City Adds Woodbury To Council
Last night the Florence City Council moved forward in filling its vacant council seat. The Council had met in a special work session where it deliberated on the four choices. Up for consideration for the seat were Dan Lofy, Maureen Miltenberger, Joel Marks, and Woody Woodbury. In public comments before the selection was made, Maureen Miltenberger praised the process, though she felt that she was unfairly singled out for not disclosing that she was a member of a local democratic club. Miltenberger defended her choice not to publish her membership.
“I am here tonight to let you know that I believe the citizens of this city have the right to be heard and supported even if they have different political views and different view on anything that could come up in front of the council.”
After public comment Mayor Joe Henry asked for the council to put forth a motion
“I’ll entertain a motion to appoint Woody Woodbury as the replacement to the City Council”
Woody Woodbury is the owner of Florence Grocery Outlet.
“Those in favor say Aye… Aye …those opposed…that then is unanimous.”
The board also announced the filling of several committee vacancies, including the airport advisory board, audit committee, and the budget committee. Appointments for the Economic Development committee were postponed pending a process review. The city hopes to have those seats filled within the next 30 days.
Super Bowl DUII Enforcement
The Super Bowl is just under 2 weeks away and the Florence Police Department has acknowledged that they will be beefing up DUII enforcement. The FPD has received grant money from Oregon Impact to add additional manpower on Sunday February4th for a High Visibility Enforcement plan. Accodring to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration one third of all traffic related deaths involve intoxicated individuals. Florence police want to encourage Super Bowl partiers to be safe and not to drink and drive by utilizing designated drivers and taxis.
Watershed Council Special Presentation
The Siuslaw Watershed Council will be offering a special presentation at its general meeting on January 31st. Watershed Science Studies Project Manager Jim Grano, with Siuslaw Middle School Stream Team Teacher McKenzie Perry, will present a pictorial overview of the outdoor stewardship experiences taking place for local students and partners who support the. The meeting will take place at the Mapleton School District campus and doors open at 6 pm and meeting start time is 6:30.
Ballots Due
If you are voting by mail in the special election your ballots will have to be returned by 8pm this evening. There is only one place to return them in Florence and that is at the box located at the Justice Center. Measure 101 will determine if the state has enough money to offer support to almost a half million people in Oregon. Opponents of the measure say that it is just another tax burden for Oregon residents.
Brief Tsunami Warning Lifted
An 8.1 earthquake near Kodiak Alaska caused the issuing of a tsunami warning for the central Oregon coast this morning, but the USGS has lifted that warning. A small tsunami was reported off the Alaskan coast but no damage was reported.
