By Mayor Charles McNeilly
Welcome to my City of Rockaway Beach Monthly Update with a look back at the month of February 2025.
I will begin with a story about Rockaway Beach. The survey crew for the Salmonberry Trail project has finished their preliminary work on mapping the railroad right of way. We pushed out notices to residents on this, as the surveyors would be highly visible and would likely raise curiosity around town. During a recent project management meeting, the lead surveyor stopped the meeting to comment on the public interaction the crew experienced while in Rockaway Beach. He said that normally, the public’s reaction to survey work can sometimes be negative or raise suspicion. However, here in Rockaway Beach, he reported that he’s never had such positive interactions with the public. Almost all were happy to see them, and the progress the city is making on this project. He said they were even offered cookies and snacks on several occasions. I am grateful to be part of this beloved community.
We have a new business in Rockaway Beach at 117 S. Miller St. – Green Coast Market. Julie and Jason Maxfield bring the best that local farmers, and food and beverage producers have to offer to Rockaway Beach. Drop by and shop on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday between 12 noon and 5:00 pm (expanded hours coming soon). You won’t be disappointed. Thank you for investing in our community and bringing new, delicious and exciting choices to us all!
Being an elected official isn’t just attending the Council Workshops and Council Meetings once a month. Among other responsibilities, your Mayor and City Councilors are required to take training on Oregon’s Government Ethics Laws and Rules, and Oregon’s Public Meetings Law. Recently we attended the Public Meetings Law training put on by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Also in attendance were members of the Planning Commission and Budget Committee. A special shout out to City Recorder Thompson for arranging to have the training at Rockaway Beach City Hall, and for ensuring that the City is following all Public Meeting rules.
I testified in support of House Bill 3341, a bill introduced by representatives Helm and Owens, and sponsored by Representative Javadi. This bill would support another round of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Drinking Water Source Protection grants. OWEB funding is vital to support our purchase of the Jetty Creek watershed.
City Hall
Our new administrative assistant, Lark Reifenstahl, started her new position at City Hall. Lark will report to Finance Director Marni Johnston and is hard at work learning the ins and outs of our utility billing system, community grant program, and other duties as assigned. Welcome to the team, Lark! Please feel free to stop by and say hello to the newest member of our City Hall team.
Finance Director Marni Johnston added another layer of security to the city’s checking account. The city is now participating in our bank’s Positive Pay program. Positive Pay is a fraud prevention tool offered by our bank that allows the city to proactively protect itself against unauthorized check payments by providing the bank with a list of all issued checks, so the bank can verify if any presented checks match the details on that list, flagging any discrepancies as potential fraud and preventing them from being paid unless the City confirms its legitimacy; essentially, it ensures only authorized checks are processed. Nice work Marni!
Attorney Truman Stone reports that the notice of appeal on the elections case has been prepared, filed and accepted (Case No. A186753). More to come in the coming months.
We are accepting applications for both our small and large community grants. Grant award limits and application deadlines vary with each grant, so please see our website for details. The city budgeted to fund up to $75,000 in community grants this year. If you know of any Rockaway Beach focused community groups or nonprofits looking for funding to carry out their mission, please direct them to our Grant Program page on the city website.
The facade improvement and marketing grants will open on March 1, 2025 with a deadline to apply by April 20, 2025. The Façade Improvement Grant will provide funding to make buildings more attractive and accessible to visitors. Available funding for the Facade improvement Grant is $200,000 with a maximum request of $30,000, with no match required. This Marketing Grant is an opportunity for tourism-related businesses and nonprofits to implement a new or revised marketing effort, conduct a marketing campaign, work collaboratively with other tourism-related businesses, or launch a new event. Available funding for the Marketing Grant is $30,000 with a maximum request of $3,000, with no match required. Information, eligibility and login link to apply is at: https://visitrockawaybeach.org/grants
Fire Department and Emergency Preparation
All Fire Department members completed the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC) this month. EVOC training teaches our Fire Fighters and EMTs how to safely and efficiently operate emergency vehicles. Thank you, Chief Hesse, for the steady and continued training of our first responders.
Our Fire Department and Emergency Preparedness team hosted a “Stop the Bleed” training. Attendees learned why it’s important to stop bleeding quickly, and how to effectively control blood loss. Our Fire Department continues to go above and beyond for our community. I cannot praise their efforts enough.
