By Anne Scheck

Coding changes aimed at increasing the visual appeal of houses in Independence have become a concern to both a homeowner and a developer in the city. Local homeowner Victoria Kruljac, who currently is barred from putting a vinyl fence on her property, plans to address the issue tonight at the City Council meeting, at 6:30 pm at the Civic Center.
 
In response to Ms. Kruljac’s  argument against prohibiting vinyl fencing, Zach Pelz, the contracted city planner for Independence, stated that the ban on vinyl fencing “is a standard in many cities and is in response to the perception that vinyl is a lower-quality and aesthetically inferior material compared to wood,” he said.
 
However, vinyl fencing is allowed in many towns identified in national rankings as model cities. Vinyl fences are allowed throughout residential areas of Corvallis, for example, with the possible exception of the city’s historic district. In Beverly Hills, vinyl fencing is considered versatile and weather-resistant for that California city.
 
If Ms. Kruljac presents her objections tonight, her views won’t be the first time this month the issue of code updates receives a public airing. At a recent Planning Commission meeting, developer Harvey Cummings, who plans to build 40 homes in a southeast part of Independence’s urban growth area, expressed unease over coding changes that many see as requiring upgrades to construction.
 
Mr. Cummings, a developer of the project known as “Brandy Meadows,” stressed he cannot yet forecast the effect of the city’s mandate for certain building materials and housing features. However, in an interview outside the meeting, he explained that he raised the question due to escalating buildings costs, which affect pricing and affordability.

by Anne Scheck

Special Coverage
New Year Report

• City Hall Buyer  
• Park Land House
• PIN Report: Riverside!
• DATE-TO-NOTE: tonight
• Editorial: Ken Day, MIA
• Finale: City Display!

FORMER CITY HALL SALE MAY NET $40K
A buyer has been found for Independence’s former city hall – the vacant building next to the post office – and proceeds to the city from the sale “could be as little as $40,000” after rebates and other provisions attached to the $350,000 purchase price, according to city documents.

The buyer reportedly is the current owner of Independence Station, an Oregon-based investment group headed by a Salem entrepreneur; The still-skeletal structure is expected to be converted into a medical-office building, which will have use of the parking lot between the former city hall and the post office, as will the new business.

In a staff report publicly distributed in preparation for the city council meeting tonight, councilors were advised that the building will need to be rehabilitated to meet city standards for the downtown area, and that the “business will support the ultimate completion” of Independence Station. A craft brewery is planned for the site.

(The current issue of The Independent is comprised of questions and answers about city finances, thanks to inquiries submitted by readers – and answered by appropriate city staff and officials Pick up copies at The Brew and Tap House, The Ovenbird Bakery, Elite Cleaners and Robin’s Roost, all downtown or The Starduster at the Airport.).


PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVES ‘PARK HOUSE’
 
The Planning Commission approved plans for the sale of a parcel of land between Riverview Park and the Independence dog park, which is privately owned -- though it was commonly assumed to be part of the city’s riverfront property. A house is slated to be built there, once the property is acquired.
 
The parcel will remain agricultural-use land, and the current easement – a pathway along the river connecting the dog park to Riverview – will continue “in perpetuity.” However, a fence on the side opposite the river will be constructed on the property by the city, according to the presentation at last night’s meeting by Brent DeHart, a Salem financial advisor who is in the process of buying the acreage. The land is currently owned by William Leedy, who also attended the meeting.


PIN REPORT
Public Interest News
It was a dark and stormy night! Nonetheless, quite a crowd turned up for  the open house to solicit public feedback for proposed Riverview Park enhancement. These engaged citizens literally put their mark on the proposed plan, by placing coded stickers above or below the examples illustrating possible changes. Most ideas got lots of positive-sticker placements. However, preserving “soft edges” along the river seemed to get a big “no” vote. Shawn Irvine, economic development director, suggested this might be because the photo showed high grass where water and land converged -- and it wasn’t really representative of the shoreline of the Willamette River in Independence.
 

