The Philomath City Council confirmed the mayor’s appointments of two seats on the Park Advisory Board and filled four seats on the Inclusivity Committee during its meeting Monday night — but the decisions went a bit beyond the routine.
Steven Olson and Jacob Atkins were both approved for three-year terms on the park board, an advisory group that provides recommendations on park-related matters and organizes the Music in the Park summer concert series.
While the Olson appointment was routine, councilors needed to get around municipal code that states “two positions may be filled from outside the urban growth boundary but within Benton County.”
The board already had two volunteers that fit that description in the code. Atkins would be the third.
“I think given that it’s been difficult to fill the positions, it’s not like we are turning someone away who lives within the urban growth boundary,” Mayor Christopher McMorran told councilors. “I would be comfortable doing that.”
The move would not create any sort of precedent and in fact, Assistant City Manager Chelsea Starner said the park board actually had three members from outside the urban growth boundary just last year. One of those three members did not reapply.
“It would be nice if we had more applicants who are in town — that’s what the code was intended for,” Starner said. “But like the mayor said, these are the applicants that we have.”
The city apparently has a provision in code that allows the council to override such rules, which councilor Jessica Andrade mentioned.
The mayor’s appointments were approved on a unanimous vote (one member absent). Olson and Atkins join a board that also includes Yasha Duggal, Candy Garcia, Yvonne McMillan, Owen Cass and Larry Sleeman.
The council then needed to make a decision with the filling of three seats on the Inclusivity Committee from among four individuals who had submitted applications. Two standard two-year terms and a one-year term were available. However, following a discussion, the council opted to just add all four — Jenn Amador, Valery Cam, Amanda Polley and Jane Sherwood.
“As a note … this committee is somewhat unique in that anyone can participate, so it doesn’t matter as much if they’re appointed or not,” McMorran said. “They’re still welcome to come to the meetings and engage in discussions. It’s just for matters of quorum and public meetings and everything that we have members appointed.”
Andrade pointed out that the committee could have up to nine members and since McMorran opted last month to give up his seat, it appeared that there was actually a fourth seat available. City staff confirmed that four people could be appointed.
Cam and Sherwood were appointed to two-year terms, and Amador and Polley to one-year terms. The vote was unanimous (one member absent). Other committee members include Andrade and Diane Crocker from the council, and community members Jenna Fischer, Megan Irwin and Alba Sederlin.