Longview City Council recap

During its meeting Thursday, March 12, Longview City Council approved Ordinance 3572. The ordinance addresses the city’s sewer pretreatment policy, which regulates how waste water is removed from businesses within the city. Because they rarely produce harmful wastewater, retail stores were removed from the list of regulated sources. Council members noted adopting this policy helps the city remain compliant with state requirements and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ordinance 3573 and Resolution No. 2608, focusing on ambulance transport fees, were then brought before Council. The change, represented by Ordinance 3573, removes ambulance rates from the city and, instead, allows them to be set through resolutions. Such a change is in the hopes of “making it easier for the city to update fees when necessary” and “helping align billing practices with regional emergency medical service providers.”

During discussion on the issue, Council Member Mike Claxton raised concerns about how the system affects uninsured people, as the city currently waives any costs beyond what insurance companies pay for insured patients. However, uninsured people do not receive the same waiver and may be responsible for the full transport cost. Deciding the uninsured issue would be revisited at another meeting, Council approved Ordinance 3573 and Resolution 2608, establishing the transport fees under the new system.

Later, Council considered funding requests from the Longview Parks and Recreation department for local youth sport programs. Two grant approvals were requested for youth baseball and soccer clubs to fund several improvements, including batting cage turf replacement and new aluminum bleachers. The total funds requested for baseball were $17,900. The soccer club requested $11,000 for plumbing and electrical upgrades, including restroom improvements. The two programs were approved for their requested amounts, as well as an additional $641. A separate project for pickle ball club was declined funding due to its own independent financing

A second discussion was held during the March 12 meeting regarding the downtown parking proposal and its intention to simplify parking rules and improve access for businesses in downtown Longview. A parking study was conducted by Rick Williams Consulting, examining the patterns and average parking durations in the downtown area. The study found most people stay in those spaces for an average of two hours and 24 minutes. Based on the info, the proposal recommends establishing three-hour parking limits along major commercial streets such as Commerce Ave.; whereas, nearby streets like 14th street and Vandercook Way would instead be 10-hour parking. The council approved and moved forward with the proposed changes.

Prior to the mayor and council member reports, Council discussed ongoing issues at the Mint Valley Golf course, which is currently dealing with irrigation problems and undergoing several facility upgrades. Some of the improvements include a full irrigation system replacement, exterior wall repairs, and restroom renovations. Because construction and maintenance work may disrupt operations, the course's advisory board recommended keeping golf rates unchanged for 2026 and delaying any increases until 2027. City staff reported that the irrigation project is already in effect and will be completed around early April, ahead of the start of the busy spring golf season.