City Council

^s, . pw.. I* Mayor Council President Councilors CT".OT.Wood John C Miner JairoRios-Campos LynneaAmend Mark dark Dara Tan ?e WOOD VILLAGE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OCTOBER 24, 2023 PRESENT Mayor John C Miner, Council President Jairo Rios-Campos, Councilors Lynnea Amend, Mark dark and DaraTan, CityAttorney JeffCondit, City ManagerGreg Dirks, Directorof PublicWorksJohn Niiyama, Directorof FinanceSeth Reeser, and interested parties. ABSENT None CITIZENCOMMENTS (NON-AGENDAITEMS) None EAST METRO RESOLUTIONS CENTER Tera Cleland presented an update on the East Metro Resolutions Center. The program serves East County and unincorporated Multnomah County. Community mediation is the most valuable service provided and allows neighbors, roommates, landlords and renters to have productive conversations, Mediators are there to help them focus on whatthey need and havea respectful and productiveconversation aboutthe issue. About98%ofthe people whouse the service agreeon at leastsomeofthe issuesand create agreements to resolvethe issue. EastMetro ResolutionsCenteralso providestrainingforconflictmanagement, diversity, inclusion, de-escalation,and othermediation related skills. Someofthe otherprograms offered includea second homeprogram and foreclosure avoidanceprogram. Thesecond home program helps mediate leaseagreementsbetween homelesshighschool students and volunteer home providers sothe students have a safe place to live while they finish school. The foreclosure avoidance program involves making sure the homeowner understands the process and that the bank is following foreclosure rules. About half of the homeowners are able to remain in their homes and the ones that can't have assistance for findinga new home. Dirksnoted thatstaffinternally usethe program by directing peopleto it for issuesthatdon'tfall undercode enforcement, Amend asked if they offer language interpretation and how our people can access the program. Cleland respondedthatthey havea languagesupport line and can providetranslators in person if needed. Mediatorsare trained to workwith interpreters. Anyone interested can email mediate reshamore on. ov, City Council Minutes October 24, 2023 | Page 1 call 503-618-3247 or go on the website to find training opportunities. Mediation is free to the community and it's voluntary. Rios-Camposappreciateshowdifficultit can beto communicate in a second languagewhen it's a stressful situation and suggested highlightingthe programto ourcommunity. Dirksrespondedthatthe mediationservice is promoted a fewtimes a year, along withthe offeredtrainings. Minerasked howthe program is funded. Cleland responded that the four cities provide financial support through an IGAand a lot ofthe funding comesfrom the state legislature. EastMetro Resolutions Centeris oneof 14 disputeresolution centers that receivefundsfrom the State. Thecenteralso hasa contractwith child welfareservicesto provide mediationfor parentstrying to gettheirkids back. Otherfundscomefrom the Oregon Housing Divisionfor mediation services for manufactured and marine communities. Minercommented thatthis program is well worththe money. Dirks noted that Wood Village advocating for funding forthe dispute resolution centers in the last legislative session. UPDATEON HOMELESSSERVICES DirksintroducedCaptain DougAsboe and SergeantBrian Gerkman with the HopeTeam. Captain Asboe supervises the Hope Team and has been with them for several years. SergeantGerkman hasbeen on the team for about3 years. Capt. Asboe presented background on the Hope Team and its duties. The team was established in 2017 with one-time funds and is now fully funded with two deputies and a sergeant. The team is an outreach first organization focused on building relationships with the community members they serve and dedicated to helping people in badsituationsgetconnectedto services. Sgt. Gerkman addedthattheywantto provideequitableservicesforthe homeless population.Theywork on getting to knowthose community members and build trust and relationships to gain an understanding of what barriers they are facing and help them conquer those barriers, Sometimes the barriers are as simple as an IDor a cellphone and sometimes it's a largerissuesuch as mental health treatmentor addiction. Obviously,there's been a strained relationshipbetween lawenforcementandthe houselesscommunity and buildingthose relationshipstakes time. As farasthe equitable police access,we believeeverybody's communityshould be patrolled by lawenforcement. Peopleshould becomfortableflaggingdown law enforcementaboutlivability issues. We believethat'sthe same thing in ourencampments, theywantsafe and secure living environments andwe'retrying to help providethataswell as holdthatdooropen forwhen they say they are ready to start down the path for a better life. We