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Council updates timeline for business licensing; staff to review purchasing thresholds
Summary
Council received a revised business‑licensing timeline and authorized staff and the city attorney to review purchasing thresholds and return with recommendations to address inflation and operational constraints.
Sutherlin city staff presented a revised timeline for a proposed business licensing program and asked council members to collaborate on refining the schedule and public‑engagement steps. Pat Lynch, Livability Services Director, said he updated the timeline to accelerate the process and suggested phasing in the requirement with an early application incentive.
Councilors Daigle, Smalley and Woods volunteered to meet with staff to fine‑tune timelines and public meeting plans. Lynch emphasized outreach to stakeholders and scheduling town halls once the property work begins.
Separately, Finance Director Tammy Trowbridge asked for council permission to review the city’s purchasing ordinance and thresholds with the city attorney to account for inflation and operational realities; she cited the $25,000 signature/contract threshold as increasingly restrictive for routine engineering and procurement work. Councilors agreed staff should research state comparators and return with recommendations and a staff report.
No formal votes were taken on either item; council provided direction to staff to continue stakeholder meetings and to prepare ordinance options on purchasing thresholds for a future council meeting.
