City Council

..^. z," Mayor Council President Councilors Jairo Rios-Campos Dara Tan John C. Miner Mark dark Pab-iciaSmith aTr°,F,Wood WOODVILLAGECITYCOUNCILMEETING MINUTES February 25, 2025-6:00 PM PRESENT Mayor Jairo Rios-Campos, Council President Dara Tan, Councilors John C. Miner, Mark dark, and Patricia Smith, City ManagerGreg Dirks, PublicWorksOperationsManagerErikaNorrnine, PublicWorksProjects Manager Becky Gallien, Director of Finance Seth Reeser, City Attorney Jeff Condit, and interested parties. ABSENT None. CITIZEN COMMENTS (NON-AGENDA ITEMS) Conditarrived at 6:02 PM. Rios-Camposmentioned an awardwould be presentedto Stanand Rita Dirkstonightfortheiryearsof community service and invited Councilor Miner to make remarks in their honor. Minerremarked howlong Stanand Rita havelived in andcontributedto the WoodVillagecommunity, noting theirrecentmoveoutofthe Cityspurredthe interest in presentingthem withthisaward. Rios-Campos invited other councilors to provide remarks, as well. Smith mentionedshe hasknownthemfora longtime and is sadto seethem leaveWood Village, noting theymust be proudto havetheirson runningthe Citynow. darkstated hecameontothe CityCouncilforthefirsttime a fewmonths priorto Stanin 2007and has worked with him on other commissions and committees together, as well. dark remarked that he and Stan hadsimilarmindsetswhen it cameto beingfiscallyconservativewiththe City's moneyand hasenjoyed working together over the years. dark mentioned he also supported Stan'sbidfor MultnomahCountyCommissioner. Tan statedshe hasnot hadtheopportunityto workwiththe Dirksdirectlybutthankedthemfortheir contributions to the community that serve her and her family. G. Dirksremarked hewasglad hisfamilymoved to WoodVillagein 1991 and readthe plaque's inscription. G. Dirkspresented Stanand Rita Dirkswiththe plaqueand invitedthemto speak. S, DirksthankedMinerand remarked it wasa privilegeto volunteerforthe City, noting it wasa calling passed on down from his mother. S. Dirks stated he and Smith have known each other since 1995 and thanked Smith for herwork on the Parks Commission. S. Dirksdiscussedhisexperiencebeing broughtontothe CityCouncilandstatedthe CommunityCleanup Days are some of his favorite memories. S. DirksmentionedCondithasbeenwiththe Citythe longest. Condit remarked since 1988. S. Dirks stated the City has always had great staff that keeps the Council and committees informed. R. Dirks mentioned she is more comfortable volunteering for events but got started with the Parks Commissionto get involvedwiththe EasterEgg Hunt, notingthatG. Dirksgotinvolved ata youngagetoo. Rios-Campos thanked Stan and Rita again. Rios-Camposand G. Dirksposed forphotoswithS. Dirks, and R, Dirks. Rios-Camposinvited anypubliccomment. Stayce Blume, who owns East County Pickleball Courts in Troutdale, mentioned she is a member ofthe EastMetro LeadersRoundtable,a groupfounded in 2024to bringa focusbackto EastCounty. Blume mentionedthe grouprecently held a housingsummitat Mt. Hood CommunityCollegeandstated she is a longtime East County resident. Blume stated Rios-Campos is a member ofthe group. Blumediscussedthe recenthousingsummitat MHCC, notingthe goal isto hold thesummitat leasttwice a year. Blume urged Council to prioritize housing, commit to collaborative solutions, and participate in the next session. Blume invited questions from the Council. Tan asked where more information could be found online. Blume stated it was on a shared drive that could be shared with the City, Dirks stated he has access to the shared drive and would forward to the Council. Rios-Campos asked for additional public comment, Dirks stated the City received comments related to the recent winter weather event and issues related to County upkeep. Dirks mentioned improvements could be made to how road closures on NE 238th Dr. are communicated with the community in the future, remarking closing the road at Halsey may be a better idea. Dirks mentioned street sweeping is scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday to remove the remaining sand and gravel. CONSENTCALENDAR A. City Council Minutes o February 11, 2025 B. CityEvents o Volunteer Appreciation Dinner C. NewOLCC Liquor License o Arco AM/PM - J&B Petroleum WV, Inc. Upon motion by dark, seconded by Smith and passing 5-0, the Consent Agenda was approved. DISCUSSION:FIREIGAUPDATE