Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
The 3rd quarter budget report at last night’s Goldendale City Council generated more discussion than usual. Councilor Steve Johnston compared the $52,376 budgeted for the airport to $105,838 for the city parks, and said many more people used the parks than the airport and the cost per user was way more for the airport.
“I’d let it go back to dirt, let them land in the dirt like they used to. But they got this big pie in the sky about they come up with all kinds of reasons why we need this super duper airport and it doesn’t fly with me.”
Councilor Loren Meagher had other information:
“Life flight is a huge thing around here. So they fly a lot of people out Life Flight and the helicopter itself cannot fly in all the weather. However, the airplanes can. So it is actually utilized quite a bit for Life Flight and that’s a big resource to have in the city of Goldendale.”
Johnston also expressed concern about the Chamber of Commerce budget, and the council agreed the Chamber should be making regular reports to the city, so the city could see how their money was being spent.
Councilors did pass a tougher ordinance on sidewalk obstructions, after some modifications upwards on the size of potential fines. The other ordinance on the agenda was postponed. If passed, it would have replaced a planning commission for which the city could no longer find volunteers, with a planning agency consisting of the Public Works Director, City Administrator, City Building Official, City Engineer and the Mayor.
Several people brought up objections, including that there would be no independent review of land use decisions, and pointing out that other cities as small as Winthrop and Cathlamet, both with population under 600, used a contracted Hearing Examiner.
Councilor Danielle Clevidence summed up the council’s feelings this way:
“I don’t think we should probably vote on any of this till we get a little bit more information personally. S econdly, could we utilize the people that you’re proposing, but then also do a reach out and maybe get two or three people from the community and have them be a part of it too? That way we have a mix of both. So you have the people that know and do the things every day kind of, but you also have the citizens so that they could be part of it as well.”