Marci Baker Connects

08/09/2026

☀️Happy Sunday Lincoln City! 🐙🌊

Our next City Council meeting is tomorrow, Monday, August 10 at 6:00 p.m. The agenda packet is now available, so here’s a quick look back at our last meeting and what’s coming up Monday.

WHAT HAPPENED JULY 27

This was a big meeting.

📜 Council voted unanimously to send the revised Lincoln City Charter to voters on November 3. The Charter Review Committee will be meeting tomorrow, Monday August 10th from 3-4:30pm in the Council Chambers to discuss public engagement.

The proposed NEW Lincoln City Charter is published in that meeting packet and can be read here:
https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=4370

💵 We also voted on the proposed bond for a new City Hall and Library facility.

Council President Hoagland made a motion for a $45.1 million maximum bond with the “no-wrap” option, which I seconded and supported. That motion failed 2–5. Council then approved putting a bond of up to $58 million, also with the no-wrap option, before voters. I voted no on the $58 million amount. The final vote was 4–3.

🗣️ I want to explain that vote, because I believe it is very important that we solve our City Hall problem, and I want to see a bond that our community can support.

My preference would be to start with a reasonable constraint—somewhere closer to $40 million—and then ask: How do we responsibly solve the problem within those means?

That doesn’t mean cutting the wrong corners. It means seriously weighing trade-offs, considering whether portions of the project can be phased, and looking at how the significant annual savings from leaving our current facilities could help us continue improving the property over time.

I supported the $45.1 million motion because I believed it was enough to solve the core problem and had a better chance of earning voter support.

I also have reservations about asking voters to authorize up to $58 million while saying we may not ultimately borrow that much. If we believe we can accomplish the project for less, I would rather establish that constraint before asking voters for authorization.

I do support the no-wrap financing structure, but that means the initial property-tax impact will be higher while the existing sewer bond is still being paid. That was another reason I believed keeping the overall authorization lower was important.

Ultimately, you get to decide in November. I hope you’ll learn about the proposal, ask questions, and let us know what you think.

🏛️ The July 27 meeting also included approval of a supplemental budget, an $8 million DEQ Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan, water-meter replacement work, two STR appeals, and several water/sewer and infrastructure projects.

TOMORROW'S REGULAR MEETING AGENDA

Monday’s agenda is considerably lighter. Council will:
• consider an agreement with Pacific Power to replace and upgrade the EV charging stations in Taft;
• hear annual reports and consider funding requests from the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County and the Small Business Development Center;
• consider a telecommunications franchise;
• take up work related to the Spring Lake and Wecoma pump stations;
• and select Lincoln City’s priorities for the League of Oregon Cities legislative agenda.

The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. Monday, August 10, at City Hall.

YOUR VOICE IS PART OF THIS.

You can attend and comment in person, or submit written comments to [email protected] by noon Monday. To participate by Zoom or telephone, the City requires a request to that same email address by noon on the Friday before the meeting.

📄 Agenda & full packet:
https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=4385

💬 Public comment: [email protected]

And, as always, you’re welcome to reach out to me directly with questions, concerns, or thoughts about anything coming before Council. I am only a phone call away!
📲 (541) 554-5425

Government works best when everyone participates. Just a reminder, I do not speak for the Council or the City of Lincoln City, I am here to represent YOU!

Have a great rest of the weekend, everybody!

Marci 🙂
Lincoln City Councilor, Ward 2

06/20/2026

Help get the word out to Lincoln City water users! Call me if you want to navigate how this proposal could impact your bill. I won't be engaging in the comments on this topic as it is coming before council - just working to get the work out and assist anyone in understanding how this proposed shift to the water/sewer revenue structure impacts different user types. This is NOT a flat increase across the board as usual. Some bills will go down, others won't change and some could increase as much as 31%. Don't miss your opportunity to weigh in - put your questions, concerns or alternative ideas on the record by emailing [email protected] before noon on Monday. 🚰🕳️

⭐️PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MESSAGE: The Lincoln City Council will be discussing a new rate structure for water/sewer billing again at our June 22 regular meeting, Monday at 6pm.

I understand your first question is "How is this going to impact my bill?" I am available to assist anyone in answering this question so you are informed enough to weigh in on the current proposal. Simply have a recent water bill handy and call me at (541) 554-5425.

