Council prepares for 2012 construction

The Cathlamet town council worked its way through a variety of business when it met Monday.

The council gave final approval to the 2012 budget and passed a resolution to increase utility taxes from 3 to 6 percent. It tabled a resolution changing emergency medical services (EMS) billing policies to January and took steps to prepare for major construction projects next year.

Tom Zerkle of Gray and Osborne Engineering reported that the US Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to okay the final permit for the new waste water treatment plant project on December 29, and the council planned to hold a special meeting December 30 to complete awarding the contract to Pacific Crest Construction.

Construction should start in early 2012, Zerkle said. The first part of the project will be to construct a waste water main from the existing treatment plant up 2nd Street to the new plant site across SR 4 for storm water drainage. Then work will shift to the new site.

David Goodroe, attending his last meeting as a council member, requested the engineers and contractor strive to minimize construction impact to 2nd and 3rd streets, which lead to the Elochoman Slough Marina, during the spring salmon fishing season.

Besides the $7.86 million waste water plant project, the town will see improvements to 3rd Street and major remodel of the town hall. The council, after meeting in executive session, authorized Mayor George Wehrfritz to negotiate a lease for temporary town office space in the Scarborough Building while the town hall is remodeled.

The council discussed a proposal to amend polices and procedures for billing for ambulance and EMS services.

The new rules would require the town to refer delinquent accounts to a collection agency. The past policy of the EMS First Aid Division has been to collect what it could from insurance companies and clients and write off the rest. The collection process is one of the recommendations from the recent state audit of town and fire department finances.

The policy also outlines a step by step process for gathering information and handling claims, said Assistant Fire Chief Fred Johnson; this was another recommendation from the audit.

Councilmember Goodroe urged the council to delay adoption till January. The policy has a definite change in philosophy about handling claims, he said, and the council members should consider possible ramifications. Councilmembers had received the policy just before the meeting and hadn't had time to study it carefully he said.

After discussion, the council voted 3-1 to table the matter till the January meeting. Goodroe, Steven McNicholas, and Wally Wright voted for the motion to table, Councilmember Bob Rendler was the lone opposing vote, and Councilmember Ruth Doumit arrived at the meeting from another engagement after the vote was taken.

In other business, the council adopted a revised policy for paying stipends to emergency responders in the fire department's first aid division.

Division Captain Beau Renfro said the move would save the town about $15,000 per year. The basic change, he said, is that responders are paid only for calls to which they respond and not for being on call at certain times.

The change increases call reimbursement for the responders. Advance First Aides and EMT-Bs reimbursement increases from $10 to $11, and the reimbursement for EMT-IV is boosted from $10 to $13.

Assistant Chief Johnson said department membership supported the changes.

The council voted to adopt the changes. Wright, a fire department and First Aid Division member, recused himself from voting.

The council also approved an ordinance setting the zoning for land annexed into the town limits in 2004.

A mistake in the annexation ordinance omitted the zoning classification for the land, which include three main parcels--Marina Estates, the Hancock Forest Products site, and land owned by Jerry DeBriae Logging.

The Marina Estates residential development will be zoned Commercial, which allows multiple uses, and the other property will be zoned Commercial/Industrial.

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