The Philomath City Council tweaked a previously approved resolution during its regular monthly meeting on Monday as part of an initiative to create an age-friendly community that is “safe, healthy, accessible and prosperous for all residents.”
Age-friendly initiatives are gaining momentum across Oregon as the state experiences a historic demographic shift. According to Portland State University’s Population Research Center’s 2024 data, adults over 65 now comprise 19.9% of Oregon’s population while youth under 18 make up 18.6%
The City Council passed an “age-friendly community” resolution in August 2024 with the intent of making Philomath “more livable for people of all ages, especially older adults.”
The city’s Inclusivity Committee was then tasked with overseeing an application process for Philomath to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, an organization that educates elected officials and engages residents to encourage them to implement changes to improve livability.
“But as that process moved along … it became clear that we could probably get some of the benefits of being a part of that network without some of the formal requirements,” Mayor Christopher McMorran said, adding the specific involvement of Inclusivity Committee members Jane Sherwood and Diane Crocker. “So, this is a change to the proclamation so we’re not tying ourselves to the AARP Network but we’re still affirming the same goals that we want to be age friendly and we can do that ourselves.”
Crocker mentioned that the AARP Network’s program involved a five-year phasing-in process. City Councilor Jessica Andrade, who is also on the Inclusivity Committee, said the updated approach “gives us better flexibility” moving forward.
The updated resolution passed on a 6-0 vote (one councilor absent).
In other news from the Sept. 8 meeting:
- The city recognized Finance Department employee Julie Nunez for 10 years of service.
- Bret Davis, general manager, and Paul Koster, environmental manager, of Republic Services gave a 35-minute presentation on the status of Coffin Butte landfill. According to the city manager, the company’s municipal relations manager, Julie Jackson, is scheduled to speak to the council in October about rate increases.
- Two residents spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting — Kiko Denzer (opposition to proposed landfill expansion) and Mark Knutson (water and sewer rates).
- Local resident Candy Garcia was approved for a seat on the Park Advisory Board.
- Council member Rich Saalsaa was designated as a voting delegate and Andrade as an alternate delegate for the League of Oregon Cities’ annual membership meeting to be held in October.
- The council approved an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Corvallis to be reimbursed by the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library for janitorial services at Philomath Community Library.
- Four members of the council (Andrade, Diane Crocker, Spencer Irwin and McMorran) approved a resolution to adopt a compensation package policy for councilors Brent Kaseman, Teresa Nielson and Rich Saalsaa. The action was in response to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission’s recent advisory opinion that public entities, such as a city council, cannot provide food or beverages to elected officials unless included as part of the individual’s official compensation package. Resolutions covering other councilors had been passed at an Aug. 25 meeting.