At the February City Council meeting, our Councilors proclaimed February 2025 Firefighter Recognition Month.
Planning Department
Mary Johnson and Daniel Wear from Sustainable Northwest, presented our application to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) requesting funding to support the acquisition and management of Jetty Creek Watershed. OWEB funding would be used as a match for the Forest Legacy grant funding. We may hear back next month. Fingers crossed!
City Manager Shepard submitted a request for $3,750,000 through the Community Initiative Projects program, supported by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. This funding request is “back-up” to Forest Legacy funding. This is another layer of potential funds for lower watershed purchase. There is much in flux right now so we’re casting the widest net possible for funding to acquire Jetty Creek Watershed.
Thank you to those who attended the two Salmonberry Trail meetings. Alta Planning and Design put on a great presentation and Q&A. The focus of the meeting was gathering input on the two potential alignments of the trail between South 3rd Ave. and Washington St. Should the trail run east or west of the railroad tracks? The consensus from attendees seemed to favor the west side for enhanced safety. Alta Planning will put together a recommendation for City Council approval.
Consulting firm Cascadia Partners delivered a highly informative presentation to our community members on Oregon Senate Bill 406 (SB406) that requires Rockaway Beach to update its zoning code to allow middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, townhouses, cottage clusters, etc.). Rockaway Beach currently allows duplexes and townhomes in residential zones. SB406 requires us to also allow triplexes, quadplexes, and cottage clusters. The Planning Commission will review the suggested code amendments and make a recommendation to the City Council. Please review the Cascadia Partners presentation available on the city website. I believe that this will lead to additional workforce housing in Rockaway Beach. Middle housing has had positive impacts on housing availability in other cities.
Rockaway Beach hosted another Jetty Creek tour in February. Along with Councilor Alesia Franken, representatives from Sustainable Northwest, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Tillamook Estuaries Partnership attended. This site visit was one of the last steps in the Forest Legacy application process. This tour gave the city, and our partners, a chance to give the Department of Forestry a first-hand look at the Jetty Creek Watershed, answer questions about our application, and show that our project was feasible. If awarded, this Forest Legacy grant will help fund the purchase of the lower half of the watershed.
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission, at the February meeting, held a discussion about amending the Short-Term Rental (STR) code to add an STR license cap exception for accessible short-term rentals. The Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council pursue amending the code to allow for limited exemption and explore other similar accessibility incentives. Commissioner Maxfield was appointed to serve as Planning Commission Vice President. Commissioner Olson gave notice that he would be stepping down and that his last meeting with the Planning Commission would be March 20th. Pat Olson has served this community in various capacities for many decades. This is a huge loss for our commission.
Please go to our city website for the Notice of Planning Commission Vacancy; consider applying and shaping the future of Rockaway Beach.
Public Works
Public Works Superintendent Emerson has been working on getting eight streetlights around the entrance to NKN High School and Middle School along HWY 101. The installation estimate for the 8 streetlights from the Tillamook People’s Utility District (TPUD) came back at nearly $9,000. This was significantly higher than we anticipated and put the project out of Rockaway Beach’s reach. Fortunately, NKN Superintendent Tyler Reed has stepped up and will submit a grant request through TPUD’s community grant program that could cover the installation costs. Superintendent Emerson and City Manager Shepard both have written letters of support for the application. It’s great to have such willing partners on this project. Thank you, Superintendent Reed!
Superintendent Emerson submitted a Sustainable Infrastructure Planning Projects (SIPP) Program Grant. This is an Oregon Health Authority program that provides 100% forgivable loan awards to community water systems for planning projects that promote drinking water facility improvements. Superintendent Emerson requested $20,000 to run a system wide leak test on our water system.
We received two submittals in response to our request for proposals (RFP) for Engineer of Record. Staff are working through the qualification-based selection process and will make a recommendation to the City Council in March. We hope to have an Engineer of Record contract in place no later than the end of March.
Public Works responded to maintenance request at the Washington St. crosswalk. While Washington St. and Hwy 101 are not under our jurisdiction, the crosswalk was a city project, funded by ODOT. I think Public Works did a great job.