Dirksstated hewashopefulto bringa draftIGAforreviewtonight, butit wasnot possibleatthistime, explaining this is an update on where discussions remain currently. Dirks provided background on fire service in Wood Village provided by Gresham and discussed the Greshampublicsafetyfee approved last May, whichwasapproximately60 cents per$1,000assessed value. DirksreviewedrecentdiscussionswithGreshamspanningfrom last Septemberup to this month, explainingtheWoodVillageproposal is a full costrecoveryforthe service butwitha three-yearlead in period.This proposaldiffersfrom Gresham'slastofferwhichwasa full costrecoveryfortheservice but with a one-year lead in period. DirksmentionedWoodVillageofferedthis proposalon February10th, but FairviewandTroutdale have until the end ofthe week to provide their proposals to Gresham. Dirks reviewed both the original Gresham supposal for each of the three cities and the Wood Village costs counter-proposed bythe Cityon February10th. Dirksdiscussedhowthe Citycouldcoverthecost, mentioningtheYear4 lead in costwouldbe$3.61 per $1, 000 for Wood Village. Dirkscomparedthis$3.61 rateto otherfiredistrictcosts in the region, noting it would bethe highest. Dirksstated, at no faultofGresham Fire,the highcostwould not result in improved service butratherjust increase cost for the current service model and level. Dirksreviewedongoing relatedefforts, includinga propertytaximpactstudy looking atcompression impacts ofa $2. 85 levy rate and the fire service options and alternatives analysis being done byAP Triton. Dirks mentioned the technical review of AP Triton report has been pushed back to April. Dirksdiscussed potential nextstepswiththe hopeto renewthe IGAwith Greshamin March,workwithAP Triton to expeditethetechnicalreview,anddiscussdetailed nextsteps, options, and budgetsatthe Council retreat. dark stated Dirksansweredall hisquestions, mentioningWoodVillageis nowjustwaitingon the othertwo cities. Dirks mentioned he isn't sure what Gresham will think of the other two cities' proposals. Rios-CamposstatedWoodVillageneedsto putourcommunityfirstand begineducatingthecommunityon options and what comes next. dark mentionedthe lastthree-citymeeting andasked howmanyCouncilorsfrom the othercitiesattended. Dirksstated quite a fewfrom FairviewwithfewerCouncilorsfrom Troutdale, butmentionedTroutdale has had Councilorturnover and other priorities like their police contract. dark asked about having another three-city meeting soon. Dirksexplainedthefirstgoal isto renewthe IGAandthen reviewthe reportbeforemeeting withthe other cities again. Tan asked about the deadline for the AP Triton report. Dirks stated the initial deadline was not met, noting John Stouffer, who was working on the report, was let gofromthe company. Dirksis not surewhyand is waitingfor more informationfromAPTriton on whythere is a delay in getting the report. Miner stated it is disappointing more conversations haven't been able to happen with the other two cities. Miner asked Dirks to walk through funding options to cover the cost until a fire district vote could be held. Dirksmentionedthis is a greattopicforthe retreatto discusswhatto do in theshort-term versusjust looking at a long-term option. Dirks explained a short-term option, such as a public safety fee, would need to go to a vote as a privilege taxandwould require an addition$1.70 per$1,000assessedvalue. Dirksmentionedthe City's most recent proposalwould be an 80%overall increasebutwould return 70%of cost. Rios-Camposstated thiswouldbe discussedmore atthe Council retreatandmentionedthegoalwhenthe four city managers and mayors met was to educate the community. Dirksstated all partieswantto cometogetherto find a solutionto ensureourcommunitiesare protected. LEGISLATIVEENDORSEMENTREQUESTS Dirksstatedthere weremultiple requestsforendorsementdiscussedatthe last meeting, includingstate fundingforGreshamFireStation74, the MHCCbond levy request, andstatefundingforSB703. DirksreviewedhowCouncilendorsementsoperate, stating it is an unofficialpolicythata Council endorsementrequiresa unanimousvote but noted individualCouncilorsmayendorseor opposea request. DirksdiscussedGresham Fire Station- 74 at 192ndand Halsey, explainingthe request is a $10million state funding request on a $22 million project, Dirks stated representatives from Gresham Fire could explain