Abandoned Vehicle Crackdown: Changes are coming to how the Corvallis Police Department will handle abandoned vehicles within city limits.
In a press release issued on April 17, the city explains “All vehicles suspected to be abandoned or disabled, found to be parked in violation of Corvallis Municipal Code, will have a notice affixed to them, and the opportunity to comply within 24 hours, or will be subject to tow at the owner’s expense, except for certain exceptions allowing for immediate tow.”
Here’s What Got the Crackdown Rolling: The Corvallis Police Department brought a proposal before the city council at their Jan. 19 work session. At the Feb. 6 council meeting, the council voted to adopt updated ordinances relating to abandoned vehicles, parking violations, and towing of vehicles. After a second reading of the ordinances at the Feb. 21 meeting, the council adopted the proposed changes, which officially took effect on March 10.
Is it a Crackdown, or the New Normal: In that aforementioned release, the Corvallis Police Department says it has now updated its abandoned and disabled vehicle tow process and policies to align with the updated CMC and ORS. For the past few weeks, the parking enforcement unit has been conducting education efforts regarding the new ordinances while gradually shortening pre-tow notice windows, in preparation for a full roll-out of the new process.
These changes will not have an impact on anyone using the streets of Corvallis or parking legally. For Corvallis parking laws in their entirety, refer to CMC 6.10.040 at: https://library.municode.com/or/corvallis/codes/code_of_ordinances.
Some Weekend Bus Services Will Resume, Finally: The cities of Corvallis and Philomath announced on April 17 the return of limited weekend transit service on certain routes, beginning Saturday May 6.
In a release, the city said, “Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked with our contractor, MTR Western, to secure drivers and resume weekend service. Please be aware that driver shortages continue to challenge transit systems in our region.”
Back on September 19, CTS announced they would be suspending Saturday and Sunday service until driver numbers again supported weekend service. In addition, some underperforming routes were also eliminated in order to reallocate limited resources and sustain service to higher ridership routes.
Public Transit services in the city are provided by MTR Western Inc., a Seattle based transportation company, through a contract. The city plans to restore full service when enough drivers have been hired by the contractor and are fully trained.
Here’s the weekend service that’s being restored come May 6…
Saturday Service:
Corvallis Transit System – Hourly service for Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 during the hours of 10am-6:30pm. Routes 7, 8, 9, and Night Owl will not operate.
Philomath Connection – Service runs at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 4pm, 5pm, and 6pm.
Sunday Service:
Corvallis Transit System – Hourly service for Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 during the hours of 10am-6:30pm.
Forest Survey: The City of Corvallis has released another survey for its residents, this time the city is asking for feedback on the Forest Stewardship Plan.
In a release from the city, the Corvallis Public Works Department is gathering feedback about the vision and guiding principles that will inform their forthcoming update to the Corvallis Forest Stewardship Plan.
The plan is put in place to provide a long-term strategy for sustainably managing the forests throughout the Corvallis area, which is part of a larger watershed that feeds into the city’s Rock Creek Water Treatment Plant.
The short survey will take about 5 minutes to complete. For questions or more information on this questionnaire contact CFSPUTF@corvallisoregon.gov or 541-766-6726.
By Jennifer Williams
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