Chase ‘sworn in as CGPD police chief
There are many firsts in life – first step, first word, first day of school – and this past Monday was Cory Chase’s first day as Cottage Grove Police Department’s police chief. At the city council meeting on Sept. 11, Chase was officially sworn into his position as he repeated a pledge, read and signed the Oregon criminal justice code of ethics, and earned his badge. The badge was secured onto Chase’s uniform by his wife, Jacklyn. “She’s been a huge support for me throughout my career,” Chase said. “She’s been around to do that a few times through different promotions, but it was nice to have her here for this tonight.” Chase said he “hit the ground running” on his first day, and although it was “very busy,” he had “a lot of fun.”
Agencies to auction off vehicles, equipment
Lane County Fleet Services (LCFS) will hold its annual public auction for vehicles and equipment from Thursday, Sept. 21 to Saturday, Sept. 23.
Some items included in the auction are: mowers, dump trucks, pickups, cars, trucks, SUVs, road repair equipment, trailers, and generators.
This is the 24th year LCFS and other municipalities have combined their auctions to reduce the cost of disposing of surplus equipment. The auction is a partnership among Lane County, Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB), the City of Eugene, Rainbow Water District (RWD), Homes for Good, Willamalane Park and Recreation District, and others.
“The auction is helpful for people who are interested in buying these vehicles and other items because they don’t have to go from agency to agency,” said Devon Ashbridge, Lane County’s public information officer. “They can see what’s available from across most of the public agencies in our area in one place, and we do it every September, so people, especially if they’re repeat shoppers, expect it to come around in early fall.”
Willamalane will be auctioning 21 items – none of which will be vehicles. It will be auctioning power tools, mowers, and other equipment and supplies. RWD superintendent Jamie Porter said RWD will be selling two pickup trucks.
“(The auction is) a great opportunity to see what’s out there for both sellers and the buyers, and I encourage people to check it out,” Porter said.
Homes for Good’s communication director Ela Kubok said that because Homes for Good is an agency that administers federal funds, this auction is the best way to dispose of a vehicle because it’s a professionally organized event. She praised the events’ clarity and straightforwardneess.
“It’s transparent for the people that are coming in in terms of what they are signing up to buy, so it’s just a very good way to transparently dispose of vehicles,” Kubok said.
Preview vehicles at fleetauction.lanecounty.org. In-person viewing is available at LCFS from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday during the week of the auction.
Bids must be submitted online before Sept. 23 at noon, and full payment is due within 48 hours of notification.
Consultants picked to oversee city manager hiring process
COTTAGE GROVE – City Council selected GMP Consultants (GMP) on Aug. 28 to lead the search for city manager Richard Meyers’ replacement, as his last day before entering retirement will be Sept. 29.
With over 500 executive searches, including 37 for Oregon city/county manager recruitments, GMP’s experience and capability was not questioned, and its guarantee and warranty was also appealing to some councilors.
“For me, GMP rose to the top,” Councilor Jon Stinnett said. “I appreciated their emphasis on their team and the communities that they’re serving.”
It will cost the City $18,500 to cover GMP’s professional fee, which includes staff time. The City will also be responsible for GMP’s expenses such as consultant travel, advertising, direct mail announcements, and background checks.
GMP’s recruitment schedule is roughly 90 days, which means there will be a couple months without a city manager in office. City Council has not yet decided how it will be selecting an interim city manager or any other avenue to ensure that the work still gets done.