more and reviewed renderingsofthe proposedstation improvements. Rios-Camposinvited Kevin Larson,the unionpresident,to addressanyquestionsfrom Council. Larson introduced himselfandstated hewasrequesting supportforstatefundingfor Station74. Larsondiscussed issueswiththecurrentstation andtheover$20 million costfora newstation, notingthe CityofGreshamhasidentifiedthisstation asthe priorityto update. Larsonmentioned Rep. Ruiz, Rep. Hudson,and Sen.Gorsekareonboardwiththefunding requestand they are seeking regional support, as well. Smithasked if hewasoptimisticaboutreceivingthefunds. Larsonstated he is cautiouslyoptimisticand mentioned havingmatchfundsfrom the CityofGreshamis a plus. dark mentioned hethoughtthisstationwasacrossthestreetfrom the Troutdale PostOffice. Larsonstated the buildingatthatlocation is Station75. MinerreiteratedthatGreshamfirefightersareourfirefighterstoo, servingtheWood Villagecommunity, and mentioned we need to take care of our firefighters, Minerasked Larson, basedon thethree citiespotentiallymoving to a newfire district, if hecould provide anyinsightto supportthethree citiesmightreceivefrom the unionor Greshamfirefighters. Larson explained emergencies know no jurisdictional boundary and stated the firefighters would support the three cities in the future. MinerthankedLarsonforhisforthrightcommitment. Tan askedwhythis station wasselectedfor updatesandaboutthe futureoftheotherstations. Larson agreed that all the stations would need updates but that Station 74 falls under the Rockwood Urban Redevelopmentzone, so urban renewalfundscould also be utilizedforthis project. Larsonmentioned there is earlytalkaboutgoingto a bondforfundingtheotherstations. Minerasked ifStation74 wasalso a training station. Larsonstated it is rightnextto thetrainingfacility, andtheyoften send newrecruitsdownto thetraining facility from the station. Rios-Campos asked for a motion to support the letter. Tan motioned, Smithseconded,voting 5-0, the motion unanimouslypassedto endorsethe statefunding requestfor Gresham FireStation74. LarsonthankedtheCouncilandstatedthefirefighterswould bethereto supportthe Cityshouldthetime come. Dirksstated hewould passthe Council'sendorsementonto Rep. Ruiz, Rep. Hudson, andSen. Gorsek. Dirksdiscussedthe requestfrom MHCCto endorsethe bond levyandthe bondprojectsfundedby it. Dirks mentioned the bond is 25 cents per $1, 000 assessed value, or $5 a month forthe average homeowner in the district, Rios-Camposinvited Dr. Skariandother MHCCrepresentativesto addressthe Council'squestions. Dr. Skari introduced herself and Claire, a representative of the Bond Action Committee. Smith stated it was a lot of money. Tan asked how the higher needs were identified. Dr. Skari mentioned a comprehensive study of campus facilities was undertaken in addition to talking with thecommunityto ensurethe projectswere inthe rightpriority. A bonddevelopmentworkgroupthen provided feedback based on those identified needs, dark mentioned he took the opportunity to walk the campus to better see the needs and could easily see whereupdateswere neededaroundcampus. dark stated he does not have a problem with endorsing the bond. Rios-Camposmentioned hewasa partofthe bonddevelopmentworkgroup, notingtouring thefacilities really highlightedthe needforupdates. Rios-Camposstatedthe developmentgroup reallyfocusedonthe return value for the community. darkstatedthe buildingsare sturdyand, in hisopinion,would not beaffectedby an earthquake. Rios-Camposdisagreedthatsomewould beaffected. Tan mentionedsheattended MHCCand havingthe rightresourcesis really importantforstudents. Minerstated heattended MHCCin the 1970sandaskedaboutthecostforthe averagehomeowner. Dr. Skaristated $5 a monthor$60a year. Minerstated communitycollegesare a majoreconomicdriverin anycommunityand recountedthe opportunities offered to students through community colleges. Miner stated, in his opinion, this bond needs to be passed. Rios-Campos asked for a motion to support. dark motioned, Smithseconded,voting 5-0, the motion unanimouslypassedto endorsethe MHCCbond levyon the May2025ballot. Dirks discussed SB 703, which would assist non-citizens in changing their immigration status or obtaining lawful permanentresidencebyprovidinggrantsto nonprofitservice providers. Dirksexplained it isa $6 million statefundingrequestand is not