The Hearing Happened. The Story Keeps Changing.

The City held its hearing on the future of the Planning Commission on August 24. Nothing got decided. But some things came out of that meeting worth noting.

Excuse Number Two

The volunteer shortage story died when four qualified residents were offered up ready to serve. So the City needed a new reason for the empty seats.

At the hearing, Mayor Barhyte offered one. Some volunteers, he said, are in active litigation against the City. That's supposedly why their offers went nowhere. He offered no explanation for ignoring the other volunteers.

Here's another problem with that: Filing an appeal with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) isn't a lawsuit. It's the standard, legal way any resident challenges a land-use decision. LUBA exists for exactly this reason. Calling it "litigation" turns a normal part of the process into something that sounds hostile. 

Two excuses. Zero appointments. Same result.

The Argument Against Itself

Staff's pitch was that the land-use code is too complex for a volunteer commission to handle. But the Planning Commission's whole job is to specialize in that code. Meeting after meeting, that's the point. This plan hands the same complicated rules to the Council, a group that already has a big job running the city. 

The City is also rewriting the code because it admits it's too confusing as written. So their short-term plan is: keep the confusing rules, and hand them to people with less time to learn them.

Why "Emergency" Matters So Much

There's a reason the City keeps reaching for that word. In Oregon, ordinances passed as emergencies take effect immediately and skip the standard referendum window that lets voters petition to block them.

Call it an emergency, and residents lose their chance to challenge it at the ballot box. Call it anything else, and they don't. Does the City realize this may be an unpopular decision that may be challenged?

Caught on Notice

Councilor Silber pushed on public notice at the hearing. The City's attorney admitted the website "could have provided greater clarity," even while insisting the legal minimum was met.

Translation: the City struggles with routine notice using its normal process. Now ask yourself: How can the City handle the same job with fewer people when they can’t get it right now?

What Actually Happened

Council President Tuttle raised a real alternative: a three-month "stay of execution," using that time to seat new commissioners instead of transferring their power to the Council.

Instead, the Council voted to continue the hearing to allow for better notice. It passed 4-0, with Silber abstaining.

Nothing is settled. September 8 is next. The public notice still hasn’t been done correctly.

What You Can Do

Mark your calendar: September 8, 2026, 7:00 p.m. over Zoom. Show up. Speak up.

[Email] the Mayor and Council first. Ask them:

• Two different excuses, zero appointments. Why?

• If the code is too complex for a dedicated commission, why hand it to a busier council?

• If the City can't nail basic notice, why trust it with harder interpretation calls?