.
A report written by City Planning Manager Fred Evander states the siding replacement would mean removal of historic material. Such an alteration should be avoided because it helps characterize the historic look of a property, according to Evander.
Outside of the session, West said she disagreed with the decision “but the process itself is just as concerning.”
The Historic Preservation Commission appears to consider Evander an authority on the issue, making her objections subject to disregard, such as citing another homeowner who was able to use the siding she recommended. The city communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, was asked to respond or seek comment on the situation but so far has declined to do so.
At a subsequent meeting by the HPC in November, Commissioner Anne Devane expressed sympathy for West. Devane inquired about whether West had been apprised of resources that could possibly have helped her. Devane also called for commissioners to receive more training. “I know Jennifer feels the same way I do,” she said, referring to fellow commissioner Jennifer Flores.
“I have been saying this for years,” Flores said. In a brief interview following the meeting, Flores was asked about the matter.
Training in meeting protocol and role responsibilities of the commissioners could help with decorum at the sessions as well impart information about what can be accurately conveyed to residents, she said.
Flores has suggested that a booklet or packet be put together for new residents of the historic district, describing what it means to reside there.
The historic district is a confusing “hodge podge,” she noted. “The entirety of the district isn't included as part of the district,” she added, observing that there are exceptions in it, according to the way lots are designated. For example, construction for a home colloquially dubbed the "container house" is going to go up on a city block that currently houses only historical buildings. However, “the other new build that will join this block will be required to adhere to historical code,” she said.
More training for the HPC, including learning more about up-to-date information on resources for homeowners, would be helpful, she said. ▪
Is there a recycling center in Indy's near future? Local recycling expert Josh Brandt says maybe so
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023
INDEPENDENCE – In a presentation at a recent Independence City Council meeting, Joshua Brandt, owner-operator of Brandt's Sanitary Service in Monmouth, told city councilors that the growth of Independence -- combined with an Oregon law to expand recycling efforts -- makes the city an appealing site to state authorities who are providing funds to help with increased operations.
So, will Independence be getting a recycling center?
That depends on what happens next, said Brandt, who explained that the city undertook a needs assessment on the matter, but not much has happened since then. “It is probably going to be a long process,” he explained after the meeting.
In the last census, Independence’s population was recorded as having pushed past 10,000 residents -- and that triggered new requirements for recycling, under the “Opportunity to Recycle Act” in Oregon. The city had to add two recycling programs to be in compliance; The programs are food waste and multifamily property collection.
The city requested some improvements to its existing recycling depot. The improvements include on-site monitoring equipment, such as cameras to monitor for contamination or illegal dumping, and equipment to compact and bale recyclables for shipment, according to the needs update filed with Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, apparently in response to the new Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in Oregon.
In terms of the potential funds to help the city enhance or build a facility, “we don’t know yet how much money may be allocated for these improvements,” stated Dylan Darling, public affairs specialist for the Oregon DEQ’s Western Region.
“We really need to figure out what people want,” Brandt stressed. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023
At the most recent Independence City Council meeting, Councilor Sarah Jobe voted against a nearly $4 million resolution that was called a "housekeeping" item by the city manager, citing a history of “messy” financial decisions during a period of accumulating city debt, which now exceeds more than $36 million.
To explain the reasons for her no vote, Jobe read a statement calling for more transparency and expressing disappointment with the way the city has handled certain past financial transactions.
Reactions to Jobe by those outside the meeting have been universally positive, although only a small number of residents appear to be aware of the statements she made at the city council meeting.
City Manager Kenna West and Interim City Finance Director Rob Moody explained that no history of the nearly $4 million sum to which Jobe alluded could be found – other than a money transfer in 2017. However, it obviously represents an intended loan by the city to the urban renewal fund and, by formally recognizing it as a loan, a repayment schedule will officially begin, according to Moody.
Jobe asked for an apology from those who were councilors at the time, noting that there was no record of a loan being approved six years ago – only the transfer of funds.
City Councilor Shannon Corr countered that “it may have been approved by the council, but they just don’t have the paperwork.”
One of those who viewed the city council meeting called Corr’s assertion of this incident a “restating of the obvious” – and labeled the missing paperwork as concerning, not reassuring.
“With the date, and being unable to track this down, and given the time of this, it probably had something to do with development of Indy Landing or the new city hall because MINET was always tracked,” said the viewer, who didn’t want to be named. It now raises questions about whether, at the time, the city wanted this to be “out in the open.”
In fact, some of the sums that originated about the same time – 2017 to 2018 – are attributed to city payments for covering system development charges assigned to the developers of Independence Landing, including one for $564,270. “The urban renewal needed money to do the projects,” Moody told Jobe. Jobe was joined in voting against the resolution – an amount of $3.867 million – by Councilor Dawn Roden, who said she wanted more clarity on the proposed resolution, as well.
Roden reminded the council that she had mentioned concern about the financial status of the city when she came aboard the council a few years ago. “I was called uneducated, uninformed, unaware – essentially stupid,” Roden recalled.
Due to the excused absence of one councilor, Marilyn Morton, the no votes of Jobe and Roden split the decision evenly, forcing Mayor John McArdle to break the tie – in favor of the resolution – and he cast other yes votes, as well, on a list of resolutions that brought the total sum to more than $4 million.
