Cathlamet Town Council recap

At the beginning of the monthly meeting of Cathlamet Town Council Monday, March 16, Mayor Nicholas Sevald announced Councilmember Mike Severson has recently moved out of Cathlamet town limits and is no longer eligible to hold Position 5 on Town Council. According to Town Clerk Sarah Clark, the Town “will accept applications until it has a sufficient number for review,” after which “the council will conduct interviews and make their decision.”

As part of the regular business portion of Monday’s meeting, interlocal agreements with Wahkiakum County involving both pool and library funding were voted on and approved by the council members. The interlocal agreement for the pool funding stipulates that Wahkiakum County “will fund up to $25,000 per year in operational costs.” Council voted 3-1 in favor of the agreement, which was approved and signed by the Wahkiakum County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) during their Feb. 3 meeting. The one dissenting vote was Councilmember Joe Baker. Another interlocal agreement that was originally approved and signed by the BOCC on Feb. 3 was on Monday’s agenda; this one for library funding in the amount of $2,000. Council members unanimously approved the interlocal agreement with a 4-0 vote.

Later in the meeting, Ordinances 670-26, 671-26, and 672-26 were approved by Council. Ordinance 670-26 amends “Council meeting dates, location, and agenda order.” Rather than being held twice a month on the first and third Monday, Town Council meetings will be held once a month on the third Monday. As regular meetings have been held inside Town Hall on 25 Broadway Street, beginning Monday, April 20, meetings will be held at 100 Main Street. Per the amendment, “if the scheduled town meeting falls on a state holiday, the meeting shall take place the following day at the same time and place.” Meetings will continue to begin at 6 p.m. The amended agenda order is as follows: call to order; roll call; agenda approval; consent agenda; public comment; presentations, public hearings, special business; regular business; public comment; reports/discussion; adjournment. Ordinance 671-26 amends Town Hall office hours. Originally, Town Hall was open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from 12:30-1 p.m., and closed to the public on Fridays. The new Town Hall office hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon and 12:30-3:30 p.m., closed for lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m., and closed to the public Friday through Monday. Ordinance 672-26, which Council approved unanimously, centers on a code of conduct for council meetings.

Several other themes were discussed during the March 16 meeting, including stormwater rates, PUD’s current survey centering on the fluoridization of water, and Council member Crystal Baker’s discussion regarding volunteerism and funding for both the pool and the library. More in-depth coverage of these themes, as well as Council decisions, will be included in the March 26 edition of The Eagle.