City Council

, 'r. i- ^S^JE%' ^ Mayor Council President Councilors Jairo Rios-Campos Dara Tan John C. Miner Mark dark Patricia Smith cTF,Wood ige WOODVILLAGECITY COUNCILMEETING MINUTES January 14, 2025-6:00 PM PRESENT MayorJohnC. Miner, Council PresidentJairoRios-Campos, CouncilorsMarkdark, DaraTanand Patricia Smith, City Manager Greg Dirks, Public Works Operations Manager Erika Normine, Public Works Projects Manager Becky Gallien, Director of Finance Seth Reeser, CityAttorney JeffCondit, and interested parties. ABSENT None. SWEARING INOF NEWLYELECTEDCOUNCILORS Hinders swore in Rios-Campos, Smith, and Tan. ELECTIONOFMAYORANDCOUNCILPRESIDENT Minercommented RitaandStan Dirksare relocatingto EagleCreek, notingtheyhavelived in Wood Village since 1991. The conference room inside City Hall is named after the Dirks in honor oftheir time servingon variousCityboardsand commissions. Minerremarked hewould like to get plaquesforthe Dirksin honoroftheirvolunteerservice and present them withthe plaqueatan upcoming meeting. Condit arrived at 6:08 PM. Minerstated his lasttwoyearsas mayorhavebeenenjoyableand hisfocuswason buildinga shared leadershipstyle, relationshipswiththethreecities, anda strong voicefor EastCounty, andworkingon addressing houselessness. Minerthankedtheothercouncilorsand Citystaff, especiallyDirks, fortheirhelp in accomplishingthese thingsover hisyearsasmayor. dark nominated Rios-Campos for Mayor, Tan seconded, and the Council voted unanimously 5-0 to approve Rios-Campos as Mayor Rios-Camposthanked Minerfor hisleadershipandtrust in the Council. Miner nominated Tan for Council-President, dark seconded, and the Council voted unanimously 5-0 to approveTan asCouncil-President. CITIZEN COMMENTS (NON-AGENDA ITEMS) Dirksstated ChristineBierman, a City ParksCommissioner, reachedoutwithinterestin applyingfora grant to place a Little Free Library in Wood Village, explaining Bierman must apply asa participant in a teaching program on behalfoftheCity. Dirksmentionedthe ideaisto placethe lending libraryoutsideofCity Hall orthe parkand potentially partnerwiththe libraryto stock books. PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT Lt. Stewart congratulated Rios-Campos and Tan and thanked Minerfor his service. Lt. Stewart presented the public safety report forthe month of December: only 1 reported stolen vehicle, noting the5 stolen vehiclesmentioned inthe reportwasa transposingerror. Stewart mentioned the high rate ofhit and runs on the report, explaining two hit and runs were not actually hit and runs after investigation, one was an alleged doording at Walmart, one was not a crash, and one was double coded. Afterexplaining, Stewart stated a total of 5 hitand runs on the list could be removed. Miner asked for clarification on the miscoding. Stewartclarifiedthatsometimesa driverwill call in a crashthinkingtheotherdriverdid not stop, which codes the call as a hit and run, but later the driver will stop. Stewart remarked on the 11% increase in property crime, noting most ofit istheft related, which is common duringthe holidayseason. Minercommentedthe personcrimewasdown,whichis a positive. Rios-Campos asked about concerns in the community with the incoming presidential administration and MCSO'sstanceon immigrationstatus and informationsharing, Stewart stated MCSOand Oregon hasthe oldest sanctuary State lawin the country and noted MCSO is bound byState lawand policy. Stewart explained Multnomah County put forward a resolution solidifying the County's sanctuary status. Stewartstated MCSOservesthe citizensof MultnomahCounty, notingtheyenforceStatelaw, notfederal immigration taw, and wants to reiterate they are here to serve the people of Multnomah County. Stewart reviewed MCSO's policies, explaining no Public Safety roles, departments, or investigations play a role in immigration enforcement or federal immigration law. MCSO does not hold anyone in custody on the basisofimmigrationandcustomsenforcement. MCSOdoesnot useanyfacilities, property, monies, equipment, technology, or personnel to investigate, detect, apprehend, arrest, detain, or hold individuals for immigration enforcement. Stewart reviewed the State lawcodifying this policy in Oregon Revised Statute 801(A) 