City Council

1 fy. t-" Mayor Council President Councilors 1^ Jairo Rios-Campos DaraTan John C. Miner Patricia Smith Charlene Gothard - cm^vvood WOODVILLAGECITYCOUNCILMEETING MINUTES January13, 2026-6:00 PM PRESENT MayorJairoRios-Campos,Council PresidentDaraTan, CouncilorsJohnC. Miner, PatriciaSmithand CharleneGothard, City ManagerGreg Dirks, PublicWorksOperationsManagerErikaBronson, Public WorksProjects ManagerBeckyGallien, DirectorofFinanceSeth Reeser, CityAttorneyChristineTaylor and interested parties. ABSENT None. CITIZEN COMMENTS (NON-AGENDA ITEMS) None. COMMUNITY MEMBER OFTHEYEARAWARD Rios-Campos mentioned this award started five years ago in recognition of individuals, organizations and businessesto help improveWoodVillage. Rios-Camposstated the City's honorin recognizingthe Reynolds Community Transition Program as this year's award recipient, inviting Christina Bederka forward to accept the award on the group's behalf, Rios-Campospresentedtheawardto Bederkaand invitedothersfrom thegroupto comeforwardto take photos. The groupposedforphotoswith Rios-Campos. Rios-Campos stated the group has helped prepare for many ofthe City's events and completed other volunteer work, thanking them for their service to Wood Village. Bederka stated it is the group's pleasure and that she would see everyone tomorrow. Minerstated it is the unsung heroin kids'livesthatmakea difference,expressingthe City'ssupportforthe school district. PUBLICSAFETYREPORT Lt. Howell presentedthe monthlysafetyreportfor December:no real majorincidentsforthe month; 15 reported trafficcrashes,8 ofwhichwerehitand runs- 5 clearedwithouta report, and all the restwere minor except one incident involving a vehicle versus a bicycle nearthe Plaid Pantry at 242nd and Glisan where a bicyclist swerved around a puddle and ran into vehicle but luckily only received minor injuries; propertycrimeswere up, notingtheftis common in Decemberbutstill downfrom last December. Tanaskedaboutthe93% in the reportand ifthatnumberincludesretailtheft. Howellconfirmedand stated, in comparisonto prioryear, propertycrimeswereactuallydown 17%. Howell noted a spikeintheftat big boxstoresduringtheholidays. Tan asked if this increase in theft was the same period of MCSO's high visibility missions. Howellstatedthose missionswereon BlackFriday, noting therewere notheftson thatday. Howellstated, on December12th,there wasa targeted missionin WoodVillageand Fairviewfocusedon trafficissues, resulting in 35trafficstops, 17tickets, and 18warnings. Howell mentioned 364 calls for service, which includes 142 traffic stops and 144 targeted patrols in the City. Gothard mentioned the intersection at 238th and Arata is still a problem. Howell stated this was a target area for traffic missions. Gothard repeated that it is still a problem. Dirks mentioned the County put out its Traffic Safety Action Plan, noting he and the mayor did not believe the planwentfarenoughon theenforcementside,whichiswhythe Citydid not vote for it. Howellsuggestedred lightcamerasasanoption. Tan asked if they are effective. Howellstatedthatonce people are awareofthemthen theyare effective, noting it's not a very popular option among cities, though. Dirks mentioned that they are most often seen on the west side of Portland and that it might be possible if it wasa multi-cityeffort. Howell reiterated that MCSO focuses on distracted driving initiatives, utilizing NHTSA grants, and writes a lot oftickets, butexpressedthereare still issues. Gothardalso mentioneda lot ofhigh-speedtrafficat nightonArataandon Glisan. Rios-Camposexplainedthat havinga presence is a deterrent, andthatvoicingtheseconcernsis important so thatthe City's concerns can get passed on to EMCTC in the hope of being incorporated into the County's action plans. Rios-Campos noted it is still up to the committee on whetherto incorporate the City's feedback, explaining he did notfeelthecurrent plan incorporatedourcity's, orthoseofotherneighboringcities, trafficconcerns. Miner explained that he is glad