By ELLIE GRAHAM/for The Herald Feb 20, 2025
LOWELL — Max Baker, Lowell’s former public works director and newly assigned city administrator, told council he is finding his feet in the role at the Feb. 18, city council meeting.
“I’m getting in a pretty good groove,” Baker said.
The meeting, chaired by Mayor Weathers, saw the council address the city’s master fee schedule – a long-anticipated project to improve transparency and cost recovery for municipal services.
Updating of fees long overdue
The master fee schedule outlines costs for services such as planning, zoning and miscellaneous administrative fees. It has not been updated since April 2011. Baker said that this project had been in discussion for over three years, with a more tailored focus in the last two.
“The reason these are important is a lot of these fees have staff time to them, so it’s important that we keep up with the progression of staff time,” Baker said.
A key goal is to ensure that fees more accurately reflect staff time and associated costs.
“This is not a money maker, this is to get us so that when we build stuff out, we’re breaking even,” Baker said.
The updated structure will use a tiered system in place of the previous single-category approach. Baker said the change should simplify the structure of fees which will make it easier for residents and businesses to anticipate incurred costs.
One council member interjected to ask about aligning the updated process with e-permitting changes. However, Baked responded that e-permitting fees are set by the Oregon Building Division which is refined separately.
The master fee schedule will be reviewed annually moving forward though, in conjunction with budget planning to account for inflation and contract changes.
In an effort to enhance city cybersecurity defense, city staff are set to undergo a transition to new email addresses. Five city employees are currently in the testing phase with the new forma. There are plans to adopt the updated domain across the board, which will be rolled out to all staff soon. The new server will look like, [email protected]
Covered Bridge in need of repairs
Gearing up for warmer weather and more out-of-town residents traveling in to enjoy Lowell’s outdoor offerings, the council discussed a major bridge repair.
Referring to the city’s bridge inspection report, Baker outlined three primary issues it identifies, including a problematic cable handrail, minor roof leaks and some needed structural repairs. Baker said while city staff and volunteers can clean the inside, the exterior needs some professional attention. The estimated cost for cleaning the exterior came in at an estimated $25,000 and is not something the city can perform.
Baker said, although the cable handrail is aesthetically pleasing, it is not durable due to frequent use by people leaning on it while fishing. Baker said that two small leaks in the roof have been reported and while not immediately critical, the roof will likely need replacement soon.
Baker is consulting with door specialists to explore options for improving the bridge’s gate system too, though no financial commitments have been made yet.
Baker reminded that the county controls the city’s tourism fund and so plans to establish a new intergovernmental agreement (IGA) is essential for ongoing maintenance and solutions for funding.
“We have an expired IGA from 2009 as most of you are aware of, they want to start on the IGA right away,” Baker said.
ELLIE GRAHAM
Ellie Graham is a master's student in Journalism and Law & Conflict Studies at the University of Oregon. She also reports for the East Oregonian and Ethos Magazine. She hails from Liverpool, England but calls the Pacific Northwest home too. Ellie is an avid trail runner and snowboarder. Her pittie mixes keep her busy and up in the mountains.
