LAKESIDE — Gone were the shrill voices, finger pointers and shouting matches between the mayor, councilors and citizens. Lakeside’s regular city council meeting on Thursday bore little resemblance to the caustic circus that erupted at city hall last month.

Instead, with the help of Lakeside City Attorney Fred Carleton of Bandon, the meeting was practically sedate. It may have had something to do with the limited number of people allowed in the council chambers. The city only let 48 people into the room, citing fire codes, leaving some stragglers listening from doorways and open windows outside the building.

During the meeting, the city greeted a new wastewater operator, Ardith Lewis; approved a request to let locals decorate some parts of town for Halloween, and agreed to pay $10 to be mentioned in the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce Directory. Carleton also suggested the council adopt new council rules soon to help govern its operations. He said doing so would help answer common questions that come up.

City Recorder/administrator Charlie Hill said she purchased a Certificate of Deposit with about $32,300, with proceeds from the estate of late Lakeside councilor Jim Brown to be used as a trust for the Lakeside Public Library. When Brown passed away last year, he asked in his will that interest on money generated from his estate be given to the library for books and periodicals.

Hill said the library won’t get much this year, “but it’s better than nothing.”

The council will administer the trust, she noted.

Also at the meeting, Hill said that a counselor from the League of Oregon Cities will begin meeting with city councilors next month to help them work better together as a group. The city of Coos Bay also has hired a consultant from the League to help the mayor, city manager and council work out communication problems. Jennie Messmer, the league’s director of member services, will serve as the facilitator when she visits Coos Bay in October for a four-hour workshop. The counseling is intended to help city officials understand their responsibilities.

“I help them implement policies and have an understanding of roles and responsibilities and appropriate interactions,” Messmer said.