legalaidforthosefacingdeportation. Tan askedforclarificationthatthiswould provide assistanceforimmigrantsseekingcitizenship. Rios-Campos confirmed and stated it has qualifying factors that must be met to receive assistance. dark mentioned it is costlyto becomea citizen, Smithaskedwherethe grantswould be comingfrom. Dirksexplainedthe $6 million wouldsourcethe grantsto regional nonprofits. dark stated he believedSmithwasaskingwherethe $6 millionfigurewascomingfrom. Dirks stated he was not sure, noting it wasjust the budget ask included in the bill. dark asked where the actual funds were coming from. Dirksexplainedfromthe Statelottery fund, mentioningthis bill wouldbe competingwithotherlotteryfund asks. Miner asked about the report's note that funds would not be used by detained immigrants. Dirksstated the Statealreadyhasa fundingmechanismforlegalaidforimmigrationanddeportation hearings. The SB 703 funds would be for those seeking permanent citizenship not in a detention facility. Tan motioned, Minerseconded,voting 5-0, the motion unanimouslypassedto endorse SB703. Dirksstated hewould notifyour regionalrepresentativesoftheendorsement. Dirksaskedto move upthe MainStreetson Halseyagendaitemto allowthe Countyrepresentativesatthe meeting to present earlier, Rios-Camposagreedandmoved onto Resolution5-2025:MainStreetson Halsey. DISCUSSION:COMPANALYSIS Reeserstated Councilpolicyrequiresa compensationanalysiseverythree years, noting it wasdoneearly ahead of union negotiations. Reeserprovidedanoverviewofthe analysis, stating it helpsdetermine howcompetitive Citycompensation is for each position. Reeserexplainedhowthe Citydeterminescomparatorcitiesusingthe PublicEmployeeCollective Bargaining Act (PECBA) and stated the City reached out to the next ten highest and lowest cities in population. Reeser reviewed which positions were studied and stated the Groundskeeper and Public Works Supervisor were not included as they are not currently filled, may never be again, and are not common positions. ReeserstatedtheCityconsidersa Cost-of-LivingAdjustment(COLA),as well, inthe study. Reeser reviewed results from the analysis and highlighted trends, including, generally, Wood Village employees reach top ofthe pay scale fasterthan comparators and are less dependent on longevity pay. Reeserpointed out, regionally, WoodVillageis ator slightlyaheadof FairviewbutbehindTroutdale, Reeserstated WoodVillagepaysabovepopulationcompsfordirector/managerlevel positions,explaining this as a part of being a small city in a large metre region. Dirksclarifiedthatthe rangeshownin the presentationwasforourcomparators notWood Village. Reeserdiscussedproposed changeswiththe recommendationto updatepayrangesforthe Accountant and EngineeringTech positionseffective March21, 2025. Tancommentedthatshe believesstrongly inthe investment in retainingstaffandsupportsthe analysis. Minerstated hisappreciationfordoinga comp analysisandthevariablesthataretaken into consideration to undergo this. Rios-Campos asked for a motion. Smith motioned, Tan seconded,voting 5-0, the recommendationwasunanimouslyapproved. RESOLUTION4.2025:SUPPLEMENTALBUDGET Reeser stated the City has gotten into the habitofdoing the supplemental budget midyear as it heads into its budget process forthe nextfiscal yearto more accurately reflect what is going on. Reeser explained the supplemental budget would require a public hearing ifaltering over 10% offund appropriations,whichthisyear'ssupplemental budgetdoes not, so it movesforwardasa resolution. Reeser reviewed the budget changes, including an increase in Union health care cost, the new UFSWQD fee payout, the newgarage doors forthe Ops building, tape based back up, contingency forWell 3 VFD and preliminary design for leak detection and design for a fix, and cost for cloud permit software to avoid using the state system. Reeser overviewed the cost summary ofchanges. Dirks reiterated the City is not required to do this butopted to do so fortransparency for both the Council andthe community. Upon motion by Miner, secondedbySmithand passing5-0, Resolution4-2025wasapproved. Rios-Campos moved onto the Public Works Director Report. RESOLUTION5-2025:MAINSTREETSONHALSEY Dirksreviewedthe MainStreetson Halseyproject and mentioned he presentedthe latest updateonthe project at the Council's January 14th meeting. Dirksdiscussedthe streettemplate