Huntington council swears in new members, tables parking ordinance and weighs recycling cost increase

Huntington swore in Mayor Charles Guerri and newly elected councilors at its Jan. 21 meeting and moved through routine city business, including approval of meeting minutes and municipal representatives.

City Recorder Siobhan Boxberger administered oaths to newly elected council members David Hanks, Wayne Brust and Justin Power, reinstated councilor Lillian Mathews and confirmed incumbent Wade Boxberger. The council unanimously approved the minutes of its Dec. 16, 2024 meeting.

The meeting’s immediate policy items centered on council organization and a series of operational updates. Justin Power nominated Wade Boxberger for council president, but Boxberger declined because of his marriage to the city recorder and a potential conflict of interest; Lillian Mathews was then nominated and selected, with Mathews abstaining and the remaining members voting in favor.

In other business the council agreed to table revisions to an older parking ordinance and set a work session for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, at 6 p.m. Councilor Wayne Brust and Councilor Mathews said language in older sections of the ordinance needed closer review before new rules are adopted.

On recycling, Stephen of Baker Sanitary briefed the council on Oregon’s new recycling law and explained that Huntington’s small population likely exempts the city from mandatory curbside service. He said Baker Sanitary’s proposal to add biweekly recycling collection while maintaining weekly garbage pickup would raise a typical monthly bill from about $21 to roughly $30 for Huntington residents; the council asked staff to explore options and available grants.

Emergency management was also on the agenda. Baker County Emergency Manager Janson Yencopal described a grant opportunity to obtain an emergency generator for the city well to preserve water service during wildfire-season outages. Mayor Guerri noted a 2017 generator approval that did not advance; the council gave Yencopal consensus to continue pursuing funding.

Staff reports detailed routine operations: Public works reported low tire tread on a city vehicle, pothole repairs, a treatment-plant power-surge issue being remedied, and drinking-water test results described as very good. Fire Chief Eric Bronson reported 204 calls in 2024 and said a donated $1,000 from Idaho Power recognized the department’s wildfire-season assistance; a new fire truck was expected soon.

Old-business items included Mayor Guerri’s property updates — work progressing on two houses while a third remained stalled with an owner deadline of Feb. 10 — and a wastewater-treatment update sent by email from Brad Baird, who said the Infrastructure Finance Authority expected to notify awards by the February meeting and that an irrigation-site alternative was being explored if the Barber Ranch option falls through. Councilor Wade Boxberger said two capital requests submitted for consideration include $310,000 for a skate park and $25,000 for VFW siding.

During public comment resident Ralph Bain raised a private parking complaint; Mayor Guerri said he would inspect the situation. The council adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Votes at a glance: approve minutes — motion passed (roll call unanimous); approve list of city representatives — motion passed (roll call unanimous); nomination and vote for council president — Mathews elected (roll call: Hanks yes; Power yes; Mathews abstained; Brust yes; McKay yes; Boxberger yes); motion to table parking ordinance and schedule work session — passed (roll call: unanimous).