City Council

%f: Mayor Council President Councilors - a^OT^ood John C Miner Jairo Rios-Campos LynneaAmend Mark dark DaraTan ?e WOODVILLAGECITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 28, 2023 PRESENT Mayor John C Miner, Council President Jairo Rios-Campos, Councilors Lynnea Amend and Mark dark, City Attorney JeffCondit, City Manager Greg Dirks, Director of Public Works John Niiyama, Director of Finance Seth Reeser, and interested parties. ABSENT None CITIZENCOMMENTS (NON-AGENDAITEMS) Former Mayor Harden noted that he is still involved in homeless services and was appointed to the finance committee for Cultivate Initiatives. Harden askedthe Council to considerbudgetingfundsfortowing RV's and providing a couple nights shelter, foodgiftcards and totes forstorage. He noted thatthiswould be about $5, 800 per tow including the additional services. A budget of $75, 000 would cover approximately 14 servicesduringthe year. Budgetingforthe item could also let people knowwe are seriousabouttowing. Likeparkingcodeacrossthe threecities, MCSOwanted it. Amend asked if it's difficult to dispose of and store RVs. Harden respondedthattowed RVsare currently beingdestroyed ratherthan stored as theyare not salvageable. Dirksnoted thatthe towingcost includes remediation and disposal. Mineraskedwhatthe timeline is fortowing afternotification. Dirks noted it can vary. We can proactively notice and mark the location. If it hasn't moved after 48 hours, we notify MCSO and they then post it with their 72 hour notice. So, it can take about 7 to 10 days for the entire process. 6:13Councilordarkjoined remotely. Minerthanked Hardenfor the research and estimateforbudgeting. Dirks noted there is an individualthat has been aroundthe parkforthe pastseveralweekswho is concerned about the vehicle traffic on the plaza. The plaza was designed for vehicular use and includes substantial reinforcement. City Council Minutes February 28, 20231 Page 1 CONSENTCALENDAR A. City Council Minutes . November 10, 2022 Upon motion by Amend, seconded by Miner and passing 4-0, the Consent Calendar was approved. PRESENTATION: NWNATURAL UPDATE Government RelationsAmy Rathfelderand Environmental PolicyProgram ManagerKellye Dundonfrom NWNatural presented an updateon NWNatural'sgoalsfordecarbonization. Rathfelderdiscussedthe corevalues ofequity, environmentand economy and noted thattheirpriority is to provide reliable, safe, and affordable energy to customers. They are on track to meet or exceed their emissions reduction goal of30% reduction by2035. Dundon addedthatthe goal is to becarbon neutral by2050through a combinationof renewablenatural gasand hydrogen. Energyefficiencyis the quickestwayto reducecarbonfootprintand NWNatural has partnered with EnergyTrustof Oregonto helpcustomers reduceemissionsand bills. NWNatural has also partnered with ClimateTrustto secure regionaloffsetsforcustomersenrolled in the Smart Energy Program. Theyaretrying to focuson whattheirsystem can deliverand looking forcarbon neutral resourcesthatcan bedelivered via pipes. Thefirstone is renewablenaturalgas made bycapturingand cleaningwaste methane and it is carbon neutral. Currentestimates indicatethere is enoughto serve 95% of energy needs. The other fuel being pursued is clean hydrogen from excess renewable electricity. The excesselectricitycan be used to create liquid hydrogenwhichcan be distributedthroughthe pipes. Minerasked ifthey are doingthisoutreach throughoutthe region. Rathfelderrespondedthey are, and theyalso have additionaleducation materials if Council is interested. dark asked aboutpeoplegetting rid ofgasstoves. Rathfelder has heard about this. They are trying to get accurate information out to the public, so governments, private sectors and customers havethe information neededto makegood decisions. Rios-Camposnoted people ask ifwhattheysee on the newsis real and asked if there is an information sheetthatwecould sharewith the community. Rathfelderrespondedtheywill send the materialsto Dirks. Rios-Camposaskedfor more detailsaboutthe community action partnershipthatwecould sharewith the community. Dundonwill providemore informationon energyassistanceprograms and bill programsto Dirks. Dirksasked if using methane is consideredcarbon neutral becauseyou arecapturing and using something thatalreadyexists. Dundonrespondedaffirmatively and noted that Methanehasa higherglobalwarming potential thanwhen it's combusted, so dependingon the