spanningfrom FairviewtoTroutdalealong Halseyand revieweddesign proposals fortypical cross-sections fordifferent zones along the corridor. Dirksreviewedthe proposed enhancedcrossingsalong Halseyin the corridor. Dirks reviewed issues with adopting the template identified by the Council at the last presentation and mentionedthe Council provideddirectionto focuson safetyand mobilityenhancementsalongthe existing corridorforthe WoodVillageandthe Edgefieldsection. Dirks mentioned Troutdale has approved the full street template plan and Fairview has at least discussed the plan. Dirks stated, ifapproved with targeted and specific improvements, it would not necessarily prohibit additionalaction in othercommunitiesandwouldprovideguidanceon desiredprojects. The City, if approved, would work with Multnomah County for further implementation of the targeted improvements. Rios-Campos invited County representatives to address the Council. Arini Farrell, a Multnomah County Project Manager, introduced herself along with Jessica Berry, the Deputy Director of the Transportation Division. dark asked where Fairview stands with the plan. Farrellstatedthe plan is being reviewed bythe FairviewPlanningCommissionbeforeit goesonto theCity, noting the Countyhasattendedworkshopsin Fairviewto addresstheirconcernsand help identifynear- term solutions. In Farrell's understanding, Fairview's Planning Commission may adopt the plan with identified near-term solutions to be implemented in the next few years. dark asked where the plan stands with our Planning Commission, Dirks stated Fairview was unique in taking the plan to its Economic Development Committee, which coincides with their Planning Commission, mentioning Wood Village did not see it as a planning issue since it did nottouch on the City's land usecode. Dirks mentioned the plan could be brought to the Planning Commission at the Council's direction. dark stated the project has been ongoing for so long, remarking he recently found papers related to the projectfrom manyyearsagowhenhiswifewasa memberofthe PlanningCommission. Dirksexplainedtherewasa LandUseandZoningDevelopmentcode updatein 2017wherethe City held concurrent Planning Commission and City Council meetings so both boards could discuss and review the plan. Dirks mentioned some concepts from the Main Streets on Halsey project were not done in the optimal order due to when grant funds were available. dark mentioned hisconcernsaboutthedifferingsectiontemplates and believed Fairviewhadapproved a template that would run its entire section rather than two separate templates within the same section. Dirks stated Fairview has its own concerns and agreed that, for the user, Halsey should have some cohesiveness with allowances for variations in each community. Dirks mentioned working with three or four different jurisdictions meant a singular cohesive template was not likely for the entire corridor. Dirks noted Wood Village views Halsey, while not optimal, as better than other areas in the region, explaining while the City does not need to oppose the template, the City views certain near-term solutions as priority to improve user experience regardless of mode oftransportation. Farrell added thatthe County wanted each individual City to approve and adopt the plan because a previous County initiative along Halsey in 2004 received pushbackfrom the cities for not considering the cities enough. Farrell explained the three cities came together in 2017 to envision the future of the Halsey corridor as an economic development initiative, first considering land use options followed by building codes to address anydevelopmentconcerns. Farrell stated the County wants to move forward with the project and hopes the three cities approve the plan, noting Troutdale and Fairview would like to adopt the vision ofthe corridor as part oftheir transportationsystem plans. Farrell remarked the County would tike to knowthe City supports the plan to move forward as good partners on the plan. Rios-Campos explained hewas a member ofthe HC3 committee, noting the original thought wasfor a cohesive corridor but allowing each city to have its own identity so users could distinguish being in each community. Miner asked forclarification regarding if adopting the recommendation to focus on safety improvements nowwould exclude future options