Questions and comments for the council can be shared during public comment in person at the beginning of the meeting, or by emailing [email protected] prior to noon on Monday. If you are tempted to comment on this post and notice comments are turned off, send it in as public comment instead so the whole council will see it and it is part of the public record. Then call me if you want to talk about the proposal, have ideas for alternatives, or look through the slideshow presentation linked below and ask questions about the graphs that were presented to council explaining the city’s financial position and why a restructuring is what makes the most sense right now.

From what I understand so far this is a significant proposed residential increase (approx 30%) for median users of 400 ccf, no increase for 29% of annual bills (those under 200 ccf), and a savings on commercial users that fall under 500 ccf. It is also proposed that short term rentals (STRs) will be billed at commercial rates instead of residential. It is possible I have as many questions as you do, but I can definitely answer how this current proposal will impact your specific bill.

This is a policy decision that impacts almost every resident and also many water system users outside of city limits and even outside our urban growth boundary (north county residents that are hooked up to Lincoln City water). Whether you are a renter, permanent resident, have a second home here, own or manage STRs, have a business, are a low or high volume user, like or don’t like this proposal, I want to hear from you as your representative. If you don’t understand the proposal and want to know how this could change your bill please call me, you deserve to understand and this proposal creates a wide range of impacts I am still working on calculating.

I have compiled what has been discussed by the council so far and information provided on this proposal. View it all in one place here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bPedMjkjUPRTez86tcCfFeF9tc9WgyF3kVdQlZ0E9Js/edit?usp=drivesdk

For those that do not use Google Docs here are each items linked in the document above.

My Spreadsheet pictured below this post (personal analysis tool mentioned during 6/08 meeting - not compiled by the City of Lincoln City)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1b3tV3q-c-4yVK7mOR-tu0DaOhG4rX7_ypAaBo4Cutsc/edit?usp=drivesdk

Monday 6/22/26 Regular Meeting Packet
Pages 19-24 https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=4084

Monday 6/08/26 Regular Meeting Packet
Pages 33-38 https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=4024
Video - Agenda items I.1 & K.1 (click the agenda item to jump to that portion of the meeting) https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=39c2199c-17cc-4fe6-a978-3ea31765dec6&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English

Monday April 6 Work Session Waterworth Presentation
Audio https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?Id=2319470b-68c1-4fbb-8602-adc0103d575d
Presentation
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EImn-6WO_eOe-WBldJy7Zi4-9tGsCvCR/view?usp=drivesdk

Monday February 2 Work Session Waterworth
Audio https://pub-lincolncity.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?Id=f10abbaa-fc6b-47d7-b4f9-ccba983ba26c

Note: To avoid creating a back-and-forth discussion on a pending matter, I will not be responding to comments on this post. My goal is to share information and help residents understand how this proposal may affect them and how they can participate in the public process. While I try to read all comments on city related topics on social media, I want to encourage everyone to write in their public comments rather than discuss on social media to ensure the full council sees all commentary.

Please free to share this post! THANK YOU for engaging on this very important decision!

06/17/2026

The River and the Wheel - A Parable by Marci 🙂

There was once a village beside a great river.
Long ago, the people had built a waterwheel together. The wheel powered their mills, watered their fields, and helped the village prosper. Every family depended on it, and every family contributed to its care.

As the years passed, the wheel grew larger and more complicated. New caretakers inherited responsibility for it. New rules were written.
New tools were added. Eventually, most villagers no longer understood how the wheel worked.

When it slowed, they complained.
When it broke, they blamed one another.
When it spun again, they took it for granted.

Over time, fewer people came to the river. The caretakers maintained the wheel. The villagers lived beside it. And a distance grew between them.

One day, during a particularly difficult season, the wheel nearly stopped. People argued about who was responsible.

Some blamed the caretakers.
Some blamed the villagers.
Some blamed the river itself.

But an elder asked a simple question:
“When was the last time we stood beside the river together?”

The question changed everything.

The villagers began visiting again. The caretakers began explaining what they knew.
Questions were welcomed. Mistakes were admitted. Old frustrations were heard.

The wheel did not become simpler.
The river did not become calmer.

