FAQs

For more information about the budget and spending, please visit the financial portal: Financial Portal, City of Carlton

You must first acquire a business license from the City

Click here to request/renew you business License

Business License information may be subject to Oregon Public Records Law.

The City Code does not allow items that obstruct the street, shoulder, planting strips or sidewalks, this includes basketball hoops, RVs, trailers, firewood, bicycles, toys, yard debris and any other items that cause impediment to traffic and pedestrian flow.

What is the right of way?

• The “right of way” is the city owned space between a property line, across the street/vehicle path to the perpendicular property line, this includes sidewalks, planting strips and undeveloped pedestrian paths.

What does vision obstruction really mean?

• If a vehicle is driving on a street drivers need to have a clear travel path and view, this includes being able to see oncoming and cross traffic at intersections.
• Pedestrians should also have the ability to see vehicles at all intersections and traffic control devices.
• Pedestrians should not have to leave the sidewalk area to continue walking
• Cars should be able to safely park and merge with traffic from the side of the street.

Citizens and businesses may not park, place or leave anything that, in any way, impedes the traffic, pedestrian flow, or obstructs the view upon any street, alley, parking strip, sidewalk, or curb of the city. Remember to keep the right of way and street clear and to remove any items promptly if temporary placement is necessary.

Fines are due and payable when the fine is imposed. 

• Payments can be made in person at City Hall. We accept cash, checks, money orders and debit/credit cards.
• By mail with a check or money order.
• In the after-hours drop box located next to the front door at City Hall.
• Through our online payment portal.

Please do not make cash payments through the mail or drop box. If you pay by mail, please list the exact name on your case and a docket number. Make checks and money orders payable to the City of Carlton.

Mail payments to:

Carlton Municipal Court
191 E. Main St.
Carlton, OR  97111

If your case has been suspended, it must be paid in full before reinstatement can be issued.

If a permit is needed to work on your property, City approval will be needed first. To do this, complete a Building Compliance Application and bring it in to City Hall. This permit can be also found on the home page under Forms, Permits, and Applications. A site plan or scope of work narrative will also be needed. A $100.00 fee will be assessed upon delivery to City Hall.  

City Hall staff will review the Building Compliance Application and make sure it meets all City Code. Once approved, the application is ready to go to Yamhill County Planning and Building Department for permits.  

A permit is not needed for a one time garage or yard sale at your residence.

To build a shed 200 square feet or smaller on your property, you do not need a permit, but there are other requirements you will need in order to meet City Code. In order to begin,  you will need to know your properties zoning. Your can find your properties zone on our Zoning Map. Click here for the details on shed building and placement requirements. 

This means that the City has received a land use application, which they are reviewing to determine if the proposal meets the applicable code sections or could meet the code sections with reasonable conditions. You have received the notice since your property is within 100 feet of the proposed development or site of action. Call or email the Planning Clerk if you have any questions regarding the notice, hearing or application.

The Oregon State Police is pleased to announce the availability of SafeOregon a new school safety tip line program available to all public K-12 schools in Oregon at no cost to use. SafeOregon requires schools to complete a sign-up process in order for students to use it.

SafeOregon is a way for students, staff or other members of the public to anonymously report and share confidential information of a threat or a potential threat to student safety. Trained staff are available 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year reached through a phone call, text message, mobile application or website. The main goal of SafeOregon is to intervene at the earliest possible point in the life of a young person who is struggling, helping them when they need it, before the situation turns into a tragedy.

SafeOregon is designed to encourage Oregon students to share and respond to anything that threatens their safety or the safety of others, anything that makes a student feel unsafe or if a student knows someone who feels unsafe. Here are a few examples: safety threats, violence, threats of violence, fights, drugs, alcohol, weapons, bullying or friends that talk about hurting themselves, harassment, intimidation, cyber-bullying, or self-harm.

"Schools should be safe places for children to learn, educators to teach, and for communities to gather," Governor Kate Brown said. "We can all do our part through the SafeOregon tip line to share information about potential threats to student safety. This important statewide resource is a direct result of the recommendations of the Oregon Task Force on School Safety, and I am grateful to everyone who contributed to improving the safety and security of our Oregon schools."

"To all Oregon students, I want to encourage you to make courageous decisions to break the code of silence and speak out against harmful behaviors before they turn to tragedy", stated Superintendent Travis Hampton. "We can make a difference in our schools and communities and we are committed to creating a safe and respectful culture to support you."

