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Council approves budget adjustments, requests TLT support for Court Street Plaza and repeals local fire-code ordinance
Summary
Council approved budget amendments and a new transient lodging tax (TLT) fund request to support the Court Street Plaza project, and it repealed a local fire-code adoption to rely on the Oregon State Fire Code. The council also approved consent minutes from April 8.
The Baker City Council on April 22 approved budget amendments, discussed a package of requests to the county's Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) committee including support for the Court Street Plaza project, and repealed a local fire-code ordinance so that the city falls under the Oregon State Fire Code.
City staff said the city's TLT request package includes a $200,000 request to complete Court Street Plaza and additional funds to support marketing, branding and transition costs associated with moving the city's TLT administration. Staff said the county's TLT committee unanimously approved recommending the Court Street Plaza project to the commission and the city sought county approval on May 7 (first Wednesday in May) to transfer funds to the city for project management if approved.
On budget matters, the council considered and approved budget resolutions that reflect grant receipts and insurance recoveries and that reallocate a $50,000 transfer from the general fund to the fire equipment reserve; staff said the city also must appropriate a Certified Local Government (CLG) historic-preservation grant as a pass-through to a downtown business owner. City staff said the total TLT request package equaled a bit more than half of the projected TLT fund balance and that county fund balances are expected to remain above recommended minimums if the county approves the requests.
During the meeting the council also considered updates to TLT ordinance language and the TLT review committee's role; councilors discussed committee composition and suggested a five-member body representing lodging, restaurant, attraction and two at-large seats with staggered terms and an ex officio, nonvoting seat for Baker City Downtown.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda: minutes from April 8, 2025 were approved. Motion by Councilor Bills; vote: unanimous (no recorded oppositions).
- Resolution 3977 (budget appropriations and transfers, including $50,000 to fire equipment reserve, CLG grant appropriation and insurance proceeds appropriation): approved; motion and second recorded in minutes; vote: unanimous (no recorded oppositions).
- Ordinance 3409 (repeal of Ordinance 3374 and municipal-code language adopting an earlier local adoption of the Oregon State Fire Code): adopted after public hearing and two readings; mover: Councilor Joseph; second: Councilor Miller; vote: unanimous (no recorded oppositions).
Council discussion was factual and focused on implementation and committee structure; the meeting record shows no public testimony during the ordinance public hearing and no dissenting votes on the matters that reached a final vote at this session.
