NorthwestMarch 4, 2014

A majority of Lewiston's city council members accepted a stipulation from the Port of Lewiston that it never be allowed to compost on land the city wants to buy for its waste transfer station.

By a vote of 5-2 during its Monday work session, the council approved a revised purchase agreement with the port to buy the land it has leased for more than a decade. Councilor Clinton Daniel and Mayor Pro Tem Ryan (RJ) Johnson favor the purchase, but not at the asking price of $600,000, which comes with a discount of $205,000 so the city can make improvements to the transfer station's access road.

Daniel and Johnson attempted to have the decision tabled for a week, but the remaining councilors decided it was time to end negotiations that began in 2008.

"It's been hashed and rehashed several times in the public forum," Councilor Ged Randall said. "I don't think it would do any more benefit to delay it another time."

The council approved an earlier version of the purchase agreement a week ago, minus provisions from the port that mandated landscape maintenance and prohibited composting. At a subsequent port meeting, its three commissioners decided they could let the landscaping requirements go, but stood firm on the composting prohibition.

Port commissioners voted last year to evict the city's outgoing composting contractor from a site near the transfer station because of years of complaints about odor, and the commission didn't want to leave the door open to any other composting operations in the future.

Daniel offered a series of amendments at Monday's meeting that only drew support from Johnson. They included capping the cost of the road at $205,000; extending the period for completing road improvements from two to five years; limiting the ban on composting to 10 years; and mandating that if the property is ever sold to another government entity the cost would be $1.

Councilor Bob Blakey took issue with the slew of attempted amendments.

"I think it's delaying, or even grandstanding," Blakey said.

Daniel said he was trying to ensure the city was getting the best deal possible for the property. But Randall expressed fear the port would simply tear up the proposed agreement if the city kept trying to make changes, and City Manager Jim Bennett agreed.

"I think the port is tired of dinking around on this," Bennett said. "We want to buy it, or we don't."

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City officials have estimated the purchase will pay for itself within 10 years since the city won't have to make any more lease payments to the port.

In other business:

  • The council discussed the possibility of providing tablet computers to city councilors in an effort to reduce their paper usage, make their meeting materials more flexible, and provide greater security for sensitive documents.

Councilors didn't make any decisions, but instructed Bennett to check with the Association of Idaho Cities for any information about how other cities that have adopted tablets are doing.

  • Councilors listened to a presentation from Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barker on a proposed voluntary tobacco ban at all outdoor city parks and recreation facilities. The ban is supported by the department's commissioners, and a formal resolution to enact it will likely go before the council at its March 24 meeting.

Under the proposed ordinance, there would be no fine for smoking in the designated areas, but signs would be installed asking tobacco users to remove themselves as a courtesy to others.

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Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2266.

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