capture process it could becarbon negative. City Council Minutes February28, 2023 | Page 2 Dirks noted the projected future mix offuels heavily relied on hydrogen. Is there an anticipation of more being availableor is that more storage related and whatarethe risks. Dundon responded there are several ways of generating hydrogen and they are looking at the most carbon neutral. It is moreextensive, but as the scale increasescostsshould come down.They arecurrently workingon testing the safetyofdelivery and storage. PRESENTATION: MT HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE (MHCC)UPDATE Dr. LisaSkari,Annette Mattson, and DianeNoriegafrom MHCCpresented an update. Skarinoted that MHCC is the 3rd largest community college and one ofthe largest employers in East County with 33 students and several employees from Wood Village. The College is very diverse, and programs reflect community need with a strength in technicalcareereducation, adult basiceducation, and Englishas a second language. Over 31% of students are in career technical education. MHCC has a significant apprenticeshipprogramthrough20differenttrade organizationsconsisting ofelectricians, carpenters, construction, masons, etc., with over 6, 000 apprentices last year. MHCC received accreditation for cyber security degree program and now offers a Bachelor ofApplied Science. With funding from the State, the career short term training programs have been expanded. These programs are flexible and build on one another. MHCCalso received a specialgrantto enhancetraining in the semiconductorfield and nowoffers portable training. Noriegapresentedthe MHCCstrategicplan. It involved a robustcommunityengagementprocess to develop an actionable plan with tangible specific goals that drive all other planning. The process included interviews, focusgroups, charettes, and surveys in seven languageswithcommunity members, employees, students, partners, and stakeholders. We received lots of honestand constructivefeedbackaboutissues and priorities related to the college. The new strategic plan pays special attention to the needs of the changingstudent bodyanddistrictdemographic. It alsoaddressesindustrytrends and focuses on supporting employment. Ingeneral, students and stafffelt safeandwelcomed. Students ranked academic programs, financial aid, and location as the top three strengths while the availability of classes and technologywereseen as the two top weaknesses. Community members noted that MHCC'srelationships with K-12school leaders, business leaders and political leaderswerestill somewhatweak, Eight opportunitiesfor improvement were identified.The builtenvironmentdoesnotoffermany opportunities for social gatheringand interaction and can bedifficultto navigateforfirst yearstudents. Thedecision-making process is not alwaystransparent, and stakeholderswantto understand howthe decisionsfurtherthe college's goals. It is difficult to track a student's success. The data collection process can be improved to bettertrackstudents'success and needs, in particularfood, housing,transportation, and other insecurities. Many students are unaware of the services available to help them succeed. We need to better align and integrate student services and consistently distribute information about these services, especially financial assistance. We need to improve the pathways from K-12 to MHCC, Business partnerships vary in strength and keeping programs relevantto industryneedswill be important. The needsof a highlydiverse student bodyare notfully addressedasthere is a lackofcoordination betweendepartments and services when connecting with community partners. The community in general is not aware of the wide range of MHCC programs and services. CityCouncil Minutes February28, 20231 Page 3 Mattson presented the strategic plan developed from this outreach. The plan is guided by equity, vision and mission statements and focuses on several goals over the next five years. Goals include improving teaching and learning practices to support students, providing a full range of educational and support programs and services, aligning the organizational structure systems and processes to reflect the diversity ofthe community, providingfacilitiesand technologyplatforms to serve the needsofall students, increasing MHCC'svisibilityandstrengthen the connection between MHCCand partners. The boardset indicatorsfor accountabilityto include improvement in studentsuccessfor