Tips can be submitted 24/7/365 through the www.SafeOregon.com web portal, by e-mail to tip@safeoregon.com, through the SafeOregon mobile application (available for android or iOS device), or by calling or texting 844-472-3367. Tips are promptly analyzed and routed for the most appropriate follow-up and urgency. This may be to school officials, law enforcement, community mental health programs or other appropriate local or state agencies. Tip Line staff make sure follow-up is noted and recorded.

SafeOregon -- the school safety tip line -- became Law through HB 4075 (2016), as a result of recommendations from the Oregon Task Force on School Safety charged with improving safety and security at schools across the state. The task force was established by House Bill 4087, bringing together representatives from police, fire, school administration, teachers, school boards and service districts, along with the Governor's education and public safety policy advisors, and legislators. The task force is chaired by Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts and Dr. David Novotney Willamette Education Service District.

Often times a significant case will require all hands on deck. Officers will work longer shifts to accommodate the workload and, in some instances, the Carlton Police Department will work with other agencies to complete a case.

An example of the amount of personnel and time utilized to bring an investigation to completion was all 3 officers working an approximate total of 160 hours meaning all officers worked a minimum of one forty-hour workweek.

Swim lessons begin at 3:30pm and 4:00pm and each class lasts 30 minutes.  Please contact the Pool House for further details.

To best determine what swim level your child should be, please follow the class level ability descriptions below:  

Description of Swim Lesson Levels

Level 1—Green Sea Anemone

This class is for students who are beginners and/or who are fearful of the water. This level is simply to become comfortable in the water and build trust with the instructors. Typically ages 3-6. No goggles needed. NO FLOATIES.

 Level 2—Purple Turtle

Students must be comfortable in the water and with instructors. In this class, students will learn to swim more independently and become fully comfortable with dunking their head under water using nose bubbles. Typically ages 5-9. It is recommended that students bring goggles

 Level 3—Pink Salmon

Students should have some experience with assisted kicking with a board/floaty. Students are now learning to swim independently with and without a board. Students are mostly working on further strengthening their motor skills. Typically ages 6-11. Students need goggles.

 Level 4—Blue Dolphin

Students learn how to be strong swimming independently. Students learn to become water safe. Students entering this course absolutely need to be     comfortable with putting their head underwater and have some ability to swim independently. Typically ages 8-14. Students need goggles.

Swim instructors will move children to the class that best suits their ability if needed.  

If passed, the General Obligation Bond would provide up to $2.3 million to fund the construction of a new police facility for the Carlton Police Department. If passed, the bond would pay for a new building that would meet the Police Department’s facility needs and provide expansion space, including:

• A dedicated area for processing and interviewing suspects or detainees.
• A private room to interview victims.
• A secure and private meeting room for staff and law enforcement personnel from other agencies.
• A secure armory to store department weapons.
• A secure evidence storage area.
• A secure bathroom and shower for officers. Officers currently use a bathroom in City Hall or an outbuilding. Neither have a bio-hazard decontamination area and are not ADA compliant.
• The officer locker is in an outbuilding that has no temperature control, storage space that will not house all the Police Department’s equipment, and a roof that leaks.
• The current building lacks office space for staff.
• The current building does not meet current building codes regarding withstanding a natural disaster or earthquake.

If the May 2018 bond passes, bonds would mature in 26 years or less from date of issuance. Property owners would see an estimated tax increase of 96 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in the first year, and an average of 69 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value over the remaining 25-years of the bond.

For property that is assessed at $150,000 the tax assessed would be $12.00 a month the first year or $8.63 a month over the remaining 25-years of the bond. 

Use this tool to estimate your cost.

https://www.ci.carlton.or.us/police/webform/estimate-your-cost

Yes, the City Council appointed a citizen advisory committee to work with architects to investigate building options for the police department and general government offices. They considered multiple configurations, and cost estimates for all options were nearly double prior estimates. 

The Committee discussed the initiative in detail, focusing of the needs of both City Government and the Police Department. The Committee prioritized the City’s projects and the Police Department was ranked first. The Committee made two recommendations and resolutions to implement these were passed by the City Council:

Refer General Obligation Bond to the ballot for voter consideration, which if passed would be used to build a new Police Department Building, not to exceed $2.3 million.
If the Bond is passed, construct a new City Hall adjacent to the police building with financing not available to the police building project.

The Police Department and all its operations are paid from the General Fund. The financing analysis determined that the maximum General Fund would not be enough to fund a new police facility. The financial analysis estimates the General Fund would contribute approximately $500,000 - $550,000 to a remodel option for the Police Department.

