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Residents press council on staffing, pay and transparency; city attorney outlines demolition steps for Cherry & Third property
Summary
Public commenters urged Lebanon City officials to address staffing cuts, pay equity for long-serving employees and financial transparency; city attorney explained the demolition judgment and next steps for the Cherry and Third Street property, including lien and foreclosure possibilities if owners do not reimburse demolition costs.
Several residents used the public-comment portion of the Lebanon City Council meeting on June 22 to press the council on staffing, employee pay and transparency, and to urge action on a long-standing nuisance property.
Lori Rineck told the council that ‘‘to keep good people, you have to pay them good money,’’ praising recent hires while saying long-serving employees such as water plant worker Mike Ogden are doing multiple jobs without adequate compensation. Rineck asked whether staff who take phone calls on vacation or perform extra duties will receive pay.
Carl Holman raised a series of financial-transparency questions, asking for budget-to-actual reports, the status of the police chief’s contract raises, overtime accounting for the police department and the location of the treasurer’s report. Holman compared Lebanon’s general-fund balance to other municipalities and urged the council to honor its fiduciary responsibility to the city.
Brenda asked the council to pursue cleanup or enforcement for the Pasqual Duncan property on Cherry and Third streets and said the city does not currently own that parcel. In response, City Attorney Luke explained that the city has a demolition judgment; next steps include determining whether demolition costs are under $25,000 (which can avoid a formal bidding process), conducting the demolition, seeking reimbursement from the owner, placing a lien if unpaid and foreclosing if necessary. Luke said abandonment procedures were not used for this parcel because ownership of the adjacent lots complicated that path.
Treasurer Jessica told the council that detailed budget analyses and year-end reports would be provided as soon as staff confirm who is enrolled in benefits and complete new-hire paperwork; she said she will prepare reports if council members identify the specific questions they want answered.
Council members and staff agreed to wait for the incoming public-works director, expected after July 4, to address some compensation and workload issues, and said committees (including finance or audit) may examine potential retroactive payments or staffing changes.
What happens next: city staff plan to proceed with the demolition timeline if contracted and to provide the budget materials Treasurer Jessica referenced; the council scheduled routine follow-up committee meetings for July.
