Charlyn Ellis advocated for hiring a staffer at the City’s Climate Action Board – she now faces removal from the City Council for the effort.
Here’s what happened: The city employee that once supported the CAB, or Climate Action Board, left for other employment in April and was never replaced. Boards like these typically have a mix of community volunteers and electeds like City Councilor Ellis, and they often need support from paid staff to identify opportunities and challenges, and to keep the board in compliance with public meeting laws – they often compile agendas, keep minutes and post publicly available meeting videos.
So Ellis, who chairs the Board, initiated a conversation with her fellow CAB members about asking the City Council to direct City Manager Mark Shepard to seek a replacement for the departed staffer, first by posting the job, and then by keeping the City Council updated about progress. One CAB member so moved, another seconded, and the motion passed.
At the time, more than one Board member expressed their sense that senior City staff doesn’t view CAB, and by extension, the climate, as a priority.
Five days later, on Sept. 18, Ellis took the matter to the City Council, though her motion never came to a vote, given the City Attorney advised that directing the City Manager to make a hire would violate the City’s Charter. The Council instead approved a motion directing the City Manager to assure CAB had the City support requited for monthly meetings.
Was this Undue Influence: On Dec. 18, the City Council will decide on a resolution that states Ellis’ actions violate a section of the City Charter, and has therefore forfeited the position voters in Ward 5 elected her to.
Section 23(f) of the City Charter says, “Neither the Mayor nor any member of the Council shall in any manner, directly or indirectly, by suggestion or otherwise, attempt to influence or coerce the Manager in the making of any appointment or removal of any officer or employee or in the purchase of supplies; or attempt to exact any promise relative to any appointment from any candidate for Manager, or discuss, directly or indirectly, with the Manager the matter of specific appointments to any City office or employment. A violation of the foregoing provisions of this section shall forfeit the office of the offender. Nothing in this section shall be construed, however, as prohibiting the Council, while in open session, from discussing with or suggesting to the Manager, fully and freely, anything pertaining to the City affairs or the interests of the City.”
The section itself says it pertains to interference in administration and elections.
Click here to read the proposed three-page resolution that seeks to remove Ellis, which also supplies links and time references for the CAB meeting that took place Sept. 13, and the Council meeting on Sept. 18. Initially, this matter was set for tonight’s City Council meeting agenda, but it’s now been set for a full hearing on Dec. 18.
Speaking of Tonight’s City Council Meeting
Time, place and manner, or TPM, for homeless folks to sit, sleep or lie down is back on the docket. Tonight, the City Council will decide if the current temporary ordinance that puts these arrangements in the hands of the City Manager will become permanent, which is what the City Attorney is recommending.
As No Small Aside: The City has been working with the providers of services to the homeless, and there has been some general agreement that parks around schools should be taken off the list of permitted TPM sites.
But, beyond that, there’s been some consensus that the site maps distributed to the unhoused should be narrowed down to parks where there’s fewer protected natural feature restrictions – which means those maps would essentially funnel folks to parks in the downtown core and South Corvallis, and away from the more affluent areas in Northwest Corvallis.
Microshelters: City staff is also recommending the City Council approve permitting for microshelter developments of 5 to 25 units in non-residential areas. Medical service providers would also be permitted to allow up to four recreational vehicles for patients with serious medical needs.
More Residences, More Fees: Did you know the State Legislature enacted a bill which reads in part: “A local government shall allow the conversion of a building or portion of a building from a commercial use to a residential use.” The bill, HB 2984, prohibits a local government from requiring a zone change or a conditional use permit before allowing the conversion to a residential use.
Also, the bill prohibits a jurisdiction’s ability to require payment of Systems Development Charges or SDCs for such properties unless the charge is calculated pursuant to a specific adopted policy for commercial to residential conversions adopted on or before December 31, 2023.
While the bill allows for the assessment of Water and Wastewater SDCs, it does not have a similar provision for Street, Stormwater, and Parks SDCs.
So tonight, the Council will consider a resolution that preserves the City’s ability to assess all SDCs when the proposed commercial to residential change results in an intensification of property use as measured by each SDC’s impact measure. Current impact measures include vehicle trips for Street SDCs, plumbing fixture units for Water and Wastewater SDCs, impervious surface area for Stormwater SDCs and residential equivalents for Parks SDCs.
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com