DATE-TO-NOTE: CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT, 6:30 PM
The city is slated to hear the annual audit report covering city spending, budget outcomes, and revenue balances for the past year. Gloria Butsch, the city’s finance director, is scheduled to give it this year. A representative of the auditing firm, Merina and Co., is not expected to be present.
 

 Editorial: Ken Day Loss
A man many believe to be the most outspoken city councilor in many years resigned from the council earlier this month. Preparation and tenacity were characteristics of his year-long tenure. Will Mr. Day’s replacement fire off questions the way he did -- ranging from a demand to know the city debt to repeated requests to clarify the water bill? It is unfortunate that general frustration and time pressures took their toll on Mr. Day. He leaves behind an empty chair sorely in need of a dedicated individual who can serve till the term expires.


FINALE: A Long-Vanished Community Worth Learning About
The story of a short-lived Oregon town that became historic for two significant reasons -- first as a model city, then as a submerged city in the 1948 Columbia River flood -- can be seen in the lobby of the Civic Center, displayed in panels that chronicle its achievement and disappearance. Vanport, with a lifespan of only six years, was home to 40,000 people and known nationally for its successful housing project.

by Anne Scheck

NEW YEAR REPORT
City Councilor Resigns
ALSO:  MINET Debt in Water Bills

KEN DAY RESIGNS CITY COUNCIL SEAT 

Ken Day resigned from the Independence City Council earlier this month, citing several issues that prompted him to re-evaluate his position on the council. Chief among his concerns was a lack of "initiative and commitment" he perceived among some council members. "I applaud them for volunteering, but with the job comes expectations of involvement," he said. As an example, he cited a planning session on strategic development where several councilors had no "suggestions or critique."
 
They seemed to "almost always go along with the mayor or city manager rather than questioning and/or offering alternatives," Mr. Day said. He also acknowledged having difficulty working with the city manager, David Clyne, whose management style differed so much from his own. Mr. Day, a former CEO, noted that there are many different ways to lead groups of people, and he acknowledged that his results-oriented, problem-attacking style is only one of them. However, Mr. Clyne "created more issues and confusion than he needed to," Mr. Day said.
 
One example is the announcement last year by the city manager of his impending retirement, which circulated around Independence. This prompted the city to invite a local expert to address the ramifications of a multiple-month-long search for a replacement city manager, a presentation that was given at the last council work session. "Then, at that meeting, the city manager said no, he wasn't retiring in mid-2018. He was going to stay till Independence Landing was completed," Mr. Day said. This meant another relatively long period of work with Mr. Clyne, which Mr. Day said for him was "the straw that broke the camel's back."
 
When contacted by email, Mr. Clyne said Mr. Day “never shared with me why he chose to resign. I was as surprised as most. “  Mr. Clyne said he considered Mr. Day someone who was “really starting to learn the role of councilor" and was “interesting and frequently helpful to a broader understanding of discussions and issues,” in part thanks to Mr. Day’s  business background. 
 
“I wish him well in his return to private life,” Mr. Clyne said.
 
Mr. Day said another key reason was transparency -- that issues were being discussed in executive sessions that he felt should be discussed "openly, in public."
 
[The Independent will take a close look at the financial issues that have been the subject of so much speculation and debate in the next issue of The Independent, available in February at Brew and Tap House, The Ovenbird Bakery, Elite Cleaners and Tailoring and Robin’s Roost, all downtown, and The Starduster at the airport).

Discrepancy in Water Bill Pertaining to MINET will be reported in the next Linking Letter for e-mailing. The city’s utility consultant, Steve Donovan, said slightly over $14 of water-sewer billing goes to MINET debt payment. A letter sent in the last bill puts the amount at just above $6. The explanation from Gloria Butsch, finance director, is that she used the actual allocations from the 2017 billings in information inserted in the last bill and the higher dollar amount is a projection for 2018.

by Anne Scheck

Coverage: City Council
​
Nov. 14  Meeting

• City Council: City Debt 
• Planning: Parking Issue
• PIN Report: Santa Train
• DATE-TO-NOTE: 11-28!
• Editorial: Q&A Postponed
• Finale: Ag & Tech Grant

CITY DEBT REACHES
$40 MILLION IN 2017 

The City Council approved a loan of $6 million at its last meeting to help upgrade the water-sewer system, bringing the debt owed by Independence to a near-total of $40 million.
 
