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Director Harris presses city on housing, water‑park safety reports and herbicide use; city to investigate reporting options
Summary
Director Harris raised multiple constituent concerns — requests for housing repair assistance, questions about a $1,000,000 contractor bond for demolitions, calls for monthly safety reports from a water‑park operator after a past death, and complaints about herbicide spraying near creeks; city staff said some requirements are state mandates and will look into reporting options.
During board commentary Director Harris raised a series of constituent and neighborhood concerns, asking the city to pursue housing repair assistance, to clarify contractor‑bond requirements for demolition and to require monthly safety reporting from a water‑park operator after a child’s death the prior year.
Harris also raised environmental and maintenance complaints: overgrown lots and uncut grass near a school, a clogged ditch that had backed water into a yard, requests for street lighting long pending, a pile of dirt at Hobo Park, and worries about herbicide (Roundup) application near creeks. "If it's spraying Roundup near a creek ... people, it's got lymphoma," Harris said while urging more oversight.
City staff replied that the $1,000,000 bond requirement referenced by Harris is a state contractor licensing requirement, not a city rule, and that employees are required to use safety gear prescribed by material safety data sheets when handling herbicides. The city attorney said it may be possible to require reporting from private water‑park operators and staff said they will investigate what monthly reporting can be requested. The manager confirmed a housing study has not been funded and that the city has not moved forward on a dedicated housing position without a funded study.
Board members also discussed the Advertising & Promotion (A&P) and AMP commission schedules and the A&P application deadline; the board later met in executive session and appointed Rachel Scott to the A&P Commission to fill an unexpired term through 2027.
City staff committed to look into Harris's requests, to provide guidance on what can be required by ordinance or requested from private operators, and to follow up on outstanding maintenance concerns.