help them get into programs or at least getthem in touch with peoplethatcan getthem into programsthatcan effectivelyhelp them. Wealso work with stakeholders in the community, and we see ourselves as kind ofthe bridge between the housed and the unhoused. There's a lot of stigma that goes both ways, and so we try and keep those open lines of communication. We'lltry and representthe unhousedto the housed and the housedto the unhoused.So, CityCouncil MinutesOctober24, 2023 | Page 2 wewill go to these camps and saythese are the issuesthat you'recausing in this neighborhood.It could be noise issues, maybetrash or it couldjust be wherethey are parked at that particulartime, and we'll try and mitigate those issues as best we can. We also try and dispel some of the myths to the housed community, the unhousedget blamedfor nearlyevery singlecrime thatoccurs and that'sjust notthe case. They're not the onescommitting every singlecrime. So, wejust try and bethatthatconduitbetween the two communities. Weworkcooperativelywithseveraloutreach partners and a navigationteam that is made-up ofsocial service providers. Some of the providers specialize in addiction and mental health treatment housingand we partnerwith them to get people intothe correctservices. Rightnow, there are around 1300 beds in Multnomah Countyand probablysomewherearound 5000homeless people, so camping is going to exist. We acknowledge that and try to make the camping as low impact as possible by working with partners to get camps cleaned up and try to keep them clean. Capt. Asboe noted thatthe relationshipsthe team buildsare critical to the workthey are doing and results in voluntary compliance, whichis so important. Minercommented thatthis is a goodfoundationforthem to build some responsibility. Capt. Asboe noted thatthere are a coupleofcaselawsthatspecificallydirecthowlawenforcementwill interactwithour houselesscommunity members. The primaryone is Martin versus Boisewhichestablished that unless wecan providehousingor sometype of alternativeshelter, wecannotissuea citation or arrest an individualthat is sleeping outdoors. Therewerealsotwo cases in Grants Passthatreaffirmed this decision.There havealso been a coupleof recent House Bills, 3124 and 3115,that impact howwework with our houselesscommunity members. House Bill 3124outlines howto postcamps and managethe cleanup, including howlong to postthe noticeandstore propertyfrom those camps. House Bill 3115 prevents blanketno campingordinances.All camping ordinancesby citiesand counties must includesome kind of time, place and manner that allows someone to be outdoors. Portland, Beaverton, and Troutdale now have an ordinance with time, place, and manner and several cities are looking at different variations of a time, place, and manner ordinance. Dirkscommented that Portland is currently beingsuedforthatordinanceand we arewaitingto seewhat gets adjudicated. Capt. Asboe addedthatnewlawsfrequently havesome ambiguityanddetailssuch aswhat'sappropriate whenestablishingtime, place, and mannerwill bedetermined basedon lawsuits. Oneofthe otherbig challenges is people living in vehicles. Although there are ordinances that impact howwe would normally deal with an abandonedor derelict vehicle, we have to take into considerationthe fact that individuals are actually living insidethatvehicle. It's not againstthe lawforsomeoneto stay insidea vehiclethat has been cited and we can'ttowa vehiclewithsomebodyliving insideof it. That'sanotherareawherevoluntary compliance is so critical, whenthe HopeTeam is ableto establish a relationshipwith that individualand get them to move to an areathat is less impactful to the community. Thatsaid, there are not a lotof placesfor people to park, especiallyfor RV's. Sometimesthe challengeis notthe person'swillingnessto move, it's not havinga placeto directthem to. Anotherissue is the towcompaniesnowrequire paymentupfront since it costs around $3000 to $5000 to properly dispose of an RV if the owner doesn't retrieve it. Most cities and countiesdon't havefundingset asideto managethisor accountforthe numberofpossible vehicles towed, It's a long process to find some other alternative housing or a place to put the RV. It's also City Council Minutes October 24, 2023 | Page 3 difficultforthem to riskgiving up whattheycurrently haveforsomethingthat maynot be permanent. The hoDe@msco. com email is available to the community and goes out to all members ofthe Hope Team. This is the primarywaythe HopeTeam gets informationandfindsoutwherepeople are in orderto make contact. Amend asked ifsomeoneis living in a broken-downcar, can it betowed ifthey leave the vehicleto saygo to work. Capt. Asboe replied that it could betowed in thatcase, butwe haveto thinkaboutthe end result and the fact the persons worldly belongings are probably inside that vehicle. So, we