Hood River City Council Selects New Councilor, Amends Short-Term Rental Ordinance

By Cole Goodwin

The Dalles, Ore., July 26, 2024 – The Hood River City Council interviewed applicants for the City Council position left open due to the passing of the late Tim Counihan. The interviews were done on July 22 at the council’s regular meeting.

Council also amended the short-term rental ordinance and discussed a stormwater relocation project and a code audit. 

Council Seat Vacancy

The council interviewed Maggie Converse, Lara Dunn, Amanda Goeke, Curt Ivy and Ben Mitchell for the vacant City Council position. 

Council vacancies are filled by a majority of the remaining members of the Council according to the city’s charter. The appointee's term of office begins immediately and continues through the unexpired term of the predecessor. Councilor Counihan’s term expires Dec. 31, 2026. 

The application period was open from May 30th through July 1st.

Candidates answered questions about their views about the role of a councilor, their unique strengths as individuals, what they would seek to accomplish for the community, and their reasons for getting involved in city governance.
Each candidate also spoke to their interest in public service and to maintaining an inclusive, responsive city government.
Council members then voted for the candidate they felt was best suited for the job.

Meet Ben Mitchell

Ben Mitchell

Ben Mitchell, a current City of Hood River Planning Commissioner, digital marketing coordinator for Mt. Hood Meadows Resort and a former journalist for The Gorge Magazine, White Salmon Enterprise, Hood River News and Columbia Gorge News received the majority vote. Mitchell will be sworn in at the next City Council meeting on August 12. 

“I think the role of the city councils is to improve life for the community generally and be good stewards of public money,” said Mitchell during his interview. 

"I'm honored to have been chosen to serve on City Council, although I wish this appointment had come about under different circumstances, and I give my condolences to the late Councilor Tim Counihan's family. I did not know him well, but Tim was one of the City Councilors who interviewed me for the Planning Commission and impressed upon me the level of work that goes into that position. He was a dedicated public servant and member of the Hood River community who is sorely missed.

I do not take this appointment lightly: having covered numerous public meetings of various government bodies and having pored over many a City Council and County Commission packet during my time as a local journalist (in addition to my two years serving on the Planning Commission), I have some insight into both the amount of work it takes to be a public servant and its importance. I hope in my time on City Council, I can be a part of making Hood River a more affordable and livable place for everyone,” said Mitchell.

When asked what factors he would consider in the group decision-making process, Mitchell highlighted the importance of being open to others’ experiences and listening as well as focusing on “how can you do the most good for the most people”, impacts to City residents and vulnerable populations.

Mitchell, hopes to help support efforts to make Hood River a more affordable place to live, specifically in terms of housing. He also hopes to help improve transparency in City Governance. 

“As a former journalist, it's super important to me because I think a lot of the angst or negativity or whatever that you see online about city business– a lot of it is simply that people don’t know. And I understand that it's really complicated - a lot of these things - and people don't have time to learn,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell, who has interviewed diverse groups of folks during his role as a journalist, also spoke to the importance of representing their diverse community and ensuring that their stories are represented fairly. 

Council Passes Short-Term Rental Ordinance Amendment

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Concilors held a public hearing for the Short Term Operating Ordinance 2083, after being hit with a lawsuit alleging the law discriminates against interstate commerce by discriminating against out-of-state residents who own property in Hood River.

Dustin Nilsen led the discussion, explaining the amendment was being proposed in response to a lawsuit filed against the City that challenges the City’s short-term rental regulations and to ensure the City was not in violation of the Dormant Commerce Clause, which prevents laws that discriminate against interstate commerce. 

Within the City of Hood River, short-term rentals (STR) usually refer to vacation rental homes and homeshares. In 2016, the City Council passed an ordinance regulating short-term rentals which stated that “A hosted homeshare or vacation home rental is only permitted when it is an accessory use to the existing and continued residential use of a dwelling as the primary residence of the property owner.”
The amendment is meant to expand the definition of “primary residence” to include the rental title owner or a long-term non-owner tenant residing on the property to be used as a STR pursuant to a long-term lease (12 months or more) and to clarify the Criteria of HRMC 5.10.
Nielsen said the change would likely increase the number of long-term rentals within the City.
Following discussion Hood River City Councilors voted to pass the amendment. 

Waterfront Stormwater Relocation Project: Public Works provided an update on the waterfront stormwater infrastructure project, which is vital for managing stormwater runoff and protecting water quality in the Columbia River. Stoner Bell, from Bell Design, was also present to discuss alternatives to the design that Tetra Tech has completed.

Emergency Declaration Banning Fireworks is Ratified: City Council ratified an emergency declaration of an emergency and immediate prohibition on the use of personal fireworks in the City. The use of fireworks in the City is prohibited from July 15th through November 16th.

Development Code Audit: The project team presented findings from the Focus Group Meeting Summary and Draft Code Audit. Key findings included a long list of development code challenges and opportunities that centered around a need to improve on inconsistent, unclear, and problematic codes, density and housing, code education and accessibility, 

Personnel Policies Updated: Counselors approved an updated personnel policy to reflect  Paid Leave Oregon (SB 1515) program changes which were made in March and took effect July 1st, 2024. They changed some of the overlap of qualifying events between Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) and Oregon Family Leave Act and changed PLO to allow for intermittent use of benefits for childcare/bonding leave. Employees who are receiving PLO benefits may also take FMLA parental bonding leave in full-day increments. It also establishes Paid Leave Oregon penalties for employees’ failure to timely notify the employer and provides job restoration requirements and verification of PLO.

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