JOHN DAY — The John Day City Council had a busy meeting on Tuesday, March 14, at the Fire Hall in John Day.

Notable developments included the hiring of a recruiting firm to assist the city in its search for a permanent city manager; discussions about the proposed R3 agreement between Burns, Lakeview and John Day; and a pair of committee appointments.

• The council agreed to hire CMP Consultants to aid it in its search for a permanent city manager. CMP was the firm the city had agreed to work with prior to the hiring of interim City Manager Corum Ketchum. The cost to the city will be $15,000 plus expenses.

• Interim City Manager Rick Allen was elected budget officer and Mayor Heather Rookstool was given authorization to sign the deed and easement between the Grant School District and city regarding the Seventh Street extension project.

• The council voted 6-0 to place Eric Bush on the budget committee and 4-2 to place Jim Spell on the planning committee. The two “nay” votes for Spell were cast by Ron Phillips and Sherrie Rininger.

• The council discussed the proposed R3 intergovernmental agreement between the cities of Lakeview, John Day and Burns, which would involve sharing equipment and staffing for certain purposes. Allen, the interim city manager, voiced his concern over some aspects of the current proposal, including the difficulty in leaving the agreement in a timely manner and the issue of city sovereignty in relation to the R3 board, which would have the ability to make decisions over the objection of an individual city. Another factor is House Bill 3131, which is currently making its way through the Oregon statehouse and would fund R3 to the tune of $30 million.

The council did not vote on whether to join the R3 agreement, citing a desire to explore the agreement further before a vote.

• The council participated in a work session with Straw to Gold, a marketing agency working with the city, on Tuesday, March 21. No decisions were made during the session.