Abandoned Vehicles: The Corvallis Police Department will be seeking help from City decisionmakers to help fix the growing problem with abandoned and illegally parked vehicles.
To start off, Corvallis Chief of Police Jason Harvey, and Lieutenant Gabriel Sapp will be asking the Corvallis City Council to make some changes to the current city code at a work session on Jan. 19.
“Over the course of the last year police department staff have been working with other city departments in response to community concerns regarding abandoned and illegally parked vehicles within the Corvallis city limits. The issues related to abandoned and illegally parked vehicles have created a measurable impact on livability within the city to include safety and environmental concerns,” said Chief Harvey in a letter to council.
CPD is asking for amendments to the current Corvallis Municipal Code (CMC) including the processing and disposal of impounded vehicles. Staff is recommending removing the restrictive term “motor” from motor vehicle from a section of the code.
“This will broaden the scope of the type of vehicle that can be towed to include the towing of trailers that do not move on their own power,” said Harvey. “In order to better serve Corvallis community members, Police Department Staff partnered with the City Attorney’s Office to review current municipal code language. The extensive review of the code included reviewing municipal codes from other municipalities, current case law, and current State laws.”
The review showed that the language in the current CMC was confusing and in some cases contradictory. According to Harvey, the requested updates will bring the current CMC up to date with current Oregon Revised Statutes.
The other parts of the CMC that Corvallis PD is looking to change involve illegally parking and the process of towing vehicles. For more information ahead of the work session on Thursday https://archives.corvallisoregon.gov/public/ElectronicFile.aspx?dbid=0&docid=3289553
Stormwater Code Amendment: If you’re a builder, or planning to hire a builder, you’ll want to read this.
The Benton County Board of Commissioners will get another update from the Planning Commission regarding proposed changes to the current development code for stormwater management.
For property owners, the changes to the current code would change the regulatory framework for stormwater permits.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on Jan. 3 on the proposed amendments to the current Development Code. A member of the public (a local real estate professional and member of the County’s stakeholder group) encouraged flexibility in how the stormwater requirements are implemented to reduce costs to property owners.
“The Planning Commission discussed several aspects of the proposed code and ultimately voted to recommend adoption of the code as proposed by staff with one modification, make clear in the code that flexibility and alternatives are available, but that a clear and objective pathway to compliance is also available,” said Greg Verret, Community Development.
Commissioners will get another update at the Jan. 17 meeting prior to a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 7.
By: Jennifer Williams
