June 04--HILLSBORO -- Hillsboro's City Council approved amending the city code on Tuesday, an action that will allow the Port of Portland to scare away, and in extreme cases kill, animals other than birds at the Hillsboro Airport.
Port officials previously pointed the finger at coyotes as being a nuisance and a safety risk to pilots at the Hillsboro Airport.
The city broadly restricts the discharge of firearms within the city limits except for exemptions for police officers and other authorized persons or in the instance of self defense. The agency lacked the authority to fire weapons within city limits, aside for "the purpose of dispersing migrant birds."
The code revision broadens the airport's revision to simply "wildlife" that is deemed a hazard to air traffic.
Councilors approved the ordinance without discussion, although Steve Callaway voted against the measure.
In the public comment portion of the meeting, Jim Lubischer, who often speaks out on matters related to the airport, requested that the council reconsider the ordinance.
He asked how coyotes got on Port property in the first place. "Rather than shoot the messenger," Lubischer said, the Port should work to secure its Hillsboro property.
Lubischer also expressed concern that the coyote-related measure and a previous code revision also involving the Port that removed language governing low-flying aircraft, weren't discussed at the Hillsboro Airport Roundtable Exchange. HARE is supposed to be a public body, Lubischer said.
Other items on the Tuesday agenda:
- The council approved a series of transportation contracts for the city's Pavement Management Program. Check back later for more information on this story
- The Mayor's Youth Advisory Council gave an update on its yearly activities, which included a trip to Washington DC. The council will have 28 members next year, up from 25 this school year.
- Willamette West Habitat for Humanity officials note the organization has located its headquarters in Hillsboro. The office is on 5293 N.E. Elam Young Parkway, Suite 140 in Hillsboro. The 35th habitat residence in Hillsboro is currently under construction, but no new projects are in the immediate future.
- Council approved an intergovernmental agreement with Washington County on a right of way dedication connected to the estimated $8.5 million project to widen Northeast 28th Avenue from East Main Street to Northeast Cornell Road. The city hopes to go out to bid on the project soon and have construction begin shortly thereafter. The project will add pedestrian and bicycle facilities throughout that section of roadway.
- Hillsboro amended the licensing agreement with Short Season LLC, the owners of the Hillsboro Hops, to allow the franchise access to the Hillsboro Stadium concessions. The franchise wasn't originally intending to use those concessions facilities, but Ovations Food Services, the concessions provider, is investing $400,000 in improving the facility. The city is also amending the agreement to allow for an additional $150,000 payment in the first year to the city, which will effectively replace the line of credit, according to parks and recreation officials. The payment will serve similar to a last month of rent payment (in this case, the 20th year of the 20-year deal), in case the franchise defaults.
Check back on Wednesday for more stories from this meeting and elsewhere in Hillsboro.
Copyright 2013 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
