By James Day A 1.7-acre parcel in the hills off of Edison Heights Road will become part of Silverton. The Silverton City Council voted at its Sept. 12 meeting to accept an annexation request from the property owners, Al and Sheila Skomial, who sought the annexation because of a failing well, which does not deliver the required water flow and […]
By James Day Street trees and landscaping will be added to the skate park on Main Street to help buffer the popular recreation site from the rest of the neighborhood. At its Aug. 5 meeting the City Council agreed to plant seven trees and other landscaping in the planter strip on the skate park side of Main Street. The city […]
By James Day Silverton voters will once again be asked to decide on a local option tax levy to support the Silverton Community Swimming Pool. Voters first approved a ten-year obligation bond for major pool renovations and improvements in 2002. Since then voters have passed a pair of five-year local option property tax levies that raise $275,000 annually for operations […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, area business leaders and city staffers all agree that downtown faces parking challenges. June 20 folks got together via Zoom and began talking about solutions. ”This is a really hot issue right now,” said Stacy Palmer, executive director of the chamber. “There have been some dramatic changes to downtown,” […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council is planning a discussion on the challenges of downtown parking. Councilors will review the problem as well as possible solutions at a June 20 work session that also will have action on the 2022-23 budget. Fueling the discussion was a survey conducted by the Silverton Chamber of Commerce and presented at the council’s […]
By Melissa Wagoner Addressing sustainability and climate change concerns on a city-wide basis is a complicated issue and one that is often exasperated by the very nature of city government. “[The] City Council is comprised of volunteers with limited time and terms, while changing city code requires significant time and effort, especially as parties who may not share the City’s […]
By James Day A planned 22-lot subdivision near the Oregon Garden is closer to reality after the Silverton City Council voted 6-1 to approve the plan. The council action on Oct. 4 overturned a decision to reject the plan on July 13 from the city’s Planning Commission. The council heard the developer’s appeal at its Sept. 13 meeting, then held […]
By Melissa Wagoner It can be difficult to remember, as the fall rains roll into the Willamette Valley, that the area is still experiencing a severe and widespread drought. “This is the second year of an extensive drought so it’s double bad,” Jan Lee, Executive Director of the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts – an organization representing 45 conservation districts […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council will hold a public hearing on an appeal of a proposal for a 22-lot subdivision on Eureka Avenue near the Oregon Garden. The city Planning Commission denied the proposal at its July 13 meeting, but the property owner has appealed that decision to the council, which will hear it at its 6 p.m. […]
By Ron Chandler, City Manager It’s been two months since I began working in Silverton and it’s been great. I’ve met many residents and business owners in town who have all been very welcoming. I’ve enjoyed getting to know our City Council and City staff. They are dedicated public servants who keep things moving forward. During these past two months […]
By Kyle Palmer It’s hard to believe, but as I write this, our state and our community are, for the most part, exiting the COVID-19 restrictions that we’ve all been under since March of last year. It remains to be seen if this move is permanent.There are still many people hospitalized. We will undoubtedly still lose some people with the illness and many people will […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council plans to review proposals for the Civic Center project on the site of the now-demolished Eugene Field School at a May 20 work session. The city and MiG, its landscape design consultants, have developed four possible concepts for the project. The work session begins at 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers, 421 S. […]
By Paula Mabry The Silverton City Council will once again take up the hearing on a proposal to amend city codes to set standards for transitional shelter for the homeless at its Sept. 10 meeting. The proposal, referred for approval to the council by the city planning commission after two sessions of public testimony in the spring, continues to generate […]
By James Day “I’m looking forward to something fresh,” Silverton Mayor Kyle Palmer said at a special City Council meeting on April 17. Palmer’s comment came as the vote totals were about to be announced for the seat that came open when he took over as mayor. “Something fresh” turned out to be Rhett Martin, a 25-year-old Silverton High School […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton Public Works Director Christian Saxe had concerns about asking the council to raise utility rates. “As a public servant, you want to avoid raising rates whenever possible,” he said. However, he faced a choice – raise street, stormwater and water rates or watch those utilities continue to decline. When preparing the 2017-18 budget, Saxe knew increases […]
By Kristine Thomas Last fall, the Silverton City Council voted to allow marijuana to be produced, grown, sold and dispensed within city limits. The council now must outline the rules for a grower, producer, retailer or dispenser. Silverton Community Development Director Jason Gottgetreu said the city’s development code did not “previously address marijuana facilities as they were not allowed by […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton city officials would like to see more brown lawns. At its Aug. 24 meeting, the Silverton City Council moved the city to Stage 2 in its water restrictions. The measure is an effort to continue to save water during this summer’s drought. “Stage 2 asks our customers to voluntarily stop using water to irrigate their lawns,” […]
The Silverton City Council voted unanimously on April 5 to approve rate increases for sewer, water and storm drainage. Silverton City Manager Bob Willoughby said the rate increases are needed to address significant issues withe the city’s infrastructure. The rates will go into effect July 1. The average residential customer will see an increase of $1.70 for sewer; $1.72 for […]
Eliminate $170,000 from the next city of Silverton budget for any traffic studies. After receiving negative feedback about the council’s March 24 decision to spend $40,000 to study the feasibility of two-way streets in the downtown corridor, Silverton City Councilor Laurie Carter made a motion at the council’s April 7 meeting to reverse the decision. The council voted 4-3 to […]
Editor’s note: Our Town reporter Don Murtha interviewed the seven candidates competing on the Nov. 6 ballot for three seats on the Silverton City Council. This contains more information than the Oct. 15 print edition. By Don Murtha Ron Butcher If elected, Ron Butcher said he would address citizens’ concerns including establishing a balanced budget, keeping the swimming pool open and […]
Recently, The Silverton Appeal published a news story about three petitions to amend the city of Silverton Charter started by Mayor Stu Rasmussen and Councilor Scott Walker.
The Silverton City Council voted May 7 to suspend closing Silverton Community Pool, giving community members a year to find ways to fund the pool beyond June 30, 2013.
New trees, wider sidewalks and pedestrian curb extensions: Silverton Urban Renewal Agency has chosen to proceed with Concept 2 for the city’s Phase 1 of the Downtown Street Enhancement Project.
Sherry Hoefel got a full dose on her final night on the Silverton City Council. The March 7 triple-header meeting went 5½ hours with the council assuming three different roles before the night was out: Silverton Tourism Promotion Committee, City Council and as the Silverton Urban Renewal Agency.
There were no pitchforks at the Jan. 3 Silverton City Council meeting, despite the fliers displayed in downtown businesses in the days prior urging residents to “Grab your pitchfork and rally to support our mayor.”
