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West Linn agrees in principle to join River Assets & Opportunities task force; council to sign statement
Summary
Volunteers from a River Assets & Opportunities Task Force sought a letter of support or participation to coordinate tourism, cultural and environmental activities along the Willamette; council signaled consensus to join and the mayor agreed to sign, subject to city attorney review.
Representatives of the River Assets & Opportunities Task Force asked the West Linn City Council on Oct. 14 to join a voluntary, nonbinding regional effort to coordinate cultural, recreational and economic activity along the Willamette River.
Ken Ziegler and Jerry Herman described the group's background, noted participation by Oregon City, Gladstone, Canby and private tour operators, and reviewed outreach activities including a recent river cruise. Jerry Herman said the task force is not asking for city funding and emphasized environmental stewardship and leveraging mitigation funds; he noted a mitigation trust in Portland and examples of projects funded by that source.
Councilors asked procedural questions about obligations and whether language referencing a formal task force had been removed; presenters said the document had been amended to remove mandatory obligations and that the city could provide a letter of support or a signature as comfortable. The mayor asked the city attorney to review the statement but then asked for a show of thumbs; council members gave consensus to join and the mayor said he would sign the joint statement on behalf of the city and that council members could attend the group's Nov. 20 meeting if they wished.
The action is nonbinding: staff and council agreed to city attorney review, a formal signature by the mayor, and volunteer participation by council members when available. No formal ordinance or funding commitment was made.
