Myrtle Creek council appoints Lou Dillon as mayor and names Zach Potter interim city administrator; several ordinances and grants approved

The Myrtle Creek City Council on Aug. 5 appointed Lou Dillon as mayor, voted to name Zach Potter interim city administrator and approved a package of routine and project-related items including a $239,105 paving grant and two ordinance second readings.

Dillon was appointed after a council motion and was administered the oath of office. After taking the oath, Dillon thanked the council and said he looked forward to serving the city.

Council members then turned to administrative staffing. After a lengthy discussion about options for an interim and the scope of the interim role, a motion to appoint Zach Potter as interim city administrator, effective Aug. 5, passed by roll-call vote. Councilors who recorded votes in the motion’s roll call included Bob Cheney (yes), Andrew Wright (yes), Diane Larson (yes) and Rick (yes). Councilors also agreed to consider pay and any retroactive compensation at a future meeting.

On finance and capital works, staff reported that the city had been awarded an ODOT small-cities grant for paving a section of Madrona in the amount of $239,105 based on an engineering estimate from Dyer Partnership. Council accepted the grant and discussed the bid process; staff said Dyer Partnership will prepare bid packets and that, by statute, the city accepts the lowest responsive bid or rejects all bids.

Council also completed second readings and approvals of two ordinances: Ordinance 875 (updates to Myrtle Creek Municipal Code Title 9 concerning public peace, morals and welfare) and Ordinance 876 (a franchise granting MCI authority to operate and maintain fiber-optic cables in city right-of-way). The council moved and voted to approve both on their second readings.

On routine administrative housekeeping, council amended Resolutions 25-11 and 25-12 to add the interim administrator as an authorized signer on local treasury/banking accounts and approved the amendment. Staff said final signatures will be collected after revisions are prepared.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (07/15/2025 consent agenda): motion passed (unanimous recorded 'aye'). - Appointment of Lou Dillon as mayor: motion passed (unanimous recorded 'aye'). - Acceptance of ODOT small-cities grant — Madrona paving ($239,105): motion passed (recorded yes votes during roll call). - Appointment of Zach Potter, interim city administrator (effective Aug. 5): motion passed by roll-call (recorded yes votes: Bob Cheney, Andrew Wright, Diane Larson, Rick). - Ordinance 875 (Title 9 code amendments): adopted on second reading. - Ordinance 876 (MCI franchise for fiber): adopted on second reading. - Resolutions 25-11 & 25-12 (authorized signers): amended to add interim administrator and approved pending final signatures.

Why this matters The appointment of a new mayor changes the city’s executive leadership at a moment when the council is also reorganizing administrative authority and preparing project bids for federally supported pavement work. The interim-administrator appointment is a short-term staffing fix while the city prepares to recruit a permanent administrator.

What’s next Council directed staff to circulate application materials for the vacated council seat, to prepare bid documents for the Madrona paving project and to prepare amended resolution documents reflecting the new authorized signers for signature at the next meeting.