City snapshot — traffic enforcement, cold weather shelter status

• Lt. Chad Davis reported to City Council that he and two deputies have recently completed a combined 200 hours of peer support and negotiator training. A speed trailer has been ordered to be used around town to alert drivers to their speed. There have been two vehicular crashes on McKinney Butte Road in the last several weeks. Traffic concerns are getting worse on Washington Avenue and Elm Street.

• Councilors have been busy conducting interviews with applicants for positions on City commissions, boards, and committees. They have been pleased that there are more applicants than positions available, indicating citizen interest in community involvement. The announcement of who has been selected for the open positions will be made at the December 8 City Council meeting, 6:30 p.m.

• Two final candidates for the vacant principal planner position have been selected and a final choice is expected soon, to begin work after the first of the year.

• For the third year, shower tokens for the showers at Village Green Park will be available from Family Access Network (FAN) for houseless Sisters residents. The FAN office is located in the Sisters School District administration office on East Cascade Avenue.

• City Council approved a resolution declaring a state of emergency and authorizing temporary shelter facilities during severe cold weather conditions. The Sisters Cold Weather Shelter will operate during the months of December, January, and February every night the temperature is forecast to be 35 degrees or colder.

In December, the shelter will be housed at Sisters Community Church in The Hangar off McKinney Butte Road. Wellhouse Church will host in January, and the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration will host in February. Doors will open at 6 p.m., a hot meal served at 6:30 p.m., lights out at 10 p.m., and everyone must vacate the building by 7 a.m. the next morning. Mayor Preedin said, after the resolution was approved, “We will help them out any way we can.”

• City Public Works employees have been busy lighting up “the town of tiny lights” with white lights on lamp posts and trees around town. Sisters merchants join in the festivities every year with storefront lighting. The holiday shopping season in Sisters kicks off on Friday evening, November 26, at 5:30 p.m. in Fir Street Park with the lighting of the City’s Christmas tree. Saturday, November 27, 2 p.m., the annual Christmas Parade will make its way down Hood Avenue.

• City Council recently conducted its annual employee review of City Manager Cory Misley. Misley is the only City employee who does not receive a cost-of-living increase each year, instead receiving raises based on merit. For the coming year, Misley will receive an annual salary of $125,000, plus has been granted eight more hours a month of paid vacation time. Mayor Preedin said at the November 17 Council meeting, “You’re doing a great job, Cory. Thank you for your hard

work.”

• Misley and Public Works Director Paul Bertagna presented to Council for their consideration some changes to the ordinance governing public events. Several changes around the application process were discussed as well as allowing tents for large events a few more days in public spaces for setup and removal time. Staff will work on the recommended changes and return the ordinance to Council for their approval.

• The former Mid Oregon Credit Union office next door to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Sisters office has been leased out for shared space by a medical provider and an appraisal office. Improvements will be made in December with offices slated to open after the first of the year.

• City Recorder Kerry Prosser reported that as of November 17, 600 public -safety surveys had been returned to the City, of the 1,800 sent out to city residents. The cutoff date for returning surveys is November 30.

• The City Parks Advisory Board will be tackling an update to the Parks Master Plan starting after the first of the year. It will include parks planning and proposed capital improvements for the next 10-15 years supporting the recently completed Comprehensive Plan.

• A reminder from Public Works Director Paul Bertagna: When the City receives four inches of snow or more, cars parked on public rights-of-way must be moved to allow for the plows to remove and stack snow in those rights-of-way. Any car not moved will be towed out of the way.

• Council President Nancy Connolly reminded the other councilors that on the City website, under Community – Community Resources – Other Support, is a link to the Sisters Country Resource Guide listing contact information for a multitude of services available to Sisters Country residents.

• According to Mayor Michael Preedin, the latest statistics show the median price of houses in Sisters in the bottom quarter of sales is $640,000, with listings being on the market for seven days.

•?When there was no visitor communication at the last City Council meeting, Mayor Preedin asked that the message go out to encourage citizens to let the Council know what is on their minds. There is a slot for visitor communications at the start of every City Council meeting and any subject not already on the meeting’s agenda is appropriate. To speak via Zoom, contact City Recorder Kerry Prosser prior to the meeting to let her know you wish to speak.