have to be thoughtful and compassionateaboutthefactthatifwetowthe vehicle, wheredoesthatleavethe person whentheycome homefrom work. We havea numberofhouselesspeoplethatweworkwith thatworkeverydayand make pretty decent money, but theyjust can't come up with the $5, 000 to $10, 000 it takes to move into a place. Amend askedwhatshould bedoneifyou knowsomeone is living in a vehicle. Capt. Asboe respondedto let the HopeTeam knowso they can makecontact. Tan asked howtheydetermined if someone is living in a vehicleor iftheyjust havea lot ofstuffstored in their vehicle. Sgt. Gerkman responded that they go out several times at various times ofday to see if someone is sleeping in the vehicle. They also run the plate and try to get ahold of the registered owner, knock on doors if it's parked in front of a residence. Theyalso checkcampsto see ifthey've been abandonedor not. Capt. Asboeaddedthatthere's likely to beotherevidenceto indicatesomeoneis living in the vehicle, like foodor bedding. Tan asked howoften you get to the point where you're building a relationship and there's an ongoing issue and the individualdoesn'tcomply. Capt. Asboe responded that the Hope Team has been very successful in relationship building and gaining voluntary compliance. Most ofthe time they've built the relationship to a point where just merely asking the person to make some adjustment to their camp or move is enough as long as the person has the means to comply. Building that relationship is the difficult part as on average it takes 9 contacts with an individual to start buildinga rapport. Historically, the relationshipbetween lawenforcementandthe houseless community has not beengood. They havealso been letdown a lot byotherserviceproviders andoutreach workers. Oneofthe key components to the HopeTeam is they are reliable.Theygo backand see the person whentheysaythey'regoingto and if theyofferassistancetheyfollowthroughwith thatassistance. Dirksstated as an examplesomeofthevehicles parked nearbydo move everyweekor so, whichfollows the spiritofthe municipalcode, andthat's dueto the relationshipthe HopeTeam has built. Capt. Asboe noted that although it takes longerto get someofthesevehiclesmoved, the HopeTeam immediatelystarts to establish a relationshipand identifythe barriersto getting the person housedso they can get the person to the right resource. So, during the time they are working on getting the vehicle moved, they're also working to get that individual to the appropriate resource to address those barriers, whether it's City Council Minutes October 24, 2023 | Page 4 mental health treatment, drug addiction, rent money, etc. We'veconnected with organizationsthat have been able to buy tires, car batteries or fuel to help them get to the next place. Minernoted the County hasvouchersfor rentand asked iftherewasa wayforthe Countyto usethe voucherprocessto coverdown payments. Capt. Asboe noted that the County has a new initiative called House Multnomah Nowand that program has money to pay for up to a year of rent for people to get them housed as quickly as possible. Then they can start addressingsome ofthe barriersor issuesthatcausedthem to become houseless in thefirst place. Mineraddedthatit seems thatwe have people thatcould get into a place rightnowiftheyhadfundsforthe downpayment. Capt. Asboe responded that there are organizations with limited funding that could help, but there are other challenges in addition to money. Many times, people experiencing houselessness have other things that precludethem from getting into an apartmentsuch as badcredithistoryor criminal records. Minerasked ifthe HopeTeam hasenough navigators. Sgt. Gerkman responded that there's been some turnover on the East County Navigation team, but they haveone good contactthat's coming out as much as theycan. Minerasked howthatimpactstheirwork. Sgt. Gerkman responded that more resources and partners is better and enablesmore contacts to be made. Capt. Asboeaddedthatthe navigationteam is also theircontactfor resourcesand services and when it's limited, that limitstheirabilityto connectpeoplewiththose services. With a full team of navigators,there are peopleto assistwith makingsure individualsgetto appointments, connectwith housingorjobs, etc. That's a heavy lift when we don't have navigators and are reliant on just two deputies and a Sergeant to do that work. Amend asked if there was only one navigator for all of East County. Capt. Asboe responded that the Joint Office has provided Portland with navigation teams for several years. The city managers in EastCountyworkedto get a navigationteam out here, however, there has been a lot ofturnoverand it's challengingto keep thosepositionsfilled. Rios-Camposaskedwhata fully functional navigationteam would consistof, Capt. Asboe respondedthata 4-to-5-personteam witha mental health