Pateros council introduced to OCEM ID program

PATEROS – Maurice Goodall, Director of Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) was a featured speaker at the regular meeting of the city council on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Goodall introduced a proprietary identification program for public employees called Salamander, a cloud-based secure data site that provides ID cards and tracking capabilities.
Goodall explained that OCEM used grant funds to purchase Salamander from Midwest Card and ID Solutions to provide the cutting-edge system to county and city employees. He added that Okanogan County did not have an ID system until OCEM put Salamander in place.
Goodall said the money for the ID system is already in the budget and that the city need only adopt the policy to have the cards available to its employees.
The photo ID can provide a minimum of information including name, title and entity but can also include emergency contacts, medical background (allergies, etc.) and other vitals at the applicant’s discretion. Goodall noted that the system will also allow employees to be tracked as when responding to incident calls or other duties. Asset tracking for expense reporting to organizations like FEMA is also a handy option.
Goodall encouraged city officials to consider signing on to the new ID system. It is designed to be implemented statewide and discussion are underway with state officials to allow that application.
“It’s a no-brainer,” Goodall said of the program’s advantages.
Goodall also plugged OCEM’s Okanogan Citizen Alert service that residents can subscribe to by signing up online at okanogandem.org.
Pateros resident George Pearson who organizes the annual summer hydro races suggested that the city consider allowing a weekend race event for go-cart teams that compete on various courses set up in cities around the Northwest. Pearson envisions using the seven-tenths-mile route encircling the business district for a two-day qualifying and racing event. He said that the teams he approached were very enthusiastic about racing in Pateros.
Council members appeared to be initially receptive to the idea. Pearson said he will provide further information updates as he gathers more information about what such an event would require of the city.
“They’re talking of 50 or more teams showing up,” said Pearson of his preliminary inquiries.
Chris Anderson, owner of Rock Garden Holding, LLC, addressed the council regarding delayed development of property he purchased in the downtown area. According to a development agreement Anderson negotiated with the city in November 2017, the project was scheduled for completion by November 2019.
Anderson asked the city to consider a two-year extension to the agreement and offered to negotiate a penalty fee that was originally set at $1,000 a month during the default period.
Council member George Brady expressed a past problem where purchasers of city property simply held the undeveloped parcels while the land value increased for a profitable resale. Brady supported a reasonable extension fee following negotiations with the city to determine what that fee should be.
Mayor Carlene Anders recommended that Anderson put his proposal in writing for presentation to the council.
In other business the Park Committee narrowed down a list of 22 suggested names for the downtown well house park to three finalists. Last December a flyer was included with utility billings requesting name suggestions for the new development. The three finalists ranked in order are: 1. Lakeshore Pavilion, 2. Pateros Pavilion, 3. The Riverview
The city approved a resolution for its annual operational agreement and $2,300 participation fee with the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force for the year 2020.
Planning committee member Brady updated the council on a proposal for a planned use development in the Pederson Road Neighborhood Project that will allow residents more building flexibility along with open space and a city street through the site to create a much better community that its present state.
Council approved a resolution calling for an increase in the levy tax for EMS services from .47 to .50 cents per thousand dollars.