City Council Meeting
The Florence City Council is scheduled to meet in person this evening at City Hall at 5:30. The meeting will begin with an introduction of the 2022 Rhododendron Court and an update on the Florence Senior Center. There will also be a pair of proclamations presented one for National Drinking water Week and one for Economic Development Week. The council will also have a public hearing on Amendments fo the Florence City Code and Fiscal Policies which could increase the City Manager’s ability to enter into contracts of up to $75,000 from a previous amount of $30,000. And increase the Department Directors ability from $10,000 to $25,000. The standards set for the current amounts have not changed in almost 20 years according to information released by the city. The council will also discuss and consider amendments to the City Manager’s employment contract. The council will consider approving a resolution to accept an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Grant for the initial phase of the Siuslaw Estuary Trail in the amount of $115,000.
Seasonal Flu
Despite a slight surge in early January the Oregon Health Authority has reported cases of the seasonal flu were down from average years. Despite the removing of mask earlier in the year the flu has remained relatively at bay. There were 296 cases in the OHA’s latest report with the majority of cases being centered central and southern Oregon. However this past week has been the most active week since early February.
COVID-19 Still Increasing
COVID-19 cases continue to increase around the state with 1,464 cases reported on Friday by the OHA. The incidences of hospitalizations are also increasing with the total up to 153 cases with 25 in the ICU. There were 95 cases reported for Lane County. But no new cases for the Florence Area (1526). The Oregon Health Authority has reduced its number of media briefings to two a week after the mask mandates were removed. They continue to update their websites daily and have added new information on testing, variants and vaccinations.
Parking Premium
Parking spaces will be at a premium on Bay Street beginning today. The Public Works department will be setting up barricades for restaurants that have chosen to take advantage of the new permits that allow for customer seating in the streets. A couple restaurants have been approved for the new seating with others in several stages of the process.
