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Calle, Hillah designs OK'd Ashland council also eyes new fiscal policy By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- In a busy and sometimes contentious City Council meeting Tuesday, members passed a resolution requiring them to identify where money will come from for proposed projects, and approved designs for the Hillah Temple and Calle Guanajuato. The $1.6 million plan for Calle Guanajuato will restore the area behind the Plaza that was damaged in the New Year's Day flood of 1997. The plan protects the Plaza buildings from 25-year flood levels in Ashland Creek, improves fish habitat and turns the area into a more park-like setting. "This is hopefully going to prevent damage from excess water," Mayor Cathy Shaw said. The vote was divided, with Councilmen David Fine and Cameron Hanson opposing the design because of its cost. Fine said the Plaza merchants, who will benefit most from the renovation, should put up some money. The meeting got its most contentious, however, when Fine asked Shaw to put items on the next agenda to revise city ordinances regarding advertising contacts, which are currently exempt from the public bidding process. The issue became controversial when a member of the public complained last month that more than $100,000 worth of marketing and advertising services was not put through a public bidding process. Shaw refused, saying that it's the council's duty to set the agenda, not the mayor's. Councilman Don Laws accused Shaw of not putting the item on the agenda because she didn't like it. Shaw denied that, calling Laws and Fine "defensive." They denied being defensive, and the item was put on the agenda for the Nov. 2 meeting. The council unanimously approved a design for the renovation of the Hillah Temple. The building at the entrance of Lithia Park will house several city departments and be a one-stop shopping counter for developers. The council chose a classic one-story design that faces the park and has separate public bathrooms outside. The council also asked the city staff to explore building a second bathroom complex in the middle of downtown, instead of just one large bathroom complex at the Hillah. The council will discuss the staff's report on the possibility at a future meeting. In other business, the panel unanimously approved a new fiscal policy for the city, written by Fine. It would require the city to estimate costs of future projects, and if the cost exceeds 1.5 percent of the city's general fund, the council must determine how to fund it. Only Shaw, who as mayor doesn't vote, expressed reservations. But council members said they believe the resolution only formalizes what the council already does. "It just says if you are going to do something now you've got to say how you are going to do it ... and identify the impacts on other programs," said Councilman Steve Hauck. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA