City Council

^. Mayor Council President Councilors Jairo Rios-Campos DaraTan John C. Miner Mark dark Patricia Smith y aTy.°F,Wood ?e WOODVILLAGECITYCOUNCILMEETING MINUTES March 25, 2025-6:00 PM PRESENT MayorJairoRios-Campos,Council PresidentDaraTan, CouncilorsJohnC. Miner, Markdarkand Patricia Smith, City Manager Greg Dirks, Public Works Operations Manager Erika Normine, Public Works Projects ManagerBeckyGallien, Directorof FinanceSeth Reeser, CityAttorneyJeffCondit, and interested parties. ABSENT None. CITIZEN COMMENTS (NON. AGENDA ITEMS) Scott Harden, Wood Village community member, stated he wanted to discuss Paddles for a Purpose, which is a fundraiser organized by the West Columbia Gorge Chamber of Commerce at the East County Pickleball Courts in Troutdale. Hardenmentionedthe fundraiserwouldbenefitthe EastCountyFood Pantry, Cultivate Initiatives,and ShelterBoxandaskedthe Councilto be a sponsorofthe tournamentatthe $100level. Harden stated he would give the sponsorship info to Gallien. Miner asked about the Shelter Box beneficiary. Hardenstated he is not veryfamiliarbut invited Dirksto explain more aboutit. Dirksexplainedit is connected butseparatefrom the Rotarybutincludesprovidingtemporaryshelterand housing during emergencies internationally, noting their primary focus is internationally. Rios-Camposasked Hardento confirmthatit wastoo lateto sponsoratthe $300level, Hardenstatedthe Citycould donateat a higherlevel butwould not be includedon the sponsorbanner Miner explained Cultivate Initiatives could be facing budget cuts and noted the City has previously supported the East County Food Pantry, Minerstated manyorganizationsarefacingfundingissuescurrentlyand wouldsupportsponsoringthe fundraiser, Hardenexplainedhe has recently been rejected to severaljobs dueto the positionbeingcut. Smithagreedit wasimportantto support, mentioningtheThursdayproducegiveawaywould not be happeningmoving forward, Rios-Camposstated it seemedthere wasa consensusto support. Miner asked Dirks to explain how much was left in the Council Discretionary fund. Dirks stated there should be plenty in the fund to support at any level. Tan motionedto supportatthe $500level, Smithseconded,voting 5-0the motion passed. Tan asked about volunteer opportunities. Harden stated there are opportunities and he could share more. He also invited the Council to participate if they were pickleball players. Rios-Campos thanked Harden for bringing this to the Council's attention. Harden thanked the Council. Tan readthe proclamation recognizingthe monthofApril as Parkinson'sAwarenessMonth in Wood Village. Rios-Camposstated WoodVillagehasrecognizedthisawarenessmonthforseveral years now. Dirksalso mentionedthe GreshamParkinson'sSupportGroup meetsoncea month insideCity Hall, explaining the City donates this use. CONSENTCALENDAR A. City Council Minutes o March 11, 2025 B. City Events o 27thAnnual CityNiteOut o PlayEastRec Night C. BudgetCommitteeAppointments- Term Expires 12/31/2027 o T. Scott Harden D. Urban Renewal Board Appointments - Term Expires 12/31/2028 Upon motion by Tan, seconded by Miner and passing 5-0, the Consent Agenda was approved. Rios-Camposstatedthe Councilwouldsee Hardensoon asthe newestmemberofthe BudgetCommittee and the Urban Renewal Board. Dirksmentioned Rios-Camposfoundan open Shari'sin Vancouverto providepiesforthisyear'sbudget meeting. PRESENTATION: EAST COUNTY MEDIATION Dirks introduced Tera Cleland, the Director of East County Resolutions. Dirksexplained hewould bechecking hisphoneduringthe meeting dueto a waterleak in the lower system. Dirks mentioned Gresham was going to cut funding for the East County Resolutions but has received one more year of support, explaining he has assisted Cleland to set it up as a 501(c)3 and is now serving on the board. Cleland stated she wanted to clear up a few things regarding the transition, noting the program would be a separate entity as a 501(c)3 as of July 1st. The program has been operating under the City of Gresham for 32 years. Cleland explained the program cost $3, 103 during the last fiscal year and served 2, 500 people despite complaints the program cost too much. Clelanddiscussedthe SecondHome program whichprovideshouselessor housinginsecureyouth a place to live whiletheyfinishschool. Cleland discussedotherprograms, suchas assistinghomeownersfacingforeclosure, thatwould be continuing. Cleland stated the program's budget looks good for the upcoming year, noting she was hoping for continuedsupportfrom WoodVillageand Gresham. Smith asked how the program operates with such a little budget