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G.H. council shows gaps Liddell, Palmeree resign: Both are moving away By MELISSA MARTIN GOLD HILL -- Mayor Laura Liddell and council member Steve Palmeree announced separately their resignations this week, both because of the sale of their homes. The City Council appointed Councilman and restaurant owner Hy Klaus as interim mayor. "Our home has been for sale for five years but the market has been so soft," says Liddell, who won re-election last month. "It finally sold and we weren't able to find a lot to build on in the city limits," Liddell says. She and her family will move to Central Point. She plans to continue her involvement in government at the county level, she says. Liddell was elected to the City Council in 1996; she was appointed mayor this past summer after interim Mayor Rob Lowe resigned. Council member Steve Palmeree is resigning for the same reason as Liddell -- his home sold and he couldn't find a lot suitable for building a new home for his family in Gold Hill. Anyone interested in running for the two vacant positions should submit a petition signed by 20 registered voters who are Gold Hill residents. The petitions must be at City Hall by Jan. 5. The election will be held on March 9. Liddell says she is sorry to leave Gold Hill. "I really appreciate the voters putting me in the mayor's place and I'm sorry I wasn't able to fulfill the role. But this is in the best interest of our family." Before her resignation, Liddell set in motion a committee to write a report about the city's police needs. Options include paying Rogue River, Central Point or another city to provide police protection for Gold Hill or contracting with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. The city or county would provide an officer and be responsible for paperwork. But the officer would wear a Gold Hill uniform, enforce city ordinances and cite violations into municipal court, which generates revenue for the city, she says. "We are not going to dissolve the police department. It will be a question of how will we staff it," Liddell says. The City Council also learned this week that water rates will increase by $14 over the next year. The rate increase helps qualify the city for a $700,000 grant to improve the city's water system. "The rate increase is a necessary evil," Liddell says. "The new system will provide equal service to all people. Right now, when we have a storm, people with old pipes receive water that looks and tastes bad, but people with new pipes don't have the same problem." Residents' water rates took their first hike in October, by $4. The city gets surface water from the Rogue River, which is expensive to treat year-round to make it safe for consumption. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA