Fiscal report shows improvement in city revenue, reserves

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news 

A large group of mostly high school students dominated a lengthy public comment session at the Ashland City Council meeting Tuesday, demanding climate action from the city after what they said have been years of activism without desired effect. 

Piper Banks stated she was now a senior at Ashland High School and, in filling out her college applications, she referenced her work with Ashland Youth for Electrification. She “cringed,” she said, when she wrote about more than two years of activism without corresponding action from the city. 

“This is a matter of safety, health and, on a level, the difference between me getting a future or not. … This is an opportunity to make a change. It’s October and it’s 90 degrees. The time for climate action was 50 years ago, but I’ll settle for now,” she said. 

Keira Retiz said she first began working with Youth for Electrification when she was 15. She is now also a senior and, as she looks ahead to “figuring out the rest of my life,” she felt it was “embarrassing” to consider the city of Ashland first passed its Climate and Energy Action Plan seven years ago without discernible action since. 

Council considered one budget item concerning climate action Tuesday — the use of $500,000 of funding allocated within the rate-payer fed Utilities Enterprise fund. City Manager Sabrina Cotta stated staff had prepared three recommendations for the use of funds. First, a $60,000 purchase of a device to test electric vehicle chargers. The city had previously disposed of chargers that did not appear to work. The device would enable possible diagnosis and repair of the chargers. Council unanimously agreed to this request. 

The other suggestions for a potentially $100,000 contract with a consultant to conduct a new emissions study for the city, to retain the funds within the utilities department to assist rate payers or to use the funds to assist in the USDA On-Bill green energy loan program inspired a lengthy debate. 

Councilor’s Bob Kaplan, Jeff Dahle and Eric Hansen, along with Mayor Tonya Graham, rejected the study, stating the city could understand from its previous 2016 study its emissions were not meeting targets. Dahle advocated for education and support for local businesses to improve their emissions and switch to renewable energy. 

Hansen disclosed he was owner of True South Solar, but advocated for taking advantage of programs and funding from the Energy Trust of Oregon that would financially support the expansion of solar power. 

Councilor Gina DuQuenne advocated for retaining the funds within the utilities fund to assist rate payers. Kaplan argued many lowest income rate payers are those facing high energy costs due to inefficient heating and air conditioning. Their rates could be lowered by further assisting their transition to more efficient and greener systems. Councilor Dylan Bloom advocated for the study and Kaplan’s suggestion of assistance for low-income residents. 

Council unanimously approved a motion to request staff to bring forward more detailed options, to decline the study, the purchase of the battery tester, for some use of the funds for the USDA loan program, exploration of support for small businesses and investigation of the potential state level support for renewable energy. 

In other council business Tuesday, council approved a contract for Sabrina Cotta to officially take the role of city manager. Bloom stated she had proven herself to be a “capable and dedicated leader.” 

DuQuenne stated that, while “Sabrina is a good human being,” she did not believe the city did its due diligence in searching for a city manager. She had voted in opposition to Cotta’s appointment and would oppose the confirmation of the negotiated contract. The motion to approve the contract passed 5 to 1.

Council unanimously approved a lease at $1 per square foot for the 5,540 square foot space at 2245 Ashland St. for the finance department. Finance Department Head Mariane Berry stated the finance department was spread between three buildings. The utilities department was in a space too small to scale up with temp staff to meet demand and unable to accommodate the degree of public accessibility residents ask for. 

City Hall is unable to accommodate the entirety of the finance department, she said. The $67,000 lease will last five years, after which time the city’s facilities review is anticipated to better guide the organization of city staff workspaces. 

Berry also presented a preliminary fourth quarter review of the city’s finances showing the city’s revenue overall was up 6.8% from the preceding fiscal year while the Transient Occupancy Tax revenue is 42% higher and the Food & Beverage tax is 9.1% higher. The city’s overall ending fund balance is $6.3 million higher than last year, with a health investment portfolio assisting, along with tax revenue and delinquency processing restarting at the utilities department this year. 

Kaplan stated he was particularly pleased to see the city’s reserve fund is now $1.9 million, up from $40,000 two years ago. 

Graham responded to the public resignation of Leda Shapiro from the Citizens Budget Committee during public comment at the Sept. 17 business meeting, as previously reported by Ashland.news. 

Shapiro’s description of being told “loudly to shut up by Eric Navickas,” who was chair of the committee at that time, was alarming to Graham. She said she was a part of the committee with the rest of council and did not remember any such exchange. 

“If something like that had happened in one of our meetings, I would have interjected myself. … Because we can’t govern ourselves if that kind of behavior is how we handle public meetings,” she said. 

After the Sept. 17 business meeting concluded, Graham stated she contacted Shapiro to request further information about the incident which she said Shapiro declined to provide. At the dais Tuesday, Graham requested councilors to inform her if they remembered the exchange. 

Bloom stated that while “full transparency, I am running against Eric,” he was sitting close enough to hear his now-opponent state under his breath, “oh shut up.” Bloom also remembered preceding the line of questioning from Shapiro as “not what I would agree with.” 

DuQuenne stated she also remembered Navickas being “rude and short with her.” 

Council also spent over an hour debating the rules and term limits within a proposed ordinance regarding city committees without coming to a conclusion. Graham stated it was fine for council to spend this time debating as the issue was important and, due to public meeting law, the body has no alternative for attempts to come to consensus. The ordinance was tabled for further review at a later date after councilors Bob Kaplan and Paula Hyatt reminded the mayor of the meeting’s time constraints. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].