HERMISTON — The Hermiston City Council plans to vote on a proposed rate increase for Hermiston Energy Services at its Monday, Nov. 9, meeting.

The proposal would raise rates by 6.98% on Jan. 1, 2021, and another 6.9% effective Oct. 1, 2021, for the city-owned utility, which has 5,200 customers.

According to previous discussion with the council, the rate increase will help cover the increases in the cost of wholesale power that HES purchases from Bonneville Power Administration. Wholesale power makes up about 54% of the utility’s budget.

“HES has made significant adjustments to its budget over the past two years by reducing spending, converting its Construction Work Plan from two years to three, and deferring some maintenance,” general manager Nate Rivera wrote in a memo to the city council. “Unfortunately, this is not sustainable long term, and HES will require a rate adjustment to maintain a reliable and safe system for its customers.”

On Nov. 9, the council will also consider appointment of a new city councilor to represent Ward IV, after Doug Smith recently resigned from the seat. Applicants for the position are David McCarthy, who currently sits on the council but lost his at-large seat in the Nov. 3 election, along with Larry Lankford and Phillip Spicerkuhn.

Candidates have been invited to state their case and answer questions during Monday’s meeting. The person appointed will represent Ward IV until a March 9, 2021, special election for the seat.

The agenda for the Nov. 9 meeting also includes two law enforcement documents for the council’s review and approval.

The first is the Umatilla County Deadly Physical Force Plan. According to a memo from Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston, the plan was signed by Umatilla County’s police chiefs and sheriffs after the Oregon Legislature mandated that counties create a written plan for use of force by law enforcement in 2007. Edmiston said it had not been updated since 2008, and he suggested that, “due to scrutiny placed upon all actions law enforcement professionals take,” the group update it this year.

Edmiston said the committee reviewing and updating the documents did so over a two-month period, and came out with no “significant” changes. The 12-page plan does not set standards for when officers would use deadly force, but does set a framework for what happens afterward, including protocols for debriefing the officer, assigning an agency to lead the investigation and turning the case over to the district attorney’s office. It also lays out requirements that each agency must require a minimum of four hours per year of training on use of force.

The other document the council will consider authorizing Edmiston to sign on behalf of the city is an updated version of the intergovernmental agreement that area law enforcement agencies use in assisting each other on cases. The agreement was last updated in 2013.

The new document combines the basic intergovernmental agreement with the agreement governing the Major Crimes Team that handles major cases, such as homicides, in the county.

The council meeting will also include a public hearing on a comprehensive plan amendment that would change 1.9 acres of property on the north side of West Theater Lane from a residential to commercial zone. According to the agenda packet, the owner does not have specific development plans for the property yet, but would like to market it for commercial use.

The Hermiston City Council meets Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Hermiston Community Center, 415 S. Highway 395. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the City of Hermiston YouTube channel. For the full agenda packet, see hermiston.or.us/meetings.