professional, addictionspecialist and someonewithexpertise in finding alternative housingwould be ideal.Anotherchallengeis thatthe majority of the available resources are in downtown Portland. Many ofthe houseless still live in their same communities and it can be challenging to get them to leave all their belongings to go to Portland for an appointment. Mental health appointments take about 4 months to get and asking a person who is suffering from mental health challenges and worried about their next meal or where to sleep is difficult. Bringing servicesto people at theircampsitewould have a greaterimpactand let us start dealingwith people's challengesrightthere at theirhomesor wherethey're living. City Council Minutes October 24, 20231 Page 5 dark mentioned that homelessness was discussed at the Council Retreat in 2011 and we approached MCSOto discusshowwecould helpthe homeless in a positiveway. The MCSOcame backto us withthis program, and it's really grown since then. It seems we are missing connections to the services and resources that would help our homeless population. Minerasked ifthere is a point atwhichsomethingcould bedonewith an RVor a vehicle ifthere is a place forthem to go andthey refuse. Capt. Asboe responded that each case is different, and the Hope Team takes into account what the barriers areto getting the person help. There have been a coupleofvery rareoccurrenceswherethe person was truly service resistant and had no interest in any assistance offered. In that case we would go throughthe processof posting it. Oneofthe tenantsofthe HopeTeam is accessibilitywith accountability. Wewantto makethingsaccessiblebecauseoften theydon'teven knowwhat'soutthereand available, but wedo expectthem to be accountablewhen it comesto making it to the appointmentsthatwe set up for them and taking thosestepsforwardto makea changein theirlife, whateverthat looks likefor them, and also accountableto lawsand beinggood communitymembers in the communitiesthattheylive in. The Sheriff'sofficeappliedforand received a grantfor a mental health professionalthatwill be assignedto the Hope Team. Additionally, we talked to the Joint Office about phase two ofthe House Multnomah Now initiativeand convincedthem to start in the SandyRiverDeltaforthe nextphase. The SandyRiver Delta hasthe largestsingleconcentrationofpeopleexperiencinghouselessness. Everytime we are ableto successfully get someone housed it helps build trust and improves relationships with other houseless people. Rios-Camposwhendoes a camp become an unsafeareaespecially ifclose to schoolor kids. Sgt. Gerkman responded that an exception to the 72-hour posting rule is public safety, however you have to articulatewhatthe publicsafetyconcern is, and it hasto be reasonable. Capt. Asboeaddedthat if a camp hasextremecriminal behaviorsuch as dealingnarcoticsor burglaries, thatwould be addressedmuch differentlythan if the people arejust houseless.Anotherexceptionto the posting rule is extreme environmental damage or a safety hazard for either the individual or the surrounding community. We would look at those camps and evaluate them on an individual basis. Rios-Camposcommented thatit would begood to havethoseconversationswith the communityand mentioned thatthere hasto be a reason otherthan the person being houseless. Capt. Asboe added that they look at each individual camper and each individual campsite based on its own merit, and makedecisionsbasedon individuals, not on entire locations. The MCSOdoesnot participatein sweepsbecausetheydon'ttake individualaspects into account. Dirksrecappedthe takeawaysfrom the presentation. Navigatorsare a very neededresource andthere havebeen issues hiringand maintainingworkers in these positions. Partofthis is becausethe JointOffice contracts with non-profits to provide these services on a reimbursement basis which impacts the wages. We'vebeen advocatingthat ifthis is truly an emergencythe Countyshould be directly hiring at leastsome navigatorsto makesure weare getting accessto basicservices. The RVparkthatopened aboutsix months agois finallyfull. Thereweresome barriersto moving theresuch asthevehicleneededto be registered and insured. We'vebeen advocatingfor a lowerbarrierplacefor peopleto park, althoughthere City Council Minutes October 24, 20231 Page 6 would still needto becommunitystandardsand livabilitycomponents, Therecould be a spectrum of services from onsite utilities to portable restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities. We've also been advocating for places to store vehicles or belongings, so they have a safety net in case the housing doesn't workout. The County is sitting on a lot of money and there's a lot of responsibilitythatgoeswiththat. The four city managers, along with the Hope Team meet monthly with the Joint Office to discuss needs and it's