**Lebanon City Council Denies Request for Property De-Annexation Along Berlin Road**
During the regular meeting on Wednesday, January 14, Lebanon City Council members denied a request from property owners seeking to de-annex from the city. The request involved three property owners, located near each other along Berlin Road, who met with city officials last month to discuss withdrawing their properties from the city limits.
Development Services Director Shana Olson reported that the property owners — Edward Goering (32756 Berlin Road), Richard Poland (32777 Berlin Road), and Gary Cummings (32783 Berlin Road) — cited limited access to city utilities and infrastructure, public safety concerns including homeless encampments, trespassing, thefts, and the desire to reduce property tax obligations as reasons for their request. It should be noted that Cummings later withdrew his de-annexation request.
Although city water and sewer connections are available more than a mile north of these properties, the owners expressed no interest in connecting to these services, according to City Manager Ron Whitlatch.
Berlin Road falls under the jurisdiction of the Lebanon Police Department. Olson shared that the department responded to 66 calls in this area during the last six months and has recently intensified efforts to engage with encampments and address trespassing issues.
Further research revealed that Cummings’ and Poland’s properties were originally part of two parcels owned by the Nordstrands. In 2001, the Nordstrands annexed these parcels into the city and subsequently divided the larger lot into three smaller parcels. Linn County code does not permit such subdivision of these parcels. These subdivided properties were then sold.
Goering’s property was similarly formed through annexation and partition by Morse Brothers Construction and Ted Halstengard in the 1980s and 1990s.
“The properties that they’re currently living on right now that have been subdivided, they would not be living there without taking advantage of the city code,” Whitlatch stated. While the current property owners were not responsible for the original subdivision, the parcels were annexed into the city limits specifically to benefit from city codes — and now the owners want to reverse that.
After some discussion, no motion was made to approve the de-annexation request.
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**Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Master Plan Presented**
Public Works Director Jason Williams presented an updated Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Master Plan, outlining a long-term strategy to address regulatory compliance, aging infrastructure, capacity limitations, and future growth projections.
Williams described the plan as containing “a long list” of phased projects extending through 2045. He noted, “Over the course of this document, 2025 through 2045, the total cost of projects listed here are $95,550,29 [sic].”
The wastewater treatment plant, originally built in 1954 and upgraded in 1976, has undergone several improvements over the years. “Since then we’ve gone through everything we can to keep it functioning and meeting regulation,” Williams added.
The master plan phases are as follows:
– **Phase One:** Improvements to solids stream treatment
– **Phase Two:** Enhancements to liquids stream treatment
– **Phase Three:** Final upgrades to liquids stream and supporting infrastructure improvements
The plan includes an evaluation of current facility conditions, projections of wastewater flow demands through 2045, identification of deficiencies, and consideration of anticipated legal and regulatory changes.
City Council will review the master plan again and vote on its adoption during the March meeting.
The full master plan document is available to view online.
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**In Other Business**
[Content for other business items, if applicable, can be inserted here.]
https://www.sweethomenews.com/council-denies-request-to-de-annex-berlin-road-properties-from-lebanon/