The city’s finance director, Gloria Butsch, listed the debt as slightly above $30 million -- but she acknowledged that this amount doesn’t include the more than $3 million spent on infrastructure for Independence Landing nor the recently approved loan for water and sewer improvements to the city. With those additions, the city debt now stands in excess of $40 million. 
 
Ms. Butsch made the announcement as part of her city council report, after Councilor Ken Day requested the debt-level be clarified.
 
Though Independence Landing is likely to generate significant municipal income once it is fully built, several lots at the site remain unsold and, as a result, are off the tax rolls. The same is true of the former city hall, which currently is being rented to a distillery. Sales of both the old city hall and unsold lots at Independence Landinghave been referred to as a priority by city officials -- along with construction of Independence Station, which was sold a few months ago but remains inactive.
 
(The next issue of The Independent covers the City Council meeting tomorrow night, Nov 28, which relates to the city revenue issue: Sale of a lot at Independence Landing to a buyer who appears – from the agenda -- to be a local realtor. As a result, the” Q and A issue” planned for December’s The Independent has been postponed till January).

PLANNING COMMISSION SAYS 
MORE PARKING INFO NEEDED

The Planning Commission literally sent the city back to the drawing board last Monday after finding that hand-crafted diagrams of parking dimensions failed to match other information in their packets.
 
The city had asked commissioners to endorse downsizing -- to nine-feet-wide -- as the general minimum for parallel parking spaces, reducing them from the current average standard of ten feet. “There were two hand-drawn diagrams, and the top diagram was especially unclear,” said Trevor Scheck, who presided over the session, due to the absence of the chair.  
 
The diagrams need to be re-done before a presentation on new parking- space size goes to the council, the commissioners decided.  
 
The new parking-space minimum is necessary, said David Clyne, Independence city manager, in a brief interview after commissioners made their recommendation. Without this reduction,  planned landscaping won’t be able to be installed by the developer, Tokola Properties, he explained. 
 
The more-narrow minimum for parking stalls was a concern to at least one commissioner. “I have a big family, and I like being able to unload them all – the current size makes that easy,” said Odilon Campos-Santos.
 
[Disclosure: Trevor Scheck is son of the publisher of The Linking Letter and The Independent].

PIN REPORT
Public Interest News
Not as far off as the Polar Express but quite a train ride. The Santa Train is scheduled to arrive in town early afternoon Saturday after Santa Claus takes it to the Independence Cinema parking lot on Dec. 2. All aboard!

DATE-TO-NOTE: CITY COUNCIL Nov 28, 6:30 PM
The city is slated to consider sale of a portion of Independence Landing that isn’t part of the Tokola Development. The proposed buyer appears to be a local realtor.

Editorial Preview
 A guest editorial by Jenn Flores on inclusivity will appear in the coming issue of The Independent, availableDec. 1. The “Question-and-Answer” issue originally scheduled for the Dec.1  of The Independent has been postponed till January, so that the developments at the late December City Council meeting can be covered: This includes the sale of a portion of Independence Landing to a new buyer.

 The Independent 
 December issue arrives Friday: Available at The Golden Horse Restaurant, Elite Cleaners, The Ovenbird Bakery, Brew and Tap House – all downtown. And at The Starduster Restaurant at Independence State Airport. AND NOW also at ROBIN’S ROOST, across from the old city hall building.

IN JANUARY LOOK for the “Q and A” issue in which citizen questions will be answered across the pages of The Independent. That issue will include an editorial by yet another one of Indy’s citizen writers.

FINALE:

The city of independence has received a grant of $50,000 from the Ford Family Foundation. The funds will be used to hire a “Regional Innovation Catalyst,” who will work jointly for the city and for the region’s Strategic Economic Development Corporation (SEDCOR) to “broaden the reach and impact” of the area to attract more technology and agriculture-based companies into Polk County, according to a news release from SEDCOR.

Visit the Trammart News Archives for previous Linking Letters.