for adopting the whole plan, noting he would like to see something come of all the work done as part ofthe project. Dirksexplained the resolution is structured to emphasize the safety improvements and Edgefield section as priority. The resolution does not explicitly saythe City loves the corridor plan but also does not state we are not adopting it. Dirks believed this resolution would not prevent further exploration ofthe plan's impacts or development of future improvements but also signals short-term priorities, reiterating that this resolution does not adopt the wholeplan butdoes notopposeit either. Berry stated, in general, Dirks was not wrong, but the County would love to see the City adopt the full plan and agreed with the concern on howto implement the plan in a piecemeal manner given targe portions of Halseyare alreadydeveloped. Berry agreed that the City could adopt the resolution as written, and it would not mean further conversations about the whole plan could not happen in the future, Farrell also agreed the City could adopt as written, pointing out, though, adopting the whole plan would put more pressure on Edgefield to comply with the development requirements given the City has identified the Edgefield section as a priority. Farrellstatedthe Countyis happyto returnto a future meetingto discussmore ifthe Councilchoosesto adoptor not adoptthe planorchoosesto adoptthe resolution aswrittentonight. Dirksmentionedthere may be an optionto add an amendmentto the motion to stateto continuethe Main Streets on Halsey street template refinement, understanding this is a conceptual plan that will be further refined, while continuing to prioritize the specific improvement areas. Farrell asked if Dirks meant to adopt the conceptual plan with these priorities and agreeing to everything, Dirks confirmed. Farrell explained the Council could adopt a plan that states there is ongoing work that needs to be done on Halsey, recognizing the public involvement undertaken through the Main Streets on Halsey project, while prioritizingthesafetyenhancements.TheCounty, then, would havea cleardirection includingWood Village'sprioritiesfor nextstepsthatcould be broughtto the boardto showthe existingcoalitionin East County. Upon motion by dark, seconded by Tan and passing 5-0, Resolution 4-2025 was approved. Rios-Campos moved to Discussion: Comp Analysis. DIRECTOROFPUBLICWORKSREPORT Norminepresented the reportforthe month: crewcompleted radioreads;paintedcurbsforno parking zones around the City; updated chlorine injection system for the wells; and propped for inclement winter weather, including clearing snow and ice and sanding roads. Norminereviewedongoingprojects, includingthe remodelsatWalmartand Fred Meyer; progresswiththe park restroom project; and 15 permits issued with 35 inspections completed. Norminestatedthe City'ssystem waterloss returnedto 16 percent, butstaffare still investigatingthe source. Dirks mentioned the new park restroom has walls now. Rios-Camposthankedthe PublicWorkscrewfortheirworkpreparingforthe inclementweather. Normine stated the City wanted to show it had learned from last year. dark mentioned hetalked with Normineaboutthe City'sinclementweatherplan, notingthe policycould be changedifthe mag chloridewouldworkin placeofthe rocks insteadofdoing both. Dirks stated the plan could be reevaluated, explaining certain materials can only be applied at certain times and in certain orders, and reviewed the decision to use rock in addition to mag chloride on hilly areas. dark asked about a smaller rock option. Normine stated the crew could look into it. Dirks mentioned the deicer worked really well. DIRECTOROFFINANCEREPORT Reeserstated he had no presentation andaskedthe Councilforquestions. None were given. CITYMANAGERREPORT Dirksstated hewill bethe newEMCTCrepresentativeandwill havethe Mayortake partin meetingsfor which he cannot vote. Dirks mentioned this year's Opportunity Scholarship and explained the Citywould start advertising the applicationopeningofMay 1ston the Citywebsiteandsocialmediabeforeplacingit intothe May newsletter. Dirksdiscussed targeted outreach for both student and adult learners forthe scholarship. CITYATTORNEYREPORT None. MAYORAND COUNCILCOMMENTS None. ADJOURNMENT Withnofurtherbusiness,the Counciladjourned at8:11 pm. Jair ' s- mpos MAYOR ATTEST: ITYRECORDER