Hinkelman and councilmembers discuss FEMA

During last month's City Council meeting, Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hinkelman gave a lengthy report, citing several items. The first of these was an update on the recruitment of a Public Works Director. Hinkelman noted they had "two bites" and that recruitment will close on March 8.

Hinkelman then mentioned that he and Councilmember Russel Finney-Leggroan went to the legislature and “rattled the cages of the House and Senate" regarding grant money. According to Hinkelman, he and Finney-Leggroan focused on representatives working on capital construction committees, which decide what money "goes out there" with respect to infrastructure projects. Hinkelmman noted he made some good contacts. During his Feb. 5 report, Hinkelman also noted bids would be opened the following afternoon for the sewer plant project and that the capital construction request form was "pretty much written" and that he just needed to add the bid amount. According to the meeting's minutes, Hinkelman was "fearful of what the cost will be due to (an) increase in the bid amount of the Conestoga Lift Station Project."

Thanking Councilmembers Finney-Leggroan and the newly sworn in Jeff Horness for attending the City County Dinner with him, Hinkelman noted former Senator Betsy Johnson and former Commissioner Tony Hyde discussed the "complex" FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and PICM (Pre-Implementation Compliance Measures) issues with respect to floodplain management. According to oregon.gov, as of Jan. 31, 2025, FEMA is "requiring cities and counties to "gather additional data on local floodplain permitting" and to "submit an annual report to FEMA starting January 2026." Regarding the issue, Hinkelman said, "This is not going to go away anytime soon save perhaps an executive order," noting the process is going to be a "battle."

Returning to more local issues, Hinkelman discussed a water leak that occurred Saturday, Feb. 1, and thanked the public works crew for its quick response getting the work done. Finally, during his update on code compliance, Hinkelman announced a number of properties had their brush cleared, including the front yard of the Belair property.

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