Council adopts new fire dept. ordinance

Members of the Cathlamet Town Council voted 4-1 Monday night to adopt a new ordinance governing operation of the town fire department.

Council members also discussed the possibility of raising sewer rates $35 over a 20-month period.

Council members voted 4-1 to repeal the ordinance which has governed the fire department since 1932.

The ordinance put control of the fire department under the now defunct Cathlamet Commercial Club. It also provided that fire department members would elect their chief and officers.

Over the years, the department has managed its own operations and finances. In the past few years, management of funds has been moving to the town office, and the latest audit by the Washington State Auditor recommended complete transfer of financial control and an update of the ordinance to put the department under control of town government.

One of the biggest changes in the new ordinance is giving authority to the mayor to appoint and fire the fire chief.

When presented in February, the proposed ordinance provided that the chief would serve a six year term; the chief would appoint an executive assistant chief, and department members would elect other officers.

Since then, council members received commentary from the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) legal department saying that state law gives the mayor sole authority to appoint and fire all officers, and that was changed for the version considered at this week's meeting.

Council Member Bob Rendler moved to approve the proposed ordinance for the second, third and final reading (ordinances must be considered at at least two meetings before being adopted), and the motion drew a second.

Council Members Wally Wright and Ruth Doumit moved to amend the motion to be approved for only the second reading; the motion eventually failed in a 3-2 vote.

Wright and Doumit pointed out that in February the council had said it would hold three separate readings of ordinance.

Wright pointed out that retired Assistant Fire Chief Fred Johnson had given council members a letter outlining concerns over provisions and contradictions in language in the new ordinance. He pointed out that even though the original ordinance is out of date in regard to Commercial Club control, other provisions remain intact.

Rendler replied that the committee which drafted the ordinance had put in a lot of time and made revisions. He had read through Johnson's comments, and he had read the comments from the MRSC.

"No one reports to the council," he said. "The mayor is responsible for filling positions and supervising the officers."

Rendler acknowledged that there might be problems in language relating to pensions and that changes would likely be necessary.

"What's the all fired hurry?" Wright asked.

"What's the benefit of delaying complying with state law?" responded Council Member Dick Swart.

At that point, the council voted on Wright's motion to amend the original motion to be approved for the second reading, and the motion failed, with Wright and Doumit voting in favor of amending and Rendler, Swart and Steven McNicholas voting against the motion.

And after a few more comments, the council voted 4-1 to adopt the ordinance for its second, third and final reading. Wright cast the lone dissenting vote. The ordinance becomes effective five days after it is published.

"We'll try this on for size before we see about amending it," said Mayor George Wehrfritz.

Council Member Swart said he and Rendler had been looking over sewer and water rates and were concerned that current rates are insufficient to fund the systems' maintenance and operations needs, especially with the town embarking on construction of a new sewer plant.

Discussion of a sewer rate increase was tabled in 2009, Swart said, and the result has been that the sewer fund reserves haven't built up sufficiently to cover financial needs.

The town could also build funds by finding more sewer system customers, he said.

For example, the town worked with Wahkiakum County to construct a main up SR 4 to Boege Road, but there have been few connections by residences or businesses.

"The town needs to give incentives to potential new customers to hook up to the system," he said.

Rendler suggested that their committee could develop a proposed schedule of rate increases and have it ready for consideration in April.

Swart added that in order to implement a moratorium to the $8,000 connection fee for the Boege Road line, they would have to talk to Wahkiakum County commissioners. As part of their agreement to help finance the line, commissioners set a $3,000 connection fee to repay the county's contribution to the project.