On a Monday night, our Public Works Department responded to a watermain break in Nedonna Beach. They were able to make necessary repairs and wrap things up by 8pm. Our city is very fortunate to have such talented and dedicated employees. Kudos to Don Kiser, Mitch Leipzig, and Caleb Smith for their work that night.
City Council
We had full agendas in February for both the workshop and meeting. Our City Recorder deserves to be commended for the incredible amount of work she puts into these meetings. We are fortunate to have City Recorder Melissa Thompson here in Rockaway Beach. Thank you, Melissa!
Workshop Items discussed:
- Review of Applications for Budget Committee
- Review of 2025-2026 Fiscal Year Budget Calendar
- Rescheduling July 9th meeting to July 16th
- Discussion of Res. 2025-06 Adjusting Appropriations for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year Budget
- Discussion of Event Application Staff Review
- Review of Updated Ordinance 2025-01 Exhibit A: Amending Code for TLT Funds
- Review of Draft Revisions to City Council Rules & Procedures
Regular Meeting Items:
- Presentation – Future Rates for Tillamook People’s Utility District (PUD) and Resource Adequacy in the Northwest – Todd Simmons, Tillamook PUD
- Presentation – 2024 Community Grant Award Recipient – Hope Chest Thrift Shop, Terry Walhood
- Presentation – 2024 Community Grant Award Recipient – Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce – Kristine Hayes
- Public Hearing – Ordinance 2025-01 Amending Code Subsection 34.15(A), Clarifying the Use of Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) Revenue
- Proclamation – Firefighter Recognition Month (APPROVED)
- First & Second Reading of 2025-01: An Ordinance Amending Code Subsection 34.15(A), Clarifying the Use of Transient Lodging Tax Revenue (APPROVED)
- Consideration to Adopt Ordinance 2025-01: An Ordinance Amending Code Subsection 34.15(A), Clarifying the Use of Transient Lodging Tax Revenue (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-04 Appointing the City Manager as Budget Officer (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-05 Appointing Members to the Budget Committee (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-06 Adjusting Appropriations for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year Budget (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-07 Approving Wayside Use Application for the Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce Thursday Markets (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-08 Approving Wayside Use Application for the Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce Independence Day Fundraiser (DENIED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-09 Approving Wayside Use Application for the Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce Arts & Crafts Fair (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-10 Approving Wayside Use Application for the Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce Kite Festival (APPROVED)
- Consideration of Resolution 2025-11 Approving Wayside Use Application for the Neah-Kah-Nie Coast Cultural Foundation (NCAM) Music Festival (APPROVED)
If any of the Council activities listed for February are of interest, you can read the meeting materials and view recordings of all Council meetings (except Executive Sessions) on the City Council page.
Tillamook Coast Visitors Association (TCVA)
Nan Devlin (TCVA) launched a two-month promotion for Rockaway Beach with KPTV. Their morning news program is the most watched in Oregon and SW Washington. Among the promotions will be videos, banners, sponsored content, ads, and website content.
TCVA placed the article Rockaway Beach’s Top Eats are Never Far From the Sand in the Seattle Met online publication.
Key Dates in March for Community Engagement
March 5, 2025. The March Rockaway Beach Emergency Preparedness meeting is Wednesday, March 5th at 6:00 pm in City Hall. Learn about pet first aid and how to prepare a pet go-bag.
March 12, 2025. The March City Council Workshop is Wednesday, March 12th at 4:30 pm in the City Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room followed at 6:00 pm with the City Council Meeting at 6:00 pm downstairs in the Council Room.
March 18, 2025. We invite you to a Town Hall at 6:00 pm in the Council Room at City Hall about the draft Source Water Protection Plan for the Jetty Creek Watershed. We want your feedback.
March 20, 2025. The March Coffee with Manager and Mayor is Thursday, March 20th at 9:00 am upstairs in the City Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room.
March 20, 2025. The March Planning Commission meeting is Thursday, March 20th at 5:00 pm in the City Hall Council Room.
Please stay informed and engaged!
The most efficient way to keep up to date with your city government is to add your email address to the City’s email list through the City’s website, at the bottom of the landing page.
If you have ideas to share; questions or concerns about what is going on in the City of Rockaway Beach, please email me at cmcneilly@corb.us.
I am still listening.