NORTH BEND — Throughout the last bitter consolidation effort, North Bend officials were adamant: “Cooperation, not consolidation,” they said.

But on Monday, a cooperative effort recently instigated by the Coos Bay mayor was reduced to little more than an agenda item by the North Bend City Council.

The original format of the intergovernmental committee — developed late last year and early this year to improve communication and relations between the two cities — was to meet on a bimonthly basis with appointed members and any other councilor who wished to attend; and biannually with full councils. Both councils agreed on the format Jan. 24.

At North Bend’s work session this week, Mayor Rick Wetherell essentially chucked the committee out the window, when he read a proposal to completely alter its format to a gathering of community members, city staff and Coos Bay Mayor Jeff McKeown. Wetherell later said he developed the proposal with the assistance of North Bend City Administrator Jan Willis.

“It is North Bend’s feeling that both councils meet often enough to accommodate communication between the cities without adding another committee for communication alone,” Wetherell read.

Willis and Coos Bay City Manager Chuck Freeman would be encouraged to communicate frequently and share information with their respective councils and to provide minutes of all meetings of both councils to each other to ensure “a direct line of communication between councils concerning the business of both bodies;” and to add a new agenda item to work sessions and regular council meetings, which would be titled “Inter-City Communication.” It would allow allotted time to discuss areas of mutual interest and for councilors from either city to appear at council meetings to present and discuss issues, the mayor said.

“This process would allow North Bend to pursue their “full council” approach to conducting city business,” he read.

Offending comments

Prior to the reading, Wetherell said the spirit of cooperation and communication fostered by the committee had been “violated,” alluding to comments that were made by Coos Bay Councilor Mark Daily at two separate finance committee meetings in February and March, as well as nearly palpable animosity at the joint committee’s meeting on March 20. On March 13, Daily complained about the disparity in funding the two cities pay to the Visitors & Convention Bureau.

“We are getting three-twelfths of the services and we are providing eight-twelfths of the funding,” Daily said at Coos Bay’s finance meeting. “That’s not fair to the citizens of Coos Bay.”

On Monday, Wetherell said North Bend councilors took offense at Daily’s comments at the March finance meeting regarding North Bend’s financial participation in the South Coast Development Council.

Those comments so upset North Bend brass that the mayor read another prepared document at that meeting, stating the committee format was “not working” for his council and they would consider a new format.

Changing directions

North Bend councilors piped in their support for the redesign.

“I don’t have time to do another two or three meetings a month,” said Councilor Larry Garboden.

Councilor Janet Rubin said she never had difficulties communicating prior to the creation of the committee and also was supportive of Wetherell.

“I think these are pretty good ideas, myself,” Rubin said. “There really wasn’t much for us to talk about. We made our decisions.”

Councilor Howard Graham brought up several Coos Bay projects and formerly proposed topics for the committee, including a Coos Bay dispatch center and other projects.

“We’ve studied it probably more times than a cat has lives,” Graham said of the dispatch center.

Councilor Bill Richardson said there have been negative comments made that North Bend took personally, but the council needs to move on.

“The format to me can be anything as long as we are talking,” Richardson said.

Wetherell said he believed his proposal to be an effective one, because he would know what’s going on with Coos Bay by reading meeting minutes, and the additional agenda item “gives us an opportunity four times a month, if need be.”

Rubin suggested that if either council wants input from its neighbor, a note could be attached to the minutes requesting feedback.

Councilor Barry Hayes simply agreed with the majority, adding only that the next step for the proposal is to hear what Coos Bay has to say. Frank Amatisto had nothing to add.

While McKeown couldn’t speak entirely for his own council, he definitely let North Bend know what he thought of the dissolution of the committee in spades.

The Coos Bay mayor emphasized that the cities need to work and communicate together.

“For us to be on your agenda ... Sure, that’s great, but I think we need to sit down,” McKeown said, adding it’s OK if the councils aren’t always on the same page. “You don’t need to agree with me or even like what I say, but we do need to talk.”

Garboden said he believed the two councils jumped too quickly into the arrangement, and now needs to take “baby steps” to rebuild trust — possibly via the format Wetherell suggested.

“To me, some of the things that were said ... they were just blatant statements that were negative toward the city of North Bend,” Wetherell said of Daily’s comments.

Wetherell also mentioned comments made at a February finance committee meeting, which he thought questioned whether North Bend deserved promotion. Both meetings were aired on Channel 14.

Garboden said the comments not only upset the council, he felt it also hurt North Bend constituents. He added if there is a problem that it be brought to him, instead of being aired in front of 25,000 people.

McKeown said he disagreed with Daily’s comments. However, he was glad he stated it openly, so voters can understand a councilor’s decision-making process.

“If we don’t talk like we are doing right now, we don’t get anywhere,” McKeown said. “If we communicate, if we sit down together, then these misunderstandings can be worked out.”

Realizing the North Bend councilors would not waver, McKeown said he hoped in the future that they would come around.

“If you get to the point where you want to have a joint forum with us, I’m very supportive,” McKeown said. “My hand is out there. ...”

With the support of his council, Wetherell directed city staff to share his proposal with Coos Bay to see where it leads.

Afterthoughts

After the meeting, McKeown said he thought little of North Bend’s proposal.

“Really, what they have suggested is nothing. There is no communication here. There is no forum,” McKeown said. He said he felt like the two cities had lost an opportunity to work together, adding if North Bend ever wants to communicate on a meaningful basis, Coos Bay is willing to come to the table.

Wetherell said he saw his proposal as a well-thought out alternative that will keep city officials informed, while keeping face-to-face relations with Coos Bay councilors public, which he said is very important to the neighboring city.

“This would satisfy that situation,” Wetherell said. He added he feels Coos Bay sees North Bend as secretive. “I want to give us a starting point for a new format.”

The North Bend mayor said the few preliminary meetings, as well as the first official meeting held last week, contained an atmosphere of hostility, and this new process will work better to avoid that. He said he’s not opposed to a joint committee in the future, but the two councils have to learn to trust.

If Coos Bay refuses the proposal, he said there might not much he can do about it.

“If they say no, we will be disappointed.”