all students basedon completion and retention rates, increasenumberofstudents meeting core learningoutcomes, improvecommunity connections, increase in students attending post-secondary education, and employee & student diversity will reflect community diversity. Skarinoted the strategicplan is availableon the MHCCwebsiteandcontainsa lot of dataaboutthe community. MHCC will be producing and publishing an annual report to the community on progress. Amend stated she is an alumnus and is very proud of MHCC. Miner noted the outreach work presented is a great template and shows the intentionality towards building inclusivity with the community. He suggested the work be published as an example for other organizations to follow. Mineraskedwhatbusinessesindicatedthey neededfrom MHCCin a partnership. Skari responded that the businesses not connected with MHCC were unaware ofwhat the college offers. There are opportunities to connect with the business community and provide employees and other services. Rios-Campos appreciated that MHCC shared the weaknesses revealed from the outreach in addition to the opportunities. He noted that DEIis very importantand MHCCis oneofthe leadersin the region. Rios- Campos also noted that investment in recreation is verycrucial, especiallyaroundaquaticsand suggested a partnershipbetween MHCC, Play Eastand the cities. Miner mentioned that MHCC used to hold the district swim meet. Skarirespondedthatthe newmissionstatementtalks aboutit beinga centerforcultural, recreational, and personal growth. The aquatics program is working on creating a scholarship fund for low-income families to enableswimminglessons. Dirks noted that PlayEast recreation could be a good way to connect people to the college and the continuingeducation programwould be anotheropportunity. The small businesscenter is a good resource and suggested that MHCCcontinuehavinginformational boothsat cityevents to promote the servicesthey offer. Dirks asked what the response should be to students that think they are going into a field that doesn't need college. Noriega responded that knowing technology and how to use it is critical for good paying jobs. Mattson noted that while a four-year degree may not be needed, there would be some training needed to make a living that enables you to achieve your dreams. There are several training opportunities beyond high school that will assist with getting better paying jobs. City Council Minutes February28, 2023 | Page 4 Norieganoted that MHCC hasstarted several short-term certificateprograms and specializedtrainingthat will boost marketability. Mattson noted thata lot of peoplewent backto schoolfor careerchangesduringthe pandemic. Rios-Campos commented that offering short term programs makes a big difference, Noriegarespondedthey areworkingto getshortterm Pell grantsforthose shortercertificateprograms. DISCUSSION:SUPPLEMENTALBUDGET Reeserexplainedwhata supplemental budgetis and presented background informationon the proposed supplemental budget that will go to Council for a public hearing on March 14th. One project that does require a supplemental budgetand publichearing is the SCADAupgrade. Thescopefor the projectwas completed afterbudgetand Council opted to approvethe entire projectratherthan in phases, There are additional requirements for the new SCADA and IT work. The remainder ofthe items in the supplemental budget that will be proposed are housekeeping items that do not require a supplemental budget or public hearing. Some of the items are from underspending in the previous fiscal year and some will be funded by contingency. For transparency, items were also included that represent a shiftfrom the original appropriation.All thefundshavecontingencyavailable. The Parks department includes a playground toy, additional funds for the splash pad water utility, and park restroom repairs. The restrooms are nowopen year-round and were not builtforthat, causingsome issues. Thewaterfund includesthe Well 3 gearbox, underspendingfrom the prioryearon the watermaster plan and several main breaks. Streets includesa late invoicefrom Kittleson and a trafficreader. The personnel reorganizationand reallocation changedthe distributionacross all the funds. There are alsosome projects spread across funds. There was underspending last year on the operations building refurbishment. Other multi-fund changes include City Hall HVAC maintenance, carpet cleaning and bark