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North Plains council adopts interim finance contract, declares vacancy and updates social-media policy; proposed rule limiting councilor outreach fails
Summary
At its May 18 meeting the North Plains City Council approved a contract with Merina & Company for interim finance support, declared a council vacancy and updated the city's social media policy; a separate proposal to restrict individual councilors from directly requesting outside data failed 4-2 and will be revised.
The North Plains City Council on May 18 adopted several administrative resolutions and declined to approve a measure that would have limited individual councilors’ ability to request information from outside public agencies.
The council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 2341, authorizing a contract with Merina & Company through Jan. 30, 2027, to provide financial services including audit preparation, daily and monthly accounting and financial reporting. City Manager Bill Reid presented the resolution and Councilor Anna Warrington said she preferred hiring a full-time finance director rather than outsourcing; Councilor Trista Ugarte said the contract is a practical interim measure while recruitment proceeds.
The council also unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2342 to declare a vacancy on the City Council after Councilor Reding’s resignation; application notice will publish May 29, applications are due June 12 at noon, the council will review applicants June 15, and the earliest possible oath date is July 6. Eligibility requires at least one year of North Plains residency and registration to vote in Oregon.
A proposed amendment to Council Rules (Resolution No. 2343) that would have restricted individual councilors from requesting data from external public agencies unless authorized by the full council failed 4–2. Mayor Aaron Dumbrow and Councilor Trista Ugarte voted in favor; Councilors Mandy Hagedorn, Mark De Forge, Anna Warrington and Don Weber voted against the measure, expressing concern that the language was too broad and could unduly limit legitimate information gathering.
Finally, the council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2344 to update the city's social media policy to align with League of Oregon Cities guidance, remove comment-response protocols (comments disabled on city posts) and replace employee names with job titles in the document.
What’s next: Council asked Merina & Company and a representative from the city's auditor, Umpqua Valley Financial, to appear in person at a future meeting to provide a joint update with specific timelines and deliverables.