The village did not suddenly agree on everything. But something important returned. People remembered that the wheel belonged to all of them. And once they remembered that, they stopped pulling against one another and started turning the wheel together.

The village flourished again. Not because the river changed. Not because the wheel changed.
It flourished because the people changed how they related to one another.

The people discovered that the greatest strength of the village had never been the wheel itself, but rather the relationships between the hands willing to turn it.

06/16/2026

One thing that continues to bother me from a governance perspective is if the Board intends to change direction and consider appointing someone who did not apply, interview, or participate in the process that was established, then I believe the Board first owes the public an explanation of what happened to the process that was already underway.

Applications were solicited. Finalists were identified. Those finalists counted on the active process to make decisions about the election, because finalists were announced only 6 days before the filing deadline.

Interviews were conducted almost two months ago. Applicants invested significant time and effort participating in good faith.

Nearly two months after the interviews, that process has never been formally concluded, and the finalists have never received a decision, or even any communication from the county since April 20.

There has been no public decision to abandon or replace the vacancy appointment process. Reasonable people can disagree about who should be appointed. Reasonable people can disagree about whether election results should be considered.

But before introducing entirely new candidates or entirely new criteria, I believe the governing body should first address the status of the process it created.

What were the interview criteria?

Do those criteria still matter?

Are the finalists still under consideration?

If not, when was that decision made?

By whom?

Through what public action?

Public confidence depends on people being able to understand how decisions are reached.

Conducting interviews, leaving applicants and the public without answers, and then having a commissioner publicly announce support for someone who was never a finalist raises questions that deserve public discussion.

If the Board wants to change course, it has the authority to do so.

But that change should happen openly, with clear criteria, public deliberation, and a transparent explanation of why the original process is no longer being followed.

This isn't about any particular candidate, it is about good governance.

The comments are growing quickly - get your two cents in - or better yet... submit public comment on the official record! Certainly an interesting case study in governance we are experiencing as a county.

06/05/2026

For anyone following the appointment process, I’ll simply say this: Lincoln County deserves better.

It has now been six months since Commissioner Hall passed, and we still do not have a full Board of Commissioners. Yesterday’s meeting ended in another stalemate, with neither commissioner willing to support the other’s proposed path forward, which interestingly was either to appoint Curtis Landers (who did not apply or interview) or Cristen Don, the other finalist. There was no discussion of the merits of either appointment, as neither received a second. County counsel again noted that Oregon law says the commission “shall” appoint someone to fill the vacancy.

As one of the remaining finalists, I’ve kept my schedule clear and remain willing to serve throughout this process. I applied in good faith, participated in the interviews, and am available if the commissioners ultimately reach an agreement... and also it has been a long time. I’ve delayed pursuing other commitments while waiting for this process to conclude, and I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s time to move forward.

So I’m genuinely curious what others think: five months after applying, is it reasonable to move on and make other commitments, or should I continue holding space for an appointment that may or may not happen?

What exciting project do you think I should tackle next? (I have too many ideas... as always)

More importantly, what do you think is the best path forward for Lincoln County?

Lincoln County commission stalemateTwo Lincoln County commissioners again stalemate over how or who to appoint to fill vacancy

05/25/2026

I am asking for your feedback, because I believe your lived experience is part of the data.

Great systems evolve through seeking critical feedback, listening carefully, examining assumptions, valuing local wisdom, and being willing to learn from what actually happened.

This was always about taking the first step toward modeling something new together.
Some things are more important than winning.

MarciBakerConnects.com/survey

05/25/2026

If all election campaigns equally engaged the whole of their communities, rather than targeting specific voters we would see a shift in WHO feels like it even matters to vote.

MarciBakerConnects.com has been updated and I am seeking your feedback!

05/25/2026

Key Question for the County Commissioners:

What does Lincoln County most need from a six-month transitional commissioner right now?

I might suggest:
* capacity,
*operational readiness,
* governance experience,
* public trust,
* bridge-building,
* communication,
* stability,
* immediate functionality,
* non-partisan & eager to heal public confidence

What do you think this moment asks of our leadership?

05/23/2026

THANK YOU to the 3000+ of you who believe in my approach to local government!

We'll see what happens with the vacancy appointment...