Clarkston officials to vote on hiring administrator

Clarkston officials will vote on hiring a city administrator at the next city council meeting.

An ordinance that reinstates appointment of the position by the mayor will be discussed Dec. 26. The last time Clarkston had a city administrator overseeing all four department heads was in 1992, according to information included in Monday night’s agenda.

Mayor Monika Lawrence said more details about why the city is considering the change will be presented prior to the vote.

If approved, the offices of a city administrator, clerk, fire chief, police chief, city attorney and public works director shall be filled by mayoral appointment, and require council approval.

In other city business, an agreement to transfer ownership of the city sewer system to the Asotin County Public Utility District was unanimously approved, along with an interlocal agreement for sewer improvements.

PUD Manager Tim Simpson said the transition has been smooth, and operations at the wastewater treatment plant are going well with former city employees who now work for the utility district.

“We’ve got certified, professional operators who know what they’re doing,” Simpson said. “It’s been a good process, and it makes a lot of sense to do this.”

Clarkston’s $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be used for system upgrades, which required an interlocal agreement for the PUD to act on the city’s behalf to utilize the federal money. The mechanisms are all laid out in the agreements, and will go before the PUD board of commissioners tonight for approval, Simpson said.

During the mayor’s report, Lawrence said city officials met with Quality Behavioral Health (QBH) last week to discuss the homeless encampment near Walmart. The camp has become a hot spot for trouble, including a report of a homeless man entering an 81-year-old woman’s house on a nearby street, Lawrence said. The woman awoke to find a man standing in her bedroom and ran to a neighbor’s to call police. When officers arrived, the man was reportedly passed out in her bed. The mayor said she can’t imagine the nightmares that woman is having because of the startling incident.

“We all agreed something needs to be done, but everyone needs to do their share,” Lawrence said. “That’s how I feel.”

At the meeting with QBH, the mayor said Asotin County Commissioner Chuck Whitman had a good idea to split the camp into smaller groups spread among spots in Lewiston, Nez Perce County, Clarkston and Asotin County.

However, Whitman, who was not at Monday’s council session, also reportedly told the group that Asotin County doesn’t have a place for a homeless encampment.

Lawrence gave the council maps of county-owned land in west Clarkston, near the site of the new jail, saying there’s “plenty of room in Asotin County,” and Whitman’s comments seemed “disingenuous.”

City attorney Todd Richardson recently wrote a strongly worded letter to the Recovery Navigator Committee, which operates out of QBH. In the letter, he made it clear that a warming tent will not be allowed on the 10th Street right of way near Walmart, and portable toilets at the site also won’t be given the green light.

“The city is not going to accept that liability and put the city at risk,” Richardson wrote. “If anyone attempts to set up the warming tent or porta-potties, Clarkston police will be sent to remove the structures, and anyone involved in setting them up will be trespassed from the property.”

The area where homeless are camping was intended as a temporary place for folks to go, pursuant to the requirements of court rulings, Richardson said in the letter.

“We look forward to hearing from Asotin County and others of good possible locations within their respective jurisdictions for the placement of a warming tent, how they are going to meaningfully participate in protecting this vulnerable population, and provide additional locations for this growing population, consistent with the requirements of the law,” he said.

Under new business, the council unanimously approved an ordinance that allows the city to collect its portion of an optional 0.2% sales tax that was imposed by the Asotin County commissioners last week. The city will receive 85% of the tax revenue from sales within the city limits beginning April 1.

At the next council meeting, officials will take action on budget amendments for 2023, the final 2024 budget, and a proposed 5% increase in sanitation rates.

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.