ALBANY

Mayor to stay on job despite illness

The Albany City Council voted unanimously on Monday to allow Mayor Doug Killin to continue on the job.

Killin has been unable to attend council meetings for almost two months because of illness. The mayor learned last April that the intestinal cancer he battled 20 years ago had returned.

The city charter states that the mayor or a councilor's seat can be declared vacant if the person does not attend meetings for 60 days. To remain on the council, the rest of the members must vote to excuse the absence.

"We want him to take as much time as he needs to recover," said councilor Sharon Konopa. As president of the council, she presides over the meetings the mayor does not attend.

Earlier, Killin told the Democrat-Herald he would notify the paper of any plan to resign his office. He is serving his first term as mayor. He was a member of the city council before that.

GAPS approves agreement with club

Members of the Albany School Board on Monday voted 4-0 to approve a 25-year partnership between the school district and the Boys & Girls Club of Albany.

Board member Sandi Gordon was absent.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Boys & Girls Club committed to donate $1 million to the district on or before February 2010 to help pay for the large gym at the new school the district is building north of Knox Butte Road.

In return, the club will become a priority user of the gymnasium after daily school use.

The agreement also allows the club to build a multipurpose youth facility alongside the new school when it's ready to do so.

In addition, the agreement gives the school district and the club a $10,000 credit yearly toward use of each other's facilities. That credit will increase by $300 each year beginning January 2009.

Democrat-Herald