City snapshots

• At their Thursday, August 25, 7 p.m. meeting, Sisters City Council will be considering a motion to adopt the Highway 20/Barclay Avenue roundabout traffic management options and the aesthetics of the installation. The public is invited to make comments at that time. A draft concept can be viewed at http://

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION4/Pages/US20atBarclayDrive.aspx.

• The EDCO forgivable loan program for traded-sector businesses that are starting up or relocating in Sisters, or creating new jobs, has been approved by City Council. For information, contact Caprielle Foote-Lewis, Sisters EDCO representative, at 541-977-5683 or [email protected]

• Sisters has a new permanent city attorney, with the selection by City Council of the Bend law firm of Bryant, Lovelien and Jarvis (BL&J).

BL&J, which has been serving as interim counsel, is a full-service law firm with 14 attorneys and nine partners.

They have extensive experience in municipal and land-use law throughout Central and Eastern Oregon.

The City will have at its disposal the expertise of the entire firm, but will have contact mainly with senior partner Jeremy Green, whose specialty is municipal law, and his associate Alan Dale, who is a graduate of Sisters High School.

Garrett Chrostek, associate, and Sharon Smith, partner, will provide advice on land-use issues.

If needed, they have a group of three attorneys whose sole focus is litigation.

Madras attorney David Allen will continue to handle all legal issues pertaining to the McKenzie Meadow subdivision.

• In last week's meeting, the Planning Commission approved text amendments to the Development Code regarding cottage developments - removing the requirement for a community building and raising the maximum area of a cottage from 1,200 to 1,250 square feet. Cottage-style housing is not intended for infill on smaller parcels without an approved master plan. Builders may request a density bonus of up to 25 percent for a cottage dwelling in the residential district. Another text revision enables a small-scale addition to an existing structure without a formal site plan review.

• Work on the City's Transportation System Plan (TSP) will begin with traffic counts scheduled to start after the opening of school. The main focus will be the east end of town, including the Highway 20/Locust intersection by the elementary school, the Highway 20/126 convergence and the truck scales, and Highway 20/Buckaroo Trail and Highway 126/Creekside Drive intersections. A public advisory committee is being assembled. When they have completed their work, concept evaluations and design suggestions will be presented during a community open house.

• City Recorder Kathy Nelson has announced she will be retiring by the end of 2016. The job opening is posted until August 31, with selection and hiring scheduled for the first week of October. The new recorder would start work the beginning of November, with Nelson training them until November 30.

• Council has approved the renewal of the City's participation in the Oregon Public Works Emergency Cooperative Assistance Agreement. The City agrees to provide mutual aid to other cities during emergencies and will be provided those benefits. The prior agreement was made in 2011 and the current one is good for five years.

• The job description for the new permanent city manager will be developed in November; the position will be posted in December. Candidates will be reviewed in January 2017. Interviews and hiring are slated for February, after the new council is seated. The new city manager will start work in April.