820. Stewart simplified stating MCSO is here to serve those in Multnomah County and to make sure people are comfortable interacting with law enforcement. Rios-Camposstatedthecommunityvaluesthe partnershipwithMCSOand mentioned MCSO's relationshipwith LideresNaturales, havingparticipatedat LasPosadasforthe last9 years, Rios-Camposasked iftherewasa numberto safelyoranonymouslyreport lawenforcementsuspectedof attempting to comply with federal immigration enforcement. Stewartstated those in WoodVillagecould call him directlyand mentionedthe MCSO'swebsitehas a featureto reportclaimsto InternalAffairs. Individualscan alsocall the on-dutysupervisor, as well. Tan asked if Stewart or MCSOwasaware ofany demonstrations planned in response to the inauguration in our area. Stewart stated he is not aware ofany in the Wood Village or East County area and, if any, then mostly in the downtown Portland area. Minerasked ifthis wassimilarto the situationeightyearsago. Stewart stated, yes, 2016 iswhen the County Council declared the sanctuary city resolution. MinerthankedStewartforhis responseand Rios-Camposfor readingthequestion into record. Conditalsostated Oregonreinforcedits sanctuarystatus in 2021 and noted the JusticeDepartmenthas a linkon theirwebsiteforcommunitymembersto reportconcerns. Rios-Camposasked abouthowthe Citycould sharethis information. Dirksstated the Citycould askMCSOto preparean articleforan upcoming newsletter. Condit stated he would email Dirks additional information. DirksexplainedtheCity hashadquestions before regardingits statusasa sanctuarycity, stating the City and its PublicSafetypartnersfollowState law. Condit explained State lawprohibits local agencies and local lawenforcement agencies from cooperating with Federal immigrationenforcementlaws. Condit stated his firm is up to date on the guidance and State lawgiven they have been receiving questions and concerns lately, as well, Rios-Campos thanked Condit and Stewartforthe information. 2024ANNUAL COWIPREHENSIVEFINANCIALREPORT Reeser introduced Tara Kamp, one ofthis year's auditors, to present the report from Pauly, Rogers, and Co. regarding the June 30, 2024 financial statement audit. Kampexplainedtheauditistwo-fold:first, thefinancialstatementaudit, andsecond, the Oregonminimum standards compliance audit. Kamp stated the City's results were excellent, receiving an unmodified opinion on the financial statement audit (a clean opinion with no reservations) and finding no exceptions or issues requiring comment for the Oregon minimum standards audit. Kamp explained no management leHer was issued as part ofthe audit, stating she had no difficulties workingwith ReeserorotherCitystaffon theaudit. Kamp thanked the Cityfor all the work they did to prepare forthe audit, including the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) that is submitted to the GFOAfor grading annually. Kamp stated the end ofthe report provides insight into upcoming governmental accounting standards and guidanceon howto prepareforthem. darkstated hedid notseethe report inthe agendapacket. Dirks explained the report wassent separately before the end of last year. Reeser stated they had previously sent the governing body letter, mentioning the full report is on the City's website. Dirks stated staffwould resend the report to dark. Minercongratulated Reeserandthe otherstaffon the successfulauditreport. Reeserand DirksthankedKampand herteamfortheirworkon theauditandthe Financeteamfortheir work. Rios-Camposasked howmanyyearsthe Cityhasreceivedsucha clean audit. Reeser stated he has received no major opinions in the sixyears he has been with the City, and Dirks stated the City has received the GFOAbudget award for approximately 21 or 22 years. Rios-Campos thanked Reeser again. CONSENTCALENDAR A. City Council Minutes . December 10, 2024 . City Events . 