and about how many staff were employed. Cleland explained she is the only full-time staff member, but funding for the former part-time employee was cut. The program also utilizestwentyvolunteer mediatorsandfacilitators. Cleland mentioned she also offers cost-based programs but works to meet the budget of other organizations. Tan asked about how people know about their services and how students would reach out. Cleland mentionedthe program usedto providea lot ofoutreachatevents inthe communitybutit did not have a high success rate and required a lot of staff time. Instead, Cleland explained having their information sharedbythe SheriffsOfficeand otherregionalpartnershasbeena betterwayto getwordout about the services. Cleland stated the Second Home program works well for students who have issues with housing security butdootherwisewell asa student. The program includesa seriesofinterviewsbetweenthestudentand potential homing placement providers. Miner asked if the program had a connection with the school counselors. Cleland explained she hopes they know of the program, but it requires a continuous outreach to them to ensure they're aware ofthe program since there is often a lot ofturnover in the positions. Cleland also said shedoesa mediationworkshopat Reynolds HighSchooltoo. Miner asked ifthere was a physical location for the program. Cleland explained it is a remote operation, so there is a phone number and email to contact them. Rios-Camposasked iffundingwasdependenton clients referredfromeachcity. Clelandstatedthere is an IGAin placewith ECRandthe fourcitiesinthe area, noting she believesthe funding proportion is related to population size, Wood Village contributes $1, 622 and as a part ofthis, any WoodVillagestaff, volunteer, administrator,etc. mayattendworkshopsforfree. Dirks mentioned Cleland has done several conflict resolution trainings at City Hall and noted it is a great resourceutilized bystaffto refercommunitymembersto. Dirks stated the City of Gresham may be looking to outsource mediation services, like other pro-social services, as it evaluates its core budget. Rios-Camposagreedit is a greatresourceto sharewithourcommunity members. Minerstated the program's budgetseemsto bewell utilized. Rios-Campos thanked Cleland for her services, Minerasked howtherewould beenoughfundsto operate. Cleland stated she is not sure how much funding Gresham will be supporting this year, Miner asked about the other two cities. Cleland explained she is having conversations with the other two cities soon. Cleland also mentioned much of the funding comes from the State and does not anticipate that amount to change this year. As long asthe other cities support atthe previous rate, the program should be okay for this year. Dirksthanked Clelandforhergreatwork. DISCUSSION:COUNCILRETREATRECAP Dirks stated he has no big presentation given the retreat was last Saturday. Dirksmentionedtherewasan additionalmeetingon Mondaythatwentwell and anothermeetingtomorrow regarding fire service. Dirks stated the City should knowwhat it needs to knowto get a three-city IGAfor fire service in place soon. Dirks explained the Council seems to understand the five-year financial forecast and staffwould work to put togethera draftannualperformanceplanforthe upcomingyear. Dirks explained the budget and costs for the retreat, noting it was the lowest cost retreat in recent years. Mineraskedaboutthe effectivedateofthe potential IGA. Dirksexplainedit would beeffectiveJuly 1. Miner asked how the IGA would work at the three-city meeting. Dirksexplainedthe reviewofthe IGAwouldtake placeatthethree-citymeeting, andthen eachcitywould open its own Council meeting immediately following to authorize each City Manager to develop and execute the IGA. Minerasked ifthe IGAwouldthen be broughtforwardat a future meetingto takeformal action. Dirks confirmed. Smithasked ifan emergencymeeting would needto becalled. Dirksexplainedthatas long asthere is 24-hournoticethen anemergencymeetingwould not beneeded. Rios-Camposstatedthe ideabehindthethree-citymeeting would beto confirmthethreecitiesare in agreement on howto move forward, Dirks reiterated the City wouldn't have a definitive answer until April 7th. Rios-Camposstated it wasimportantthe Councilcoulddiscussit deeplyatthe retreaton Saturdaysince the Council will be steering the direction of the other two cities. Dirks explained that it could be difficult for the other two cities to not have a draft ofthe AP Triton report prior to a decision needing to be made. Minerexplainedthe Cityis not in a placeto affordthe costoffire