The Hermiston City Council will vote to initiate vacation proceedings for W. Ridgeway Avenue at tonight’s meeting.
The council will address Resolution No. 1967 and also establish a hearing date for the street vacation proceedings. If approved, the resolution will set Dec. 8 as the date for a public hearing. A Hermiston company, Mitco Investments, has requested that the city clear the way for potential development on the south side of W. Ridgeway Avenue between Highway 395 and the railroad tracks. Longtime attorney and former city councilor George Anderson told the council that if it initiates vacation proceedings on its own, it would destroy his clients’ property values. Anderson is representing Darrel and Rhonda Sallee, who own Auto Kool and two other nearby tax lots.
In a memo to the mayor and city council, Hermiston City Planner Clint Spencer said that in order to prevent “any negative impact to Auto Kool, staff is proposing to protect vehicle movement with a non-exclusive public access easement.”
The council will also consider expanding the city’s executive secretary position from part time to fulltime.
Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith will also give reports on panhandling within the city limits as well as the city’s brand.
There will also be an executive session in which the council will discuss “current litigation or litigation likely to be filed.”
The meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
