City of Westfir Council Meeting January 6, 2025: Mayor gives farewell address and recent rains cause flooding issues

By JOY KINGSBURY/for The Herald — The tiny City of Westfir is without a mayor. Also, they are without one sitting council member. This means the city will limp along without the direction of a strong administration until those posts are filled. There is a job opening for a relief City Operator, which needs to be filled since the present relief Officer has resigned to go to another job.

Former Mayor, D”Lynn Williams, opened the meeting. She tearfully thanked the council for ten years’ support as councilor and mayor, she expressed that it was her time to leave and reminded the council that Westfir still needs a mayor and one additional councilor. She expressed that the “Job is a lot of work and will consume as many hours as you want to put into it.” She then left the meeting.

The new Council consists of Linda Love, Richard Watson, and Duretta Huey, with Nicole Tritten as City Clerk, Recorder, Finance Director, Office Manager, and General Manager. Tritten then swore in the two new councilors, and the meeting commenced. The next order of business was electing a council president. Duretta Huey volunteered for the position and was duly elected. The council president conducts meetings in the absence of the mayor.

Oakridge Fire Chief, Scott Hollett, reported that Westfir’s engine had a handle break for a repair of $50.00. He asked for reimbursement for the repair. Councilor Watson queried the Chief about disaster preparedness and what program where he would find that information. Scott reported that the city has drafted a plan that changes according to circumstances. The Fire Department is working with the Forest Collaborative on a draft that will be the city plan.

The Fire Department will be doing training according to that plan. The Chief stressed that someone from the City of Westfir should be attending the Collaborative’s meetings. Till then, Scott will send Ms. Tritten information on those meetings. Councilor Watson volunteered to represent Westfir.

Chief Hollett reported that the Fire Department has been very busy and has received 1,175 calls in 2024, 80 calls more than in 2023. Hollett asked for volunteers from Westfir, which would be a great advantage to the Department.

Citizen Kenneth Grimsby asked for a water bill forgiveness for a leak. Niclole Tritten declared a conflict of interest since Mr. Grimsby is a member of her household as defined by the Oregon Ethics Commission. Mr. Grimsby tendered a letter explaining the circumstances of the leak and his water bill in the amount $998.50. He discovered the leak the day before Thanksgiving and the plumber couldn’t come till the day after Thanksgiving. He shut off the water himself and the plumbers’ repairs were successful. The amount the city forgave was $499.00.

Resident Adam Kennedy has done extensive study on stormwater accumulation on 1st and 2nd St. In Westfir. He told the council there are county records that refer to the problems that exist as early as 1979 where the county was noting water accumulation in the area.

The County installed culverts for drainage because a storm drain that had been installed back then failed.

Kennedy’s step one will be to find another way to drain the water even during a flood. There is an earnest commitment to solving the water problems and keeping people safe. Councilor Watson remarked that the problem appears to be increasing, making the situation even more difficult to solve.

Nicole Tritten gave the report on the Total Maximum Daily Load, which calculates the source of any pollutants entering riparian areas, losses to riparian areas, and invasive species removal. There will be information on the website regarding Lane County’s rules on storm water, which will be adopted by the city in an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). There will also be information on the website to educate the public on storm water and avoiding pollutants getting into storm water that will then enter the waterways. There will also be information on caring for septic systems.

Bobby Archer, City Operator, gave the water report. The treatment plant treated 125,667 gallons with no problems at the plant, 658,000 gallons of water were dispensed. 13.2 inches of rain fell on Westfir during the month of December.

Tritten reminded the council that all their writings were subject to public records and assigned each councilor an email address. She gave them information on education for councilors.

The city is pursuing a fire station operated by Oakridge with Westfir’s engine and volunteers. They are looking for grants for that purpose. In order to have a new City Hall, they would be going to the voters for a bond. These goals have been in the works for some time.

Expenditures for the city in the month of January 2025, were $103,916.00.

A local resident talked about setting large boulders to protect the road into the sewer plant so large vehicles cannot access and make the road into it more secure. It is a sign of the times, and better to keep public works safe.

There was discussion about how best to obtain a mayor and an additional city councilor. The city will be looking at options to find interested persons who have the aptitude and desire to serve in city government.

The council may hold a work session sometime during the month. Time and place to be announced.

All meetings are open to the public and take place on the 1 st Monday of each month at 5:30 PM at City Hall. There is public comment available at each meeting. A hybrid way to attend meetings is provided.