4th Annual Holiday Meal Drive Debrief Upon motion byTan, seconded by Smith and passing 5-0, the Consent Agenda was approved. ORDINANCE 1.2025: STATE SHARE REVENUESHARING PROGRAM Reeser explained the City is preparing forthe upcoming fiscal year budgetary process, noting the City must opt into the State's revenue sharing program annually to receive the funds. The City's revenue share from the program last yearwasjust over $60, 000. Upon motion byMiner, seconded bySmithand passing5-0, Ordinance1-2025wasapproved. RESOLUTION1-2025:ANNUALSYSTEMDEVELOPMENTCHARGESREPORT Reeserexplainedsystem developmentcharges, notingthe earnedfundsare restrictedto onlybe usedon projects identified in the respective system's master plan and add newcapacityto the system. Reeser stated the only SDC fund spent during the 2023-24 fiscal year was the Water Fund for an evaluation of Well 3. Reeserreviewedthe SDCfund balancesforeachsystem, explaininganoddityinthe Sewerfund balance andnotingthe Parksfund balanceis budgetedto be spenton thedesignanddevelopmentofthe upcoming wetland park. Miner asked Reeser if SDCs were set by the State. Reeser explained each city orjurisdiction sets their own SDCs. MineraskedifourSDCsare comparablewithothernearbycities. Reeser explained a comparative analysis wasdone a fewyears ago, which revealed the City isslightly under other cities in the region. Miner asked if the City set fees based on a percentage of a project. Dirksexplained howSDCsaredeterminedbythe Cityforeachsystem. Miner asked about using SDCs for Public Safety costs. Dirksand ReeserreiteratedtheSDCfundscannotbe usedforongoingmaintenanceorotheritems, explainingtheyare restricted onlyto expansionsoftheexistingsystem. Reeserstated he is notawareofanycitywhochargesa PublicSafetySDCon newdevelopment. Condit explained doing so would be prohibited. Upon motion byTan, secondedby Smithand passing5-0, Resolution 1-2025wasapproved. DISCUSSION:FINANCIALPOLICIES Reeserexplainedthe GFOAhasbestpracticesregardingfinancialpolicies, notingthe Councilreviewedthe City'sinvestmentand purchasingpolicywithinthe last 18 monthsorso. Reeserstatedstaffhavealso identifiedsetting a fund balancepolicyasa potential improvement. Reeserreviewedthe general purposeofa fund balancepolicy, includingsettingguidelinesformaintaining operating cash, mitigating short term risk, bond sales and ratings, and direction on over/under balances. Reeserexplainedthis is an optional policyandstated staffwould present-sample policiesifCouncilwere interested. dark mentioned the City is already regulated by the State on whatfunds can and cannot be spent on, stating policies can be good but noted they can be cumbersome in certain situations, such as emergencies. dark stated City staff currently do an excellent job of providing the Council with spending reports and posed ifthe City really needs an official policy at this time. dark noted a future Council could also repeal any policy set now. Tan asked if neighboringcitieshavea policy. Reeser stated Gresham does, but he does not believe Fairview or Troutdale have a fund balance policy Reeser explained having a policy can act as a check and balance system forwhen a fund balance isn't performingasoutlined in the policy. Tan asked ifthe policy would increase scrutiny. Reeser confirmed it could act as additional scrutiny from outside agencies examining the City's finances. Dirks stated it could be viewed as a thought framework, as well, especially forfuture Councils to explain whythe Cityhasfundsandforwhatpurpose. Reeser explained having a policy would flag actions like removing or transferring fund balances for citizens or the City's Budget Committee so that questions could be asked as to why and forwhat purpose. Minerstated he believesthere is a needforpolicies,especiallyformoney. Minerexpressedconcernfor new staff not having guidelines on how the funds should be spent or whythey were being saved, for example, if Reeser or Dirks no longer workforthe City. Miner explained he wants staff to have guidelines but not ones that are too restrictive for staff. dark agreed as long asthe policy wasfor Capital improvements, such as a community center, replacement ofequipment, et cetera, but would not support a policy that is restrictive down to purchasing office supplies. Minerand dark agreed it would begoodto lookatsample policies. Smith stated it may not be a bad ideato look at sample policies from othercities. Rios-Campos agreed, noting it's better to do things when you don't need them than to not have them when you do need them. Tan asked ifstaffcould present howthe policy would support the City's long