The Philomath City Council unanimously approved a three-year extension of the city’s contract with planning consultant Laura LaRoque during its Aug. 10 meeting with a discussion that included unprompted praise for her work.
The amendment extends LaRoque’s contract with Pathfinder Land Use Consulting LLC through Aug. 8, 2029. Her hourly rate will increase from $90 to $93 starting Aug. 9, then rise to $96 in 2027 and $100 in 2028. The contract maintains a not-to-exceed amount of $60,000 per year, which is unchanged from the current agreement.
City Manager Chris Workman told the council the annual cap stays flat because LaRoque’s role will shift going forward — she’ll bill more per hour but work fewer hours as the city’s code-update projects wind down.
“We are spending the same amount of money. She’s just getting paid a little more per hour, and we’ll use her fewer hours going forward,” Workman said. “She won’t be doing all of the stuff she’s doing for us now.”
LaRoque has served as the city’s contracted planner since August 2025. According to meeting documents prepared by Workman, her responsibilities have included handling daily inquiries, communicating with property owners and applicants, coordinating pre-application meetings, preparing notices and staff reports, and working with the building department and Benton County planning staff. She has also advanced a lot line adjustment project on South 16th Street and is currently updating the city’s administrative, commercial and industrial code sections.
Workman said LaRoque has taken the lead on implementing the city’s new development code, including coordinating with a planner from Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments on the city’s residential code audit — work he said had previously fallen to him.
“She’s really just taken the lead on that project as a whole,” Workman said, adding that she has also worked closely with city staff on building permits and pre-application meetings involving fire, public works and engineering departments.
Councilor Brent Kaseman asked staff to confirm the rationale behind the rate increases, noting the final year’s $4 jump broke from the $3 pattern of the first two years. Workman said the amount reflected LaRoque’s request and was designed to keep her raises close to a consistent 3% annually.
Councilor Teresa Nielson asked whether the $60,000 annual cap would be sufficient for the scope of work LaRoque is expected to continue handling. Workman confirmed it would.
McMorran said he had heard consistent positive feedback about LaRoque from Philomath residents, including some who are otherwise critical of city government.
Nielson said she had received similar comments about the city’s responsiveness under LaRoque’s work.
Kaseman moved to authorize the city manager to execute the contract amendment, seconded by Nielson. The motion passed unanimously.