City Manager West repeatedly has cited a shortage of financial staffing as a reason for unanswered questions by Jobe and others. Staff can “only work as fast as they can work,” she said.
Before voting no, Roden stressed that “my desire to create more work for staff is not as important as making sure we get details right.”
(Disclosure: the author of this article, Anne Scheck, has attempted to get a response from the city on several issues that involve Independence, and she has been unable to do so. A mistake spotted by Jobe at a work session on city debt, and subsequently researched by Scheck, shows the city mistakenly called nearly $19 million of the city debt as caused by MINET, a miscalculation of the actual $8.3 million owed by the municipal fiberoptic company. City Manager Kenna West, during a personal encounter, had told Scheck she refused to confirm that finding by Scheck, and advised Scheck that she could risk error by printing her own numbers or wait until the city council meeting for further documentation. Scheck published her own figures, which proved accurate. In a presentation to the city council, Scheck asked that the city either abide by its media policy, which pledges to answer media questions in a timely manner or drop or change the policy.) ▪
A homeowner who's spent years fixing up an old house says the city's restrictions are too costly
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023
A homeowner near downtown who asked the city to approve a proposal to make the house she occupies a safer, better-insulated place by substituting look-alike siding to match the original wood planking was turned down by the city's Historic Preservation Commission – a decision she said will force her to move.
“I would love to keep it,” Beverly West told commissioners of the small historic home. However, the wood siding it came with requires continual repainting – there is periodic peeling, apparently due to caulking undertaken by a previous owner.
Asked what she would do if her plan was disapproved, West said: “I think at that point we would probably prepare the house for sale.”
The circumstances West now faces – pitting the cost of historic preservation against practical alternatives – is one that is being seen in cities across the country as historic homes in more reasonably priced areas become unaffordable to homeowners. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent federal organization, has begun looking at this potential cause of displacement as a result of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Since then, studies have shown that, in some historic districts, early buyers who struggle to refurbish homes can find the costs imposed by cities – often once gentrification is fully underway – so burdensome as to make the neighborhoods attractive only to those who have the purchase power for careful restoration.
The move to reject the siding West proposed would cost thousands of dollars more to purchase the aging wooden ship lap, rather than the substitute lap siding, she pointed out to the commissioners. The character of the home would be retained. “It is not going to look out of place,” she asserted.
The single-family home, on A Street, is considered part of the Independence Historic District. West’s proposed project sought to replace two windows, as well as the siding. The windows were approved.
A report written by City Planning Manager Fred Evander states the siding replacement would mean removal of historic material. Such an alteration should be avoided because it helps characterize the historic look of a property, according to Evander.
Outside of the session, West said she disagreed with the decision “but the process itself is just as concerning.”
The Historic Preservation Commission appears to consider Evander an authority on the issue, making her objections subject to disregard, such as citing another homeowner who was able to use the siding she recommended. The city communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, was asked to respond or seek comment on the situation but so far has declined to do so.
At a subsequent meeting by the HPC in November, Commissioner Anne Devane expressed sympathy for West. Devane inquired about whether West had been apprised of resources that could possibly have helped her. Devane also called for commissioners to receive more training. “I know Jennifer feels the same way I do,” she said, referring to fellow commissioner Jennifer Flores.
“I have been saying this for years,” Flores said. In a brief interview following the meeting, Flores was asked about the matter.
Training in meeting protocol and role responsibilities of the commissioners could help with decorum at the sessions as well impart information about what can be accurately conveyed to residents, she said.
Flores has suggested that a booklet or packet be put together for new residents of the historic district, describing what it means to reside there.
The historic district is a confusing “hodge podge,” she noted. “The entirety of the district isn't included as part of the district,” she added, observing that there are exceptions in it, according to the way lots are designated. For example, construction for a home colloquially dubbed the "container house" is going to go up on a city block that currently houses only historical buildings. However, “the other new build that will join this block will be required to adhere to historical code,” she said.
More training for the HPC, including learning more about up-to-date information on resources for homeowners, would be helpful, she said. ▪
Is there a recycling center in Indy's near future? Local recycling expert Josh Brandt says maybe so
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023
INDEPENDENCE – In a presentation at a recent Independence City Council meeting, Joshua Brandt, owner-operator of Brandt's Sanitary Service in Monmouth, told city councilors that the growth of Independence -- combined with an Oregon law to expand recycling efforts -- makes the city an appealing site to state authorities who are providing funds to help with increased operations.
So, will Independence be getting a recycling center?
That depends on what happens next, said Brandt, who explained that the city undertook a needs assessment on the matter, but not much has happened since then. “It is probably going to be a long process,” he explained after the meeting.
In the last census, Independence’s population was recorded as having pushed past 10,000 residents -- and that triggered new requirements for recycling, under the “Opportunity to Recycle Act” in Oregon. The city had to add two recycling programs to be in compliance; The programs are food waste and multifamily property collection.
The city requested some improvements to its existing recycling depot. The improvements include on-site monitoring equipment, such as cameras to monitor for contamination or illegal dumping, and equipment to compact and bale recyclables for shipment, according to the needs update filed with Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, apparently in response to the new Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in Oregon.
In terms of the potential funds to help the city enhance or build a facility, “we don’t know yet how much money may be allocated for these improvements,” stated Dylan Darling, public affairs specialist for the Oregon DEQ’s Western Region.
“We really need to figure out what people want,” Brandt stressed. ▪
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