Vale board delivers awards
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:06 AM PST
Vale — The Vale City Council bestowed two service plaques to the outgoing mayor and an outgoing councilman at its meeting Dec. 16.
In the public comment/presentation portion of the evening, Vale City Manager Brent Barton presented exiting Mayor Bill Lawrence with a plaque commemorating his five years with the council, three of which he served as mayor. Lawrence, who did not run for re-election, is slated to be succeeded by mayor-elect Mike McLaughlin, who attended the meeting Tuesday night. Lawrence thanked Barton, councilors, city staff and the community as a whole for their support during his tenure. At the end of the meeting, Lawrence said he believed the council and mayor-elect would have “a good couple years of solid footing.” Lawrence said there wasn’t really any reason he didn’t run again, he just wanted to do something else with his time. Barton spoke highly of Lawrence and his time on the council after the meeting.
Also spending his last night as a member of the elected board was Councilman Brian Zanotelli, who also received a plaque for his work completing Councilman Johnny Martinez’s term.
Zanotelli served on the elected board since March, after Martinez left the council to pursue educational and career goals. In accepting the award, Zanotelli said he had a new-found appreciation for the council’s work. Zanotelli said he might run for a council slot in the future, and he would hang the plaque up in his office with pride. The council also heard from Barton regarding an application he submitted to the Transportation and Growth Management Program. If approved, he said, this grant would help to pay for planning, and creating a walking/biking path near the levee. He also said the planning money could possibly be used to connect sidewalks near bus routes as part of the national Safe Routes to School Program. Barton said he did not need council approval to submit the application but would need approval if the money were granted to the city. Barton said this grant was uncovered with the help of Assistant City Planner Jason McNeil, who works for both the city of Vale as well as the city of Nyssa as part of Resource Assistance for Rural Environments. McNeil will be in the position until the end of next August. McNeil, who graduated from Portland State University, interned with the City of Hillsboro. McNeil said he is interested in land use, planning and zoning and economic development. In order to be eligible to participate in the program, which is sponsored by the University of Oregon’s Community Service Center, participants must either be a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree or a graduate-level student. Participants receive a $1,250 monthly living stipend and medical health insurance. The communities must provide a $17,000 cash match.
The City Council also wrote off $1,107.69 in bad accounts for utilities. Barton said the bad accounts were turned over to collections and removing them “from the books” is simply a housekeeping matter.
If the collection agencies are successful in obtaining the money from these accounts, he said that, of course, would be given to the city.
Zanotelli said a number of the accounts were for small amounts and that it seemed like a “waste of toner and paper” to keep track of them. The motion to write off the accounts carried.
The Vale City Council also voted to table an issue regarding the future interest rate in the city’s Revolving Loan Fund. Currently, the RLF, which offers loans to local businesses, has an interest rate of 2 percent less than prime, with no limit on how low that rate can go. However, with the unknown direction of prime rates, Barton said he felt that percentage should be reevaluated. Vale City Attorney said he would formulate a document on the issue.
The council’s next meeting is slated for Jan. 13.
