If it’s true that all we have is time, as many wise men lead us to believe, Tim Cummings, Grants Pass City Council President, uses it well. As a volunteer councilor and businessman every minute counts. Not always easy to be a gracious host with both hands full and he’s careful not to waste your time, as well.

Life began for the future Councilor at Josephine Memorial Hospital in Grants Pass. He grew up in Rogue River, graduated from high school there and “pulled on the green chain” after graduation. (Yes, it helps to be an Oregonian to know just what “pulling on the green chain” is all about.) Tim says it was probably the most boring thing he ever did, but the money wasn’t half-bad at the time. Besides, he said, it reminded him that going on to college was a much better idea.

He liked improving the world around him and the building trades offered that opportunity. His entrepreneurial juices flowed early on when he got involved with fixing up old homes while still in high school. He remembers buying his first home for just $13,000. We both grinned.

Tim recalled, “Every year I would buy some land, a lot or a fixer then remodel or improve it and put back on the market”. He and his wife, Anique, now own and operate Cummings Construction in Grants Pass. They have four children, two of which are in their twenties. Tim is quite proud of serving on the volunteer council and feels it’s his way of paying back the community responsible for his start in life.

Getting down to business, Councilor Cummings told me each year the City Council meets for a goal setting session of things they would like to see the city accomplish. One of these goals is the now controversial Downtown/River District Plan which has been in the planning stage for about seven years. It is the council’s belief that the plan is a positive link between downtown and the River District, an area that needs some work, according to Jim Huber the city’s Community Development Director.

A Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed by the Council. After looking over a very professional presentation, CAC agreed the plan would be a beautiful addition to the City of Grants Pass. They liked it and seemed eager to accept, “as is”. That idea was nixed as the Council wanted more time to go through the elaborate plan piece by piece and make some changes before they cast their vote. With that accomplished over a period of a year, the Councilors met during a special Monday meeting and approved the program by a vote of 6 to 2, which margin was needed to override Mayor Holzinger’s earlier veto of the plan.

Some city voters saw this as an attempt to circumvent the citizen’s will. They want to take the issue to the voters which they say was the original intent. After all, they said, there is a proposed $25 Million cost involved here and a bike path snaking through some river frontage, home owner’s expensive backyards. The controversy continues to grow.

“Your comments, Councilor Cummings?”

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “The current City Councilors have been working on this plan for some time, now. I believe since 2001. I was first elected just short of six years ago, and the plan was sitting there. Not much was happening, until recently.

The Council recognizes that our (Grants Pass) downtown area is quite vibrant and healthy, better than most communities. We have continued discussions on how to make it even better. In thirty or so years what is it going to look like?

We all realize that a river runs through it (Rogue River) and is a huge asset. How may we proceed utilizing this natural beauty, within a friendly environment? That is what spurred the Downtown/River District Plan. It isn’t about big business; it isn’t about Evergreen Federal owning land within the district. It was just how we continue planning for flexible growth. For instance, industry is kind of congested going from Bridge Street to 7th and M street. We are looking at some plans to assure safety in that area. So, what we’re looking for is how to make it better, how to increase the opportunity for businesses to be successful?”

REPORTER: Some people have asked, why now, due to a sluggish economy? Where is the money coming from for all of these changes?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “We are not spending any money. The voters will have the opportunity to determine IF they want to participate, IF they think they want to fund it. The plan we just approved (overriding the Mayor’s veto) only has to do with long term, long range planning. It has nothing to do with spending taxpayer’s money. I don’t think you’ll get anyone on the council for it, if it comes to spending taxpayer dollars, or even endorsing it without letting the people decide. There is a price tag of $25 M to accomplish all the improvements and other stuff, but I don’t see that happening. We didn’t spend the money. We endorsed the plan. The second part of the proposal is seeking a funding source. If we indeed go forth with the plan, at this point, I don’t see the Council creating a tax increment, a financing district or any other financing method without a vote of the people.

I snipped a couple of letters from the ed/op pages of the Courier. One says, quote, “…..while a recent $25 million tax burden was thrust upon the citizens back by the six councilors…” end-quote. It’s absolutely incorrect and absolutely wrong. I have problems with such reckless comments and in some cases, reporting. Here’s another one, “…..the basic plan for the River/District was developed by Evergreen Bank.” That is incorrect, it is not true. There is a lot of this out there that is not true. Another, “…it’s all about big business.” It’s not about any business.

It’s the Council’s desire to protect down town with decent council. This is the entire idea. We’ve had planners and consultants; there’s been a citizen’s advisory committee and lots of open-houses for voter involvement and citizen input. The plan was more grandioso at first, and then scaled back. I can’t tell you what our city is going to look like in twenty or thirty years. And, I bet there are a lot of people out there that are surprised at what happened in the last thirty years? I just don’t know how you could paint a picture of what Grants Pass is going to look like? I do know that we need to preserve the opportunity for small independent business people to be successful.”

