OROVILLE – The Oroville City Council began the new year with routine organizational actions Tuesday, Jan. 6, confirming 2026 department head appointments and committee assignments and hearing extensive public comment related to juvenile crime in the community.

Mayor Ed Naillon announced department head appointments for 2026, naming Mick Howe as city attorney, JoAnn Denney as city clerk-treasurer, Steve Thompson as city superintendent of public works, Bruce Rawley as fire chief and Gary Hirst as police chief. There were no anticipated contractual changes and Kurt Danison remained city planner and Bryan Forbus Oroville’s building official. The council confirmed the appointments unanimously.

Committee assignments for 2026 were announced, with council members Tasha Shaw and Kolo Moser serving on Aviation, Naillon, Richard Werner, Moser and JoAnn Denney on the Emergency Aid Board, Werner and Walt Hart on Facilities, Shaw and Mike Marthaller on Finance, Naillon, Fire Chief Rawley, Hart and Denney on the Fire Board, Moser and Shaw on Health, Moser and Marthaller on Parks, Shaw and Werner on Personnel, Hart and Marthaller on Police, Werner and Hart will serve on Sewer, Moser and Shaw on Solid Waste, Marthaller and Werner on Street/Weed Control, and Hart and Marthaller on Water.

The mayor pro tempore rotation for 2026, starting with January through March, is Shaw; April through June, Hart; July through September, Marthaller and October through December, Moser, followed by January through March 2027, Werner.

Councilmember Shaw also discussed the Association of Washington Cities Center for Quality Communities scholarship program, which she described as supporting high school seniors active in leadership in city government, community or school and planning to pursue higher education. Each city may nominate one graduating senior and the program will award up to four $3,000 scholarships in 2026. The council accepted an application submitted by Crystal Nemecio and authorized Shaw to proceed with the submission to AWC. The motion was carried unanimously.

The council also approved an interlocal agreement between Okanogan County and the City of Oroville for building inspector services. The agreement is a backup to the city’s contract with the City of Okanogan in the event the county needs to fill in for building the official Forbus.

The agreement provides for building inspection and plan review services and states that services are provided upon advance or written notice from the city, during normal business hours for the county building department, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also states that the agreement does not include code enforcement services, civil or criminal.

Under the agreement, compensation is based on the county’s hourly compensation rate, listed at $200 per hour with a one-hour minimum charge for each inspection and plan review. The agreement also provides compensation for travel time and includes monthly invoicing, with payment due within 30 days and an interest rate listed at percent per annum for invoices not paid timely. The agreement term runs through Dec. 31, 2026, unless ended earlier under termination provisions. The council authorized Naillon to sign the agreement and the motion was carried unanimously.

During department head updates, City Superintendent Steve Thompson told the council a resolution regarding surplus items would be presented at the next meeting. Thompson said the rural fire district would have a fire truck to be surplused at the same time.

During the public comment period, several community members discussed options on how to address crime in Oroville. Naillon requested that speakers provide their names and limit comments to five minutes to allow more residents to participate. Councilmember Werner encouraged attendees to keep their comments positive.

Okanogan County Commissioner Jon Neal said he and Naillon had recently discussed how to address crime and referenced RCW 13.2 in relation to juvenile cases. Neal said he is working to organize a meeting with law enforcement representatives and communities in Okanogan County to develop a plan to address issues faced by communities and the county.

Residents raised questions and concerns, including accountability, patrol coverage, citizens’ rights, personal and property defense and the importance of filing police reports. Oroville Police Chief Hirst discussed current patrol coverage and emphasized that filing police reports helps the process.

Discussion also included neighborhood and business watch ideas, references to the National Neighborhood Watch organization and broader community communication and awareness. The mayor and council members thanked the public for attending the discussion.

The council approved payment of vouchers and payroll identified in the minutes, including open-period and direct-deposit items listed for late December 2025. The record reflects totals of $57,646.06 and $108,740.52 associated with December voucher and payroll approvals, along with EFT and payroll items referenced by number. The motion was carried unanimously.

The Oroville City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall.