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Votes at a glance: Umatilla council actions, March 4, 2025
Summary
Council approved a series of appointments and resolutions including a planning commission appointment, Hatch Park concept approval, library agreement, employee handbook adoption, a police sergeants' bargaining agreement, a wayfinding master plan and a tax-abatement amendment for Sabey Data Center.
At its March 4 meeting the Umatilla City Council approved a set of motions and resolutions. Most motions were adopted by voice vote; the meeting transcript records "aye" votes but does not provide a roll-call tally for each item.
Summary of actions (by agenda item):
- 8.1 — Appointment: Confirmed Randy Garrett to the planning commission. Motion to confirm the mayor’s appointment was moved and seconded and carried. (Motion text: "Approve Randy Garrett to the plan commission.")
- 8.2 — Hatch Park concept layout: Council approved incorporating the Hatch Park concept layout into the master plan and directed staff to develop engineering-level dimensions and funding options. Construction funding was not identified at the meeting. (Motion text summarized: "Approve the Hatch Park layout and incorporate into the master plan.")
- 8.3 — Resolution 23-25: Authorized the city manager to sign an intergovernmental agreement with the Umatilla County Special Library District. District director Heather Estrada presented the district’s role and funding distribution. The council approved the resolution by voice vote.
- 8.4 — Resolution 24-2025: Adopted the updated employee handbook. Council adopted the resolution by voice vote; staff said no substantive changes since prior presentation.
- 8.5 — Resolution 25-2025: Authorized the city manager and police chief to sign a bargaining agreement with the Umatilla Police Sergeants Association; council adopted the resolution. Staff noted a negotiated change reducing the longevity gap for returning officers from six years to three years.
- 8.6 — Resolution 26-2025: Adopted the city’s wayfinding master plan (entryway monuments, park signage and directional signs). Staff said a phase-one allocation was approved in a prior budget cycle and that total buildout cost in today’s dollars is estimated in the packet; phases will be implemented as budget allows.
- 8.7 — Resolution 27-2025 (First Amendment): Approved a first-amendment agreement for a long-term rural enterprise-zone tax abatement with Sabey Data Center Operating LLC to clarify the enterprise-zone "base year" for job-creation calculations under ORS. A Sabey representative said the company’s other data-center sites have substantive on-site employment but that most site work is customer-provided; details on final job counts at the Umatilla site were not available in the meeting.
Procedural notes: Most items passed on voice vote with "aye" responses recorded; the meeting transcript does not list individual named vote tallies for each recorded motion. Where a motion text was read into the record, it is summarized above. If a formal roll-call tally is needed for the public record, the city clerk’s minutes should be consulted.
Ending: Council also held several presentations and work sessions, including the Rock the Locks public-engagement plan, informational reports from the Chamber and library, and a parks master-plan update. Follow-up tasks include engineering and funding work for Hatch Park and an economic study for the Rock the Locks evaluation.
