Council focused on decision-making

An atmosphere of cooperation and amiability prevailed when the Sisters City Council held their workshop last Thursday night, conditions that have been absent of late.

Councilor David Asson encouraged his fellow councilors about taking a more involved role in the issues that come across their desks. In an effort to be better informed at the beginning of City projects, Asson proposed a simple process.

"If we could use the old 'who, what, where, when, why and how' to identify what it is we want from any particular goal or project (before it is ever put out to staff and the public) we could have precluded some of the disappointment toward the City from the community," he suggested.

Councilor Nancy Connolly concurred with Asson, suggesting that such a process would provide a written history for future councils as to how and why decisions were made. She went on to say that the process would be a good way of organizing and solidifying their thoughts, providing the same playbook for everyone.

Mayor Chris Frye and Councilor McKibben Womack agreed and City staff provided several examples of projects coming up where this kind of summary would be very appropriate. Such a tool would also allow for identifying and reaching out to stakeholders with an interest in a project, allowing for better communication and increasing transparency between City Hall and the citizens of Sisters.

Building permits and residential sales in Sisters appear to be on the rise, according to figures presented to the Council by Patrick Davenport, community development director. Hayden Homes was the largest contributor, with 41 sales from July 2013 through February 2015. Timber Creek was second with 23 sales and 21 in Pine Meadow Village. There were a total of 174 residential sales in that same time period.

For fiscal year 2014/15, 28 single-family building permits have been issued, with six of those so far in calendar year 2015. Davenport reported that within the next few weeks the 2015 number will double.

Four citizens submitted applications to be considered for the Council seat to be vacated by McKibben Womack effective April 30. The Council will interview the applicants at their May 7 workshop.

The spirit of cooperation carried over into the Council meeting, where unanimous approval on a number of issues moved Council quickly through the agenda. Changes to the policy regarding public records requests was approved, allowing for five free requests per calendar year per individual, if the time required by City staff is less than 30 minutes. For requests requiring more than half an hour to process, or beyond the five free requests, there will be a fee of $40 an hour. All records requests will require the applicant to fill out a form to be submitted to the City Recorder.

Three requests for proposal (RFP) were approved for the services of City attorney, engineer, and insurance agent, with new contracts to begin July 1, 2015.

Brook Jackson, counselor at Sisters Middle School, was granted the last $400 from the City's Community Services Grant for the Sisters Outdoor Leadership Experience (S.O.L.E.), a pilot project he has developed to include a wilderness component in his work with at-risk middle school students.

Kathryn "Kati" Lindbloom was appointed to the budget committee. Lindbloom, who volunteers for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, has an MBA in finance and accounting.

Kari Sims Anthon, owner of Love.Life.Yoga., asked Council to either reconsider the reductions in urban renewal grants or to allow applicants to reduce the scope of their projects by 25 percent to match the reduction in grants. The Urban Renewal Agency will meet on May 7 to take Anthon's request under advisement.