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NEWPORT — After over an hour of interviews and executive session deliberation, the Newport City Council appointed a new member at their Monday, July 20 meeting.
The council voted 2-1 to appoint Mark Collins, 46, of Newport to Position 5, with council member Jami Sears absent from the meeting. He is replacing Nathan Longly, who resigned in June after a collective three-and-a-half years of service.
“I look forward to serving our city and helping make sound decisions that benefit all of the residents,” Collins told The Miner.
Collins moved to Pend Oreille County about eight years ago, near Sacheen Lake. He owned and ran a business in Airway Heights until last year. In that time, he served on the Airway Heights Planning Commission for six years, eventually chairing the advisory board. He has lived in Newport for two years now and started working at Newport Hospital and Health Services last year.
“I saw firsthand how government worked and was a part of that,” Collins said at the meeting. “So when I saw this position come open, I wanted to throw my hat in the ring and see if I can make a difference in the community.”
Also introduced was the city’s new accounting clerk: Traci Gunderson, who city clerk-treasurer Theresa Schoener said had years of experience with utilities. Schoener was the previous accounting clerk, before she was hired to replace Nickole North as clerk-treasurer.
“We’re very happy to have her,” Schoener said at the meeting. “She brings a lot of good energy.”
Earlier in the meeting, Schoener and a few agency heads gave the council reports for the quarter.
Wade Nelson, Newport Police Department chief, told the council that major crimes were low for the most part. However, juvenile crimes have become a major problem for law enforcement.
NPD handled a robbery and two gun incidents that both involved juveniles, Nelson said. Juveniles were involved in half the suspicious circumstance calls and over half the malicious mischief calls directed to NPD. Phones played a role in many juvenile crimes.
“I’m trying to figure out some ways to get the parents to try to get this under control,” Nelson said at the meeting.
Law enforcement has fewer problems with juvenile crime at night due to the curfew, enacted by the council last year after four juveniles damaged thousands of dollars worth of property across the city, Nelson said.
Further, NPD’s school resource officer may hold educational presentations for parents and guardians in the fall, and NPD is considering the implementation of an after-school program for youth.
Nelson pointed out that the juveniles responsible for the crimes are part of only a few main groups.
“We are having no problems with 90% of our youth,” Nelson said. “It’s just unfortunately, it takes a small number to create chaos within a small area.”
Likewise, Nelson said NPD has received more complaints about dogs, citing 59 animal problem calls year-to-date. One audience member emphasized that the dogs were not only loose and off leashes, but attacking smaller dogs, cats and chickens. He and other residents were concerned the dogs would even attack children. Additionally, he was concerned about parking violations.
Nelson responded that NPD issued citations for municipal code violations, but did not have an officer designated for enforcing them. While Nelson was open to employing one, he had reservations about using an officer to enforce municipal codes surrounding public nuisances and other civil cases.
“In the best world picture, that should be a representative of the city who has some limited control to enforce code, but isn’t dressed like a cop,” Nelson said.
Josh Howard, superintendent of Newport’s wastewater and drinking water treatment plants and interim director of the Public Works Department, addressed complaints about Little People’s Park. The park experienced vandalism last year, and the city discovered major issues with the irrigation system there, resulting in a temporary shutdown. (The incorrect park was previously reported in “Newport sets transportation project priorities.”) Howard said the city was working to fix the issues.
A couple parts malfunctioned at the sewer lift station by Eighth Street. The city has replacement parts, Howard said, and is waiting on a piece of equipment necessary to complete repairs.
Water leaks at the rodeo grounds and recreational vehicle park were both fixed, Howard said.
“The goal this year is to close the gap on the production numbers versus distribution numbers and make that more accurate,” Howard said at the meeting.
South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue did not report any major incidents. SPOFR has been working with the city, NHHS and Pend Oreille Public Utility District on early warning plans and contingencies for the fire season.
Chris Cato, Pend Oreille County Fire District 2 deputy chief, appeared as an audience member to announce that Newport was a state-awarded trauma response zone of District 2’s. That is why District 2 responds to certain cases alongside SPOFR, though the city contracts with SPOFR for services.
“We felt that it was pertinent to kind of make that known in the city council meeting,” Cato said at the meeting.
From 2025, cash and investments have increased by $394,557 to $5.8 million, Schoener said. Compared to quarter two in 2025, property tax increased by $16,117 to $298,558, but sales tax decreased by $42,472 to $170,133.
Councilmember Mark Zorica questioned the level of enforcement behind special event vendor licenses, instituted by the city in February as an alternative to state business licenses. He advocated for the council to examine the special event vendor license policy soon, as it was a concern of at least one local business owner.
Council member Nathan Weathers proposed the council do so in a workshop. This was the second workshop proposed during the meeting; the first was proposed by Zorica regarding bills and payroll.
“I’d be open to hearing from the administration, here’s what the business license process brings into the city, here’s the net benefit to us and here are the hard numbers,” Weathers said. “And then also, here’s what we’re gonna lose if we don’t do it.”
In other business, Carole Richardson, director of the Pend Oreille County Public Works Department, announced that the county Solid Waste Advisory Committee was seeking nine volunteer members. Those interested can contact Solid Waste director Amanda Griesemer at 509-447-4513 or visit pendoreille.gov/public- works/page/solid-waste for more information.
The council approved a more detailed design of a life-sized grizzly bear sculpture, commissioned from Kalispel Metal Products by the Newport Creative District. City administration was tasked with determining the sculpture’s location within T.J. Kelly Park.
Also approved was another downtown street shutdown for an event, scheduled Saturday, Aug. 29 and organized by local business owner Kristen Yake.