term financial goals, as well. Rios-Campos reiterated the importance ofguidance forfuture Council and staff. DISCUSSION:EASTER DCTRAVAGANZA Dirks provided a brief background on the history of Easter events in the city and reviewed issues with the current format. Dirksexplained staffstyled the new Easterevent after last year's Pumpkin Fest and reviewed the event plan. Dirksexplainedthe conceptofa StoryWalk,whichis a newfeatureforthe event, andthe ideafora local businessscavengerhunt. Dirks reviewed the draft event flyer, noting staffwant to set community expectations early. Dirks presented options for the Council's consideration. Tan liked the scavenger hunt at businesses but also liked the idea for an interactive hunt at the actual event too. Hindersstated a naturehuntin the parkwould beeasyto do. Dirksmentioned hidingcardboardEastereggs inthe parktoo, Minerstated hewould liketo doeverything included inthe report, includingthe sensoryroom, and noted signageforthe bookwalkcould potentiallybe reusedfordifferentevents. Miner expressed that traffic control would be worth it for the event. Dirks stated not only for traffic but for event parking too. Smithstated the Citywould haveto sell thecommunityon this neweventformatandasked howit would be promoted. Dirks explained the usual ways, newsletter, social media, website, et cetera. Dirksstated Fairviewmoved awayfrom the egg huntformat recentlytoo anddid not receivenegative feedback. Dirks mentioned anecdotally a community member this morning stated last year's format was a lot for his family. Dirks agreed the City would need to make it clear there would be no egg hunts ahead oftime, though. Tan commented that the newformat may only attract our community members, which in her opinion, was fine. dark remarked that when the City moved away from giving big prizes to just candy there was no negative feedback from the community. dark stated he believes people will be excited for the new format. Dirksreiterated setting expectationsearlywill be key. Rios-Camposagreedtrafficcontrol would be importantfortheevent, especiallywiththe upperlot closedfor the park restroom project, Rios-Campos liked the local business scavenger hunt and mentioned some of the businesses may donate gift cards for prizes too. Tan stated, as a parent, the egg hunt made it hard to capture moments with her kids. Rios-Camposmentionedthe newformatfits with meetingthe City'sgoalofintentionalcommunity engagement. Dirks agreed that the newformat allowed the City to have better conversations and engagement with the community. DISCUSSION:MAINSTREETSONHALSEY Dirks mentioned the Council has not discussed this project in about a year and let Council know no decisions will be made tonight. Dirksprovided backgroundon the MainStreetson Halseyprojectandthe project scope. Dirksexplainedthe consultantcame upwith plansfor residential,commercial, and Edgefieldsections, intersectiontreatments, and pedestriancrossings. Dirksnotedtherewasa lackofdetailon lighting, rightof way,andotherissueswiththe report. Dirksreviewed renderingsofthe proposedsectionsand highlightedkeyfeatures. Dirks reviewed the proposed intersection treatments and explained the City's issue with the proposed 238th intersection treatment. Mineraskedaboutadvancedstop bars includedinthe intersectiontreatmentfeatures. Dirksexplained it is a painted markingto stop carsfurtherin advanceofa crosswalk. Dirksreviewedtheenhancedcrossingsplan, highlightingthe planforadditionalcrossingsin WoodVillage. Dirks reviewed the long-term cost estimates, noting he anticipates costs to be closer to $100 million. Dirksmentionedtheconsultantprovided near-termoptionsforthe residentialandcommercialsections. The near-term solutionforthe Edgefieldsection is prettylimited butwould includeat leasta 6-footshoulder Dirksalso reviewedthe near-termoptionsforintersectiontreatmentsandcrossings, mentioningWood Villagewould still gettwoadditionalcrossingson Halsey. Dirks presented the near-term cost estimates, which could be between $1 to $4. 