REPORTER: The Plan is only proposed at this point. And, if there is any taxation involved, wouldn’t voters have approval rights?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “We could enact something without voter approval, but there is no way a Councilor is going to do that. I don’t think there is any way? The interesting thing is, we do master transportation plans, and we do park plans, all kinds of things. We just did a list on priority streets, and a list on needed improvements throughout the city with safety criteria most in mind. It affects a lot of people, but we didn’t put that to a vote. There are some things that you just don’t put to a vote, and you can see why?

If citizens don’t feel comfortable with whom they elect and feel every decision should be micro-managed, why have their councilors? It’s not that we’re trying to get by with something we shouldn’t. And, some people fear change. They have a negative attitude about most everything we do, but they are a small minority. I haven’t seen their fingerprints on anything that has been helpful.

So, should we make our decisions based on input from our friends who in turn call their friends? Do we make our decisions based on the negative and positive information from that source? Do we make our decisions based on the input from those attending public meetings?

These are all very small samples of the community. It’s quite interesting to watch all of this unfold. Probably what affects me most is the end truth behind it all. Whenever you have free enterprise it sets a tone and helps a community. And, that makes less for government to do.”

REPORTER: How about other districts, including Fruitdale and Redwood?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “The lack of funds from the federal mechanisms that help pay for improvements and infrastructure has taken its toll. The government entities involved do not pay all costs. This, of course, means that local property owners have to pick up part of the bill. For instance, curbs and gutters fall into this category and there are open spaces in some of areas. This means, for example, that the existing property owners are partially responsible for the costs to improve the entire street. They are not receptive to the idea, as they don’t want to pay for other people’s improvements. I can understand that.

There is another problem involved in some of the areas. You have both county and city; each with their own standards. You have to put in sidewalks on the city side of the river, and not in the county. That’s a controversial situation.

And, our city fees and taxes are somewhat higher than other cities in the region. I don’t think it’s healthy as it does make it tougher for smaller businesses to get a started and we want to attract all businesses, not just the larger ones, box stores and national chains. I think what makes Grants Pass so different is its entrepreneurial spirit, and if you choke that out with high fees it going to hurt the community. Some people think you should put all costs on the backs of the builders. But, if you do that affordable housing is less affordable. It isn’t very affordable now and higher city fees certainly wouldn’t help. If housing is too expensive, our children won’t be able to live here. And frankly, I want my children to live here and my friends want their children to live here. Why would we want to price it out of their reach? It takes all ages to make up a healthy, thriving and successful community.”

REPORTER: What is your vision of Grants Pass in thirty years?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “I can’t tell you, exactly. You could look at the city and say it’s broken, or you could look and say we’ve done some pretty good things for the community to help keep it sustainable. I’ve been in Medford meeting with transportation and ODOT officials. I was amazed at the lack of participation in transportation issues and that Medford doesn’t have a funding source nor a method of paying for lacking infrastructure. We have several tools we can use for this purpose. We are ahead of the curve when it comes to street standards compared to Medford. We raise fees in small amounts and that helps to keep the situation sustainable.”

Councilor Cummings continued, “There have been attacks by those who say Grants Pass is growing too fast. Take the Redwood area. When we took it over, we took on a big problem and now get blamed for an existing situation. Maybe we shouldn’t have taken it over as it’s basically outside the city core. We took over due to the county reaching their sewer capacity in the area. Now, the area has to adhere to city code. I think we learned something about a haphazard way of doing things. We don’t want to do that, again.”

REPORTER: Where do you see the city’s growth pattern?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “Primarily, the Redwood area, due to available land. However, I haven’t been involved that much with the growth council. Every town needs to grow as it dies without it. You need growth; you need the vitality that comes from it. The state requires us to have a 20 year available inventory, which is land for development. This is motivation. If you don’t grow, peoples investments are going to be hampered based on no growth.

For instance, Ashland has a population base that nobody can afford. It is difficult for them to grow and that’s where you have to be careful. To me, that’s the lesson you have to learn. Don’t make it too difficult to grow. Don’t price yourselves out of the market. I think the position Ashland is in is going to hurt them in the long run.”

REPORTER: “City Councilors are not paid for their services. It’s strictly voluntary. Would you like to see a change from that policy?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “I don’t do this for pay. I was ten years on the Urban Area Planning Commission and I’ve been here for six years. At the end of my term it will be eighteen years. I do it because I like Grants Pass.

The Councilors get along, but we often have different opinions and thoughts about what’s best for the city. At times, some get annoyed at not getting their way and stories get to the press. Then we get “beat up”. At times it gets very ugly and my concern is that it will get so ugly that nobody will want to serve on the council. That’s really critical. We have some people that see the glass half empty and we don’t need that. We have to move ahead. Grants Pass has an excellent future and I enjoy being part of it every day.”

REPORTER: “What does the President of the Council do when not working? Or, is there such a thing?

COUNCILOR CUMMINGS: “I was involved with my kids’ sports and I play handball. at least three days a week. The family just got back into golf. We swim when we can. So, we get active.”

-Mike Case

You can reach Councilor Cummings:

101 N/W A ST., Grants Pass, OR 97526

Tel: (541) 471-8231

E-mail: mayorcouncil@grantspassoregon.gov