frustrating thatwe'renot making progress in a timely manner. Wearehopefulthatthe Housing Multnomah Nowinitiativecan expanda bitoutsideof ThousandAcres and help some ofour more chronically unhoused in this region. Ifyou are homeless and trying to find resources, there's not a lot in EastCounty. Navigatingthe 211 system is very difficultand it doesn'tdirectpeopleto local resources. As an example, to obtain an IDcard, 211 directs people to the DMVin Salem. Weknownavigators have local accessand Rios-Camposasked howcommunity memberscan help ordonate. Sgt. Gerkman respondedthattheycan reachout through the HopeTeam email address. Rightnow, gloves, handwarmers,winterclothing andjacketswould be most helpful. Capt. Asboeaddedthattheyworkclosely with all the local churches, and theycontactthe HopeTeam if they receive donations, Rios-Camposasked ifthere has been anyconversationwith Metro on fundingfor disposalof RV'sand vehicles. Dirksrespondedthere has been someconversation aboutfundingfordisposal. Sometimesthe caris not registered in the name of the person living in the vehicle, so they can't get their belongings back if it's towed. It would be better to tow the vehicle to an RV park where they can start on a path to success. Minersuggestedgetting an updateevery 2 months orso on this issue, UPDATE ON FLOODSAFETY Jim Middaugh,the ExecutiveDirectorofthe Multnomah County DrainageDistrictand the Urban Flood Safetyand WaterQualityDistrictpresented an update. He notedthatSeth and Greg havebeen very helpful and have put a lot oftime into the effort to upgrade and improve the flood safety system. He presented a backgroundon the levee system and flood zone. The system protects the second largest drinking water source in Oregon, the airport, and about 50% of the manufacturing & warehouse jobs in the Portland region. The current system is over 100 years old and at risk of losing its federal certification. Some ofthe equipment is originaland even the newercomponents are reachingthe end of useful life, so the system needssignificantcapital investment. There has been an increasein extremeweatherevents and rainfall levels are reachinghistorichighs, increasingthe riskofseriousflooding. We are seeing 15to 20 inchesof rain in a dayand the system was builtfor 3 to 4 inches.We are at riskof losing some keyfederal partnership programs. We received authorization forfederal investment of $100 million to retain our certification, but we need a 1/3 local match. The Corps ofArmy Engineers rehabilitation and inspection program will repair the levee system in the event of a natural disaster provided we retain certification. There is also a federallysubsidizedflood insuranceprogram at riskthatwould impactinsurancecosts, zoningand building codes. The proposed plan consolidates the four legacy districts into one and has an estimated first year cost of about $16. 7 million including contingency, new mandates, and service gaps. This is an City Council Minutes October 24, 20231 Page 7 increase from the current spending of $15 million due primarily to inflation, new mandates, and some allocation foroperating capital, The existing property tax assessments will generate about $9. 5 million, leaving a gap of $6. 2 million. We have been working with cities across the region to create a newflood safety benefit tax that expands outside the flood district based on population. While it's challenging to ask peopleoutsideoftheflood plain to contribute, there is a perceived benefitin protecting the airportand economic activity ofthe businesses inside the flood plain. The district also maintains pump stations for other entities and receives payment for those services. The district has reached new service agreements of about$1 million with the Portof Portland, Cityof Portland, and Metroto offsetcompression impactson properties in the flood plain. Wood Village's share ofthe operations budget would be about 0.2% based on population, or about $34, 000. The board is working on a capital improvements obligation bond of $175 million for the May 2024 election. This would be about $30 per yearfor a median home. The bond would coverthe federal costsharecontribution, FEMAaccreditationprojects, upgradedoperationsfacilities,flood safety projects and an independent oversight committee. We expect to be able to complete construction of all the required projects in approximately 10 years and are currently planning a flat payment rate to pay those bondsoffin 20years. dark asked what the deadline is for the federal funds. Middaugh responded that the funds can be put on hold, but that would drop us to the bottom ofthe list. We might not lose the authorization ifwe take another year or two, but it would increase costs in the long run and would halt some of the design work that's in progress. Ifthere's a lot of local dispute or opposition, that