If the bond does not pass the project would become a City Hall renovation project that would include two parts;

1. The police department building to house police department operations, and
2. The general government building to house the front office operations such as utility billing, administration, finance, municipal court, planning, City Council chambers, public lobby, and restrooms.

The General Fund would contribute $40,000 - $50,000 for annual debt payments. Under a renovation option the Police Department and General Government would share the amount equally, i.e. $20,000 - $25,000 for the Police Department building and $20,000 - $25,000 for the General Government building.

Depending on the term of the loan (20 – 40 years) a police department remodel budget is estimated to be between $550,000 - $650,000. Depending on the term of the loan (20 – 40 years) a general government remodel budget is estimated to be between $1,750,000 - $2,000,000.

If the bond passes there would be a couple of years of overlap with the new Bond, the property tax impact from outstanding bonds moves lower after 2021 and decreases again after 2026. The following bonds will no longer be assessed between 2021 and 2026.

• Yamhill-Carlton School District Bond, current rate is $0.98 per $1,000 of Assessed Valuation will expire in 2021, and
• Chemeketa Community College Bond, current rate is $0.278 per $1,000 of Assessed Valuation will expire in 2026.  

The City has been reserving money for several years. These funds have been used to pay for the architect and various design fees to date. Currently, the City has $461,726 in remaining reserves for the future use, if the bond passes. If the bond passes, approximately one-third or $152,370 would be applied to the Police Department building.

The new pool house does not contain general office or facilities to house a police department such as space for a secure armory, secure evidence storage, secure interview rooms for individuals, secure processing, or office space.

If the bond passes, this project would not reduce funding available for other possible projects.

The Carlton Fire District has a Facebook page and a phone number to contact them.  You can send them a message via Facebook or give them a call at 503-852-6233.  

Wild animals such as skunks and raccoons, can be trapped and removed from your property.  City Ordinance does not allow the discharging of a firearm within City limits (9.02.006) or poisoning of animals where domesticated animals could come into contact with the poison (9.02.038).  It is also against City code to leave an animal, wild or domesticated to be subject to animal cruelty i.e. starvation (9.02.039).  

To avoid animals from visiting your property, follow these simple guidelines:

• Secure your garbage
• Feed pets indoors or remove uneaten pet food after meals
• Never feed wildlife
• Keep bird feeders out of reach of wild animals
• Cut back vegetation where animals could hide, sleep or live
• Clean up your yard
• Enclose or eliminate compost piles
• Screen vents on house
• Avoid over watering your lawn

Vehicles can be donated at the following website. Donations profit "Make A Wish" Please check out their FAQs to see if your vehicle qualifies.

https://www.wheelsforwishes.org/

Recology Western Oregon provides yard debris, recycling, and landfill collection and disposal services to residential and commercial customers in Yamhill, Clatsop, and Tillamook Counties. 

McMinnville Office:  

1850 NE Lafayette Avenue
McMinnville, OR 97128
(503) 472-3176

https://www.recology.com/

Electricity service is provided by Portland General Electric, or PGE.  To start a new service, call 1-800-542-8818.

No.  By default, the search results will show matches for any word within the phrase.  In this example, you would receive results for all web pages and documents that contained either the word alarm or the word permit or both.

In order to search on an exact phrase, enclose your search phrase in quotations.  The search results for "alarm permit" will show matches for that exact phrase.

Report a Steetlight Problem

City Hall requires a water service application for all new water customers (even if you are not actively living on-premises). This application can be found below in supporting documents or by clicking here.  Once you have completed your application, a visit to Carlton City Hall is required, along with identification and deposit. Applications are also available at City Hall if needed. It only takes a couple of minutes, and you are on your way!

The city has taken dramatic steps in recent years to increase water capacity, including:

• Panther Creek Reservoir Dredging Project -  Intended to increase water capacity at the City's reservoir. 
• Inter-tie Project with McMinnville Water & Light – To ensure that Carlton water users have access to emergency water.
• Water Main Improvements – To update and install a new water main line which will address water loss issues and aging infrastructure, as well as increase flow and pressure into town.

If you must leave the beautiful City of Carlton, please let us know at least 48 hours before you leave your current address.  Call City Hall at 503-852-7575, and the staff will collect your forwarding information.  Just make sure you let us know before you leave.  The water service will stay in your name until the next person moving in lets us know that you have moved out and has filled out a new water service application.  Unless you like paying for water that you didn't use, please let us know so we can get your final bill in the mail.