5 million depending on the actual build-outbutnotedthecitiesand Countydon't havethis money. Dirks overviewed the plan implementation and mentioned some steps are currently underway like TriMet evaluating bus stops. Dirksstated the Countydecidedit won'tdo anythinguntil the citiesdo. Troutdaleadoptedthe plan in October and Fairview and Wood Village are still discussing it. DirksexplainedtheWoodVillageconcerns, including practicalimprovements, buildingout pedestrian crossings, improved street lighting,andenhancedlandscaping. Dirks presented potential next steps: adopt full plan, adopt plan with priorities, or not adopt. Smith stated there has to be priorities but did not know whatthe priorities would be. Smith also asked if the plan isdoablewithoutcooperationfrom theothercitiesor County. Dirksexplained the City could do its own street light study, advocate for street crossings, or even landscaping.Dirksalsoexplainedthe prioritieswouldbeset bythe Council. darkasked ifthe Cityhasonlycontributedfundsforstaffthusfaronthe project. Dirksconfirmedthefundsused sofarareactuallyjust staffand explainedthe City hasgoneoutfor grants to fundthe Capitalprojects. Rios-Camposasked ifthe plan wouldneedto be adoptedas partoftheCounty's road planfirst. Dirksconfirmedsince it is a countyroad andexplainedthe Countyhasstated, ifthethreecitiesadoptthe planandthe opportunityarises,then it wouldexplore revisingthestreettemplate for Halsey. Minerstated hisnumberone priority is safety, explainingsincethere isn'tmuch money, the priorityshould beon crossings, lighting,and othersafetyprojects, suchaswideningthe road nearEdgefield. Minerstatedthethreecitiesshould moveforwardwiththe near-termsolutionsfocusedon safetyto keep this project a priority on the County's transportation plan, Dirksagreedthateven ifthe roadtemplate staysthesamethatthe Countywouldat least have opportunities to restripe or repave to improve safety and howthe road functions. Rios-Campos reiterated the Council seems on board with the plan with prioritizing safety. Gallien askedifthe Cityadoptsthe newroadtemplate andthe vacantproperty acrossfrom City Hall begins development, then would they have to build part of it, or would it only be built if the whole road is completed. Dirksexplainedthetemplate won'tchangeuntil it is more engineeredout, noting thatit is likelyyearsout, so if a developer were to come in now, then development would fall under current standards. Dirksrecappedthediscussionandstated he would bringbackanotherreportfortheirconsiderationat a later meeting. DIRECTOROFFINANCEREPORT Reeserexplainedthe report includesthe Novemberreport andan updated Decemberreport. Reeser stated the City received its expected property tax revenue funds. CITYATTORNEYREPORT None. MAYORANDCOUNCILCOMMENTS Dirks mentioned the possibility of pushing the Council Retreat further back to allow AP Triton more time to completethefire andemergencyservicesreport. Dirksasked ifthe Councilwantedto pushthe retreat backa fewweeksto havea more complete draftof the report for discussion, Rios-Campos asked about a new potential date. Dirks stated the Council's availability would dictate the new date. Minercommented he hada trip plannedbutwould arrive backintimeforthe March 1st retreat, noting he would preferto come backlaterand meeton March22nd. Rios-Camposasked if March22ndworkedfortheothercouncilors. Smith and Tan confirmed it worked with their schedules. Dirksmentioned if March22ndworkedforeveryonethen a more robustfirediscussioncould be held atthe retreat. Rios-Camposagreeda morecomplete report anddiscussionwould be better The Councilagreedon March22ndasthe newretreatdate. Miner mentioned discussing the food programs at the retreat. Dirksexplainedthatthefood program discussionwould be held atthe Council'sfirstFebruarymeeting. dark providedan updateon his health, stating he wasdiagnosedwith Stage1 PancreaticCanceratthe endof lastyear. dark informed Rios-Camposwouldneedto finda replacementforthe EMCTC. Rios-Campos rethanked Miner for his leadership over the last two years. dark remarked howfortunateWoodVillageisto havetwoformermayorssitting onthe Councilandthree former Council Presidents. Minercommented hewasn'tleavingthe mayorposition becausehedidn'tenjoy it but becausehewas confidentin the leadershipon Counciland hisplansto travel. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the Council adjourned at 8:03 pm. Jairo os- pcs MAYOR ATTEST: CITY RECOR R