A new Brookings City Council on Monday will take up the review of an abatement notice the city issued to St. Timothy Episcopal Church back in April.

City staff is recommending the Council uphold the Planning Commission’s September decision to deny the church’s appeal of the abatement notice.

At issue is whether the church can operate a day program, a legal aid clinic and provide case worker assistance and advocacy at its 401 Fir Street property, which is in a single-family residential area near Azalea Park.

Brookings’ April 14 abatement letter took issue with St. Timothy operating a soup kitchen without a conditional use permit. However, city action against that program has been suspended due to the church’s federal lawsuit against Brookings, Public Works Director Tony Baron told the City Council at its Oct. 23 meeting.

At that meeting, the City Council had given both the public and Allison Reynolds, St. Timothy’s legal representative, time to gather more evidence about how the church’s community outreach was impacting the neighborhood.

Monday’s meeting comes after the resignation of former mayor Ron Hedenskog and Councilor Michelle Morosky, who left before the results of a successful recall could be certified. Kristi Fulton was appointed to the seat Morosky vacated.

The City Council this week appointed Isaac Hodges as Hedenskog’s successor. Former planning commissioner Clayton Malmberg and Phoebe Perada, accounting specialist for the Chetco Community Public Library, were appointed to the two remaining Council vacancies on Tuesday.

The Brookings City Council meets at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 898 Elk Drive in Brookings. Agendas and meeting broadcasts are at www.brookings.or.us.

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