would also hurt our ability to move forward. dark asked howinformation on the bondwould be sharedwith the community. Middaugh responded that they have begun conversation about establishing a private campaign effort to promote the bond and resources have been set asidefor public notices. Staffattended various events all summerto provide information. Amend askedwho mightopposethis. Middaugh responded that Mayor Wheeler of Portland has taken a position that there should not be any new feesortax increasesfortwo years. The Porland Metro Chamberhasalso indicatedthey mighttake a no new tax position right now. We are hoping to avoid opposition from the major business coalition in greater Portland. We do have support from many financial institutions, local manufacturers, and businesses in the floodplain. Reeseraddedthatthis is a preventative measurethat's cheaperthan a cure and that mostofthe capital projects are requited by FEMAorthe Corps ofArmy Engineers.Theotherprojects includeupdating pumps andfacilitiesthatwould keepoperation costs reasonable. Oncethedistrictboard approvesthe bond package it will be presented to the Council. The consolidation ofthe districts will be more efficient in the future. Rios-CamposaskedwhatWoodVillageresidentswould be paying. City Council Minutes October 24, 2023 [ Page 8 Reeser responded the funds for the operational budget would likely be billed through our utility billing system. The first-year projection was about $34, 000 or $10 per person per year. The bond would be spread across all properties and would go to voters. This would be about $40 to $50 a year on average. Dirks added that the legislative verbiage for the operational funding needs to beflexible and crafted in a waythat's meaningfulforthejurisdictionsthat need to collect on it. Council consensus to move forward. DIRECTOR OF PUBLICWORKS REPORT Niiyama presented the public works report. Staffdid a greatjob on the infield, and we are finalizing signs for the disc golf course. RH2 is working on a design forthe north gateway sign, and wewill post a construction RFPonce it'sfinalized.RH2 is reviewingthe cameradatafrom the main sewertrunkline, and we are waiting for estimates from Keller for flow monitoring. The design bid opening for the park restroom project is next week. Staff are working on facility security quotes. We are anticipating cost increases for the SCADA upgrade project due to programming issues and will be bringing a change order to Council. Staff installed some artificial turf at the 238th median as a test. The artificial turf looks good and will be easier to maintain so we'll be acquiring more to finish the area. ODOT is putting in a newcrosswalk and redoing the signal and rampon the overpass. DIRECTOROF FINANCEREPORT Reeser presented the finance directors report. Auditors were here the week ofthe 12th. Reeser presented on two topics at the OGFOA conference, one was on property tax. He was also invited to talk to the House Subcommittee on Economic Development and Small Businesses. We are continuing to advocate for incremental changes that will improve the property tax situation, We met with the public health policy advocate for the County Commissioner's office which has oversight ofthe AMR contract. They are putting together a round table to have discussions with East County partners on AMR contract issues and service levels. CITY MANAGER REPORT Dirks commented that he will be presenting background information and status ofthe Main Streets on Halsey project to discuss our involvement moving forward. There's a meeting with the Confederated Tribes ofthe Grand Ronde on Thursday at 10 am. The meeting will include general updates, lunch and then a tree planting. The Pumpkin Fest is Saturday and will have lots of activities including a pumpkin path, petting zoo, axe throwing and disc golf demonstrations. Council is invited to the Diasde la Morte celebration and details are in theflyer. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Condit nothing. City Council Minutes October 24, 20231 Page 9 MAYOR & COUNCIL COMMENTS Miner commented that we need to stay current with homeless issues as it's a fluid and frustrating topic. He had a meetingwith CommissionerStegmannto keep pressingforservices. Amend asked if the JOHShas a newdirector. Dirks responded that the new director was hired in April. Mineraddedthatwe have4 city managersmeetingswith JOHSand a meetingwith the managers, Mayors and the JOHS is scheduled for November 30th. Rios-Camposmentioned thatTrimet is workingon expandingservices in 2025 in EastCounty. Theywill be extendingone ofthe routesto Reynolds High Schooland MHCC.Theotherfocuswill be on 223rd. ADJOURNMENT With no furtherbusiness,the Council adjourned at8:14pm. John C. Miner MAYOR ATTEST: CITYRECORDER CityCouncil Minutes October24, 20231 Page 10