serviceproposed byGreshamand needs to seek a different source to provide the service, Miner hoped the other two City Councils would see this and be on board. Smith agreed. Dirks stated the hope the other cities would see that the value of the dollar spent on service would be better undera differentprovider, especiallywiththe investment in capital, Dirks mentioned the City has already hired a PR firm who is working to connect to a polling firm now in addition to a draft timeline for the work plan. Rios-Campos reiterated everyone understands an increase is coming, and it is nowjust time to decide on whatspecificchangewill betaking place. Rios-Camposmentioned he hopesthere isenoughtrust and goodfaith in thisCouncilto helptheothercitiescometo thesameconclusion. Tan mentioned it would be helpful for the Council to have key points for talking with the other Councils. Dirks agreed and stated that those could be prepared after April 7th. Dirks and the Council agreed the food at the retreat was good, as well. Rios-Campos stated his appreciation for the PR firm to quickly develop an action plan based on conversations at the retreat. Dirksandthe Councilagreed. DIRECTOROFPUBLICWORKSREPORT Norminepresentedthe monthly PublicWorksreport:thesewerCCTVprojectcontinuedandwill be completed nextweek;boardswere replacedalongthe boardwalktrail inthe park;crewfilled several potholeson Halsey, andthe Countyrefilled potholesagaintoday; andthecrewinstalled newradioreads. Normine stated 18 permits were issued, 43 inspections completed, and there were 15 code compliance cases;the remodelsatWalmartand Fred Meyerareongoing;progresswasmadeon the parkrestroom project; andthewaterloss increased last month, but hopefullynextmonth'slosswould be lowersince a leak on Walnut was identified. Dirksexplainedthe leakwasovera perforatedstormdrainline, explainingNorminehireda leakdetection crew to find it since it had been so difficult to identify DIRECTOROFFINANCEREPORT Dirks presented for Reeser who will be in Salem early tomorrow morning to provide legislative testimony on some state property tax bills. Dirks stated all is well with the City finances. Rios-Campos mentioned seeing a proposed legislative change as many cities face budget deficits around the state. Minerstated itwasgoodforlegislatorsto starttalking aboutchangingthe propertytaxstructureto not be evaluated at the rate set in the 1990s, Dirksagreedandstatedtheycould also revisitthechangeproperty ratioto ensure newconstructioncomes closer to market value and not the value from the 1990s. Mineraskedwhichbill Reeserwastestifyingon, Dirksstated itwasthe bill on maximumassessedvalue, explainingReeserhelpedcraftsomeofthe language, Rios-Camposmentioned itwould benefita lot ofpeople ifan adjustmentwasmadeor it wasat least revisited. Dirksexplained Reeseris a good person to givethese presentationsaroundthestateto help makethese concepts easier to understand and keep momentum going to work towards meaningful change. CITY MANAGER REPORT Dirks mentioned not much of the APP was discussed at the retreat, but he noted the Council has a good understanding ofthe big projects and their statuses. Dirks stated the Grand Ronde wants to reschedule the Council-to-Council meeting in May and asked the Council about potential dates. Smith and Miner stated May 1stcould work. Rios-Campos stated he could make it work, Tan asked if the meeting would be from around 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Dirksexplainedthe Councilcould meetat City Hall and leavearound 8:00AM andthen return around3:00 PM. Smith asked about the Council leader who lost her husband. Dirks stated he hasn't had much of a chance to connect with Stacia at the Grand Ronde but expects it was a greatlossforeveryone. Tan asked if the May 1stdate worked for everyone. Dirks confirmed. CITYATTORNEYREPORT None. MAYORAND COUNCILCOMMENTS Miner asked about the cleanup event date. Dirks stated it is on Saturday, May 17th, noting the entrance will be off the NE 223rd side this year. Dirksmentionedthe EasterExtravaganzais on Saturday,April 19thandso farhas26 organizationsfor tabling. Dirks stated Hinders developed an in-the-park scavenger hunt, noting not many businesses have joined the business scavenger hunt yet. Smithstated shewaswalking in the parkon Sundayandtalkedwitha womanabouta much-lovedsquirrel in the park who recently passed away, noting how sweet it was the woman and her family buried the squirrel in their yard. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the Council adjourned at 7:02 pm. ios-C pos MAYOR AT ST: ITY RECORDER