dust, re-keying utility facilities and the truck plow that was budgeted last year but not rolled over. The website refresh would have been in next year's budget, but it was small enough to fit in this year. There will also be an addition to purchase servers and computers early due supply chain delays and avoid price escalations. Miner asked what the traffic counter does, Niiyama responded that it records traffic movements and speed. Historically, we have borrowed one, but it makes more senseto haveonethatwecan deploy as needed. Dirks noted that the website vendor let us know we were due for a free website refresh and the money allocated wasforadd-onsto improve the site. Reesersaid nextsteps include meeting withthe budgetcommittee to reviewthese items and publishing a meeting notice forthe supplemental budgetmeeting. DISCUSSION:APPRECIATIONDINNER Dirkspresented the background and historyofthe annualappreciationdinnerand its changesoverthe years. The event is a long-standingtradition of celebrating and recognizingvolunteers, community City Council Minutes February 28, 2023 | Page 5 contributors, and staff. It has rangedfrom formal presentations, awards,and acknowledgementsto a business casual dinner. The current budget for the event is $7, 000. A more formal event at Edgefield ranges from $60 to $70 per person, which would limit the event to about 100 people. A picnic style catered event at City Hall might be more around $40 to $50 per person which would enable us to invite all volunteers. Rios-Campos commented that it would be important to invite all the volunteers to the event, especially the students and the LideresNaturalesgroup asopposed to the partners. Amend suggestedthata companystyle picnicseems to fit better. Minerlikes the ideaofthe companystyle picnicbutdoes notwantit to involve a lot ofstafftime. dark would like staffto feel part ofthe enjoyment rather than working part of it and likes the idea ofa picnic style event. Rios-Camposagreedthat he alsowantsstaffto feel celebrated and suggestedstaffseewhatcould be put togetherforthisyeargiven the budgetwith a focuson volunteers ifthe guest list needsto be reduced. Dirksrespondedthatstaffwould getsomeoptions and bring it backto Council. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS REPORT Niiyama presented the public works director report. Public Works staff have been busy on several projects. We now have a partnership with Gresham to use their bucket truck for hanging banners and flowers. There was a service line breakat the ByWaythat has been repaired. The Chiptole plan set is in reviewand the SCADA upgrade project is in process. The completion of the Halsey Crossings consisting offinal markings was extended to the edge of March due to weather, There are some residual code cases from last year that are still pending, butall newcases have been closed.A ParksCommissionwasheld lastweek, andthe recommendationswill be presented to Council at the March 14thmeeting. Miner asked if the Halsey Crossing project is within budget. Niiyamarespondedthere is a site visitscheduledfortomorrowto comparequantities and there mightbe somechangesin the cost. Rios-Campos asked if we have seen a different response from the community on our newcode enforcement approach. Niiyamaresponded people are more receptivewith the newapproachthat includesnotifications,followup and thank you cards. Dirksaddedthatwe've had a coupleofappreciativecomments aboutthe cleanupofthe graffiti and garbage. Forone ofthe difficult code cases, we were able to direct the person to some resources and they werevery thankful. City Council Minutes February28, 2023 | Page 6 DIRECTOR OF FINANCE REPORT Reeserpresented the financedirectorreport, and therewere no questions. CITY MANAGERREPORT Dirkspresented the city managerreport. Reesermetwith representativesfrom the otherthreecitieson the UFSWQDworkand theywere receptive. The fourcities are in alignmenton the frameworkand direction. CITYATTORNEYREPORT Nothing. MAYOR& COUNCILCOMMENTS Minermentionedthe letterfrom CouncilorLawtonat Fairviewand askedthat any response is doneas an individual rather than as a Councilor. Rios-Campos mentioned that Representative Hudson wrote a letter in support to prevent the MT Hood pregnancycenterclosure. ADJOURNMENT With no furtherbusinesscoming beforethe Council, the Council adjourned at 8:16pm. Jo C Miner MAYOR ATTEST: ^ . ^- CITYRECORDER City Council Minutes February 28, 2023 [ Page 7