Klamath Falls council approves consent agenda, expands downtown parking district and updates geothermal policy

Klamath Falls City Council on Monday, April 21, 2025, approved its consent agenda, voted to amend the boundaries of the downtown parking district to include two properties, and adopted a resolution updating the city’s geothermal pricing and connection incentives policy.

The council approved the consent agenda, which included an update on the wastewater treatment plant upgrade and authorization of a contract amendment adding 84 remote implementation hours to the Tyler Munis software-as-a-service contract for a total amount of $32,200. The council then held a public hearing and voted to amend the downtown parking district boundary to add 521 Walnut Avenue and 222 South Sixth Street. Later in the meeting the council adopted a resolution to amend council policy CP-87-001 on geothermal pricing, line extension and connection incentives, and approved a grammar correction to ordinance number 25-06.

Why it matters: The parking-district expansion is intended to support reuse of a vacant downtown building and to make the city-owned property adjacent to that building fall within a uniform parking boundary. The Munis contract amendment funds additional remote implementation support for the city’s finance and utility billing software. Changes to CP-87-001 were described by staff as grammatical and clarifying edits to align written policy with current division practice.

Details and context

- Consent agenda: The consent agenda items were presented as a group and approved by motion. The agenda packet identified a March 2025 project update on the wastewater treatment plant upgrade and an authorization for a Tyler Munis SaaS contract amendment adding 84 remote implementation hours at a total cost of $32,200. The motion to approve the consent agenda passed on an oral vote of “aye.”

- Downtown parking district: Planning Manager Joe Wall told council the district expansion responds to a request by a property owner and a prospective coffee shop tenant. Wall said the building would technically need 10 parking spaces but could accommodate two on-site for employees; staff and the Parking Advisory Committee recommended expansion to encourage reuse of downtown buildings. The council introduced and then approved a resolution amending the downtown parking district boundary (city code section 7.135) to add 521 Walnut Avenue and 222 South Sixth Street. Roll call recorded Councilor Schumer, Councilor Arzley, Councilor Rizzo, Councilor McCollum and Councilor Miller White as voting in the affirmative.

- Geothermal policy: Robbie West presented a resolution to amend council policy CP-87-001, saying the proposed changes were largely grammatical and intended to align the written policy with current division practice. The council voted to adopt the resolution.

- Ordinance grammar correction: City Attorney Mike Swanson asked the council to approve a cleanup to ordinance number 25-06, removing language that appeared to be carried over from an unrelated exotic animal section. The council approved the correction.

Other matters

City Attorney Mike Swanson informed council that the lessee on a previously approved lease for a battery/power site has proposed a sublease to a company identified as Samanas Power Management LLC; Swanson said the sublease would not assign the lease or purchase option and asked council for concurrence or objections. No objection was recorded during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (includes wastewater treatment plant update; Tyler Munis SaaS amendment for 84 remote hours, $32,200): Approved (motion; unanimous oral aye). - Resolution amending downtown parking district (add 521 Walnut Ave; 222 S Sixth St; city code 7.135): Approved (roll call recorded as affirmative votes from Councilors Schumer, Arzley, Rizzo, McCollum and Miller White). - Resolution amending council policy CP-87-001 (geothermal pricing, line extension, connection incentives): Approved. - Grammar correction to ordinance number 25-06 (clean up extraneous language): Approved.

What the meeting did not decide

There was no formal council action recorded on the proposed sublease beyond the attorney’s notice and request for concurrence.