EMCTC is providing opportunities for safety discussions and expressed his hopesforthefourcitiesto keepthepressureon making progress. Rios-Campos mentioned that at least the committee knows where we stand, Dirksconfirmed, notingtheyaretryingto force more meaningfulconversations. Miner stated the Council could help voice support, as well. Rios-Camposstatedthe TSAPpassedthroughthecommittee, so it will come beforethe Councilfor consideration. Smithstated shewould liketo see a cameraattheArataand238thred light, sharingshehasseen neighborhoodkidswaitingandthen crossingthestreet, expressingconcernofa child beingkilled atthe intersectiondueto a speedingcarcomingdownthe238thhill. Minerexplainedit is a Countyroad andasked Howellaboutresearchon the effectivenessofred tight cameras. Howell stated he doesn't have direct research, but he can anecdotally share that the cameras are effective in changing behavior. Minersuggestedsoliciting MCSO'ssupportin requestingthesecameras. Howell stated that within the city, we could put up red light cameras if desired. Dirks explained it would also involve consideration of MCSO workload and court capacity too but noted it is worth a conversation, Miner asked if MCSO is fully staffed. Howell explained, no, but they are still able to fulfill shift coverage. MCSO currently covers any requested leaveswithovertime, noting it is notwheretheywouldliketo be, butthereare40on patroltotal now. Miner asked about recruits. Howell stated they have hired quite a bit, including 7 new hires who are through academy and into field training,2 newlateralswhostartedthis month, and2 morewhostartnextmonth. Howellsaidtheylook good, noting it is the best staffing in more than five years. Tan asked about their staffing percentage. Howell explained there is not a percentage because there are still open positions, like detectives and in the special investigations unit. Once patrols get filled, some will move into these remaining open positions for detectivesortransit police. Untilthen, overtime is usedto coverthe gaps, butthe hope isto becloseto fully staffed bysummer. Tan asked ifthe open positions are being filled by the trainees. Howell confirmed. Tan asked about the laterals. Howell explained that everyone hired starts in patrol, but once patrol gets full, then some will move into positions like the river patrol, transit police, et cetera to fill other openings. Rios-Camposthanked MCSOforthetoydrive in December, especiallyDeputyVolkerwhocoordinatedit. Rios-Camposmentioned itwashisfirsttime attendingthe event, noting it waswell organizedandeven ran two hours longer than scheduled, yet no one was turned away. Howell stated it was his first time attending as well, noting the smooth operation and great turnout. CONSENTCALENDAR Gothard inquired aboutmultiple checksin last month'scheckreportissuedto the sameperson, askingif, giventhecostofchecksnow,wouldbe morecost-effectiveto issuefewerchecksifgoingto thesame person. Reeser stated that he would look into it, noting staff try to bundle checks if in the same check run but checksareonlyissuedonce perweek. ReeserexplainedwhatGothardis seeing isthatsomeone may havebeen issueda checkin thefirstweek'scheckrun andthen againin thethirdweek, buthewould double check to be sure. A, CityCouncilMinutes . November18, 2025 . December9, 2025 B. OLCC Liquor License . Buhnz Burgers & Dogs C. 2026 City Council Meeting Dates Dirksnotedthe BudgetCommittee Hearingwill beApril 21stbetweenthetwo Councilmeetings. Rios-Camposremindedthe Counciltherewouldonly beone meeting in Februarybecauseofthe retreaton February 7th. Dirks explained the February meeting also moved a week. Tanaskedaboutthe budgetcommittee meeting'sstarttime. Reeserexplainedit wouldstart at5:45PMand remindedthe Councilthatdinnerand piewould be provided during that meeting. Tan mentionedthatShari'sPiesin Vancouverremainsopen. Dirks stated the pies are limited at that location and rephrased that dinner and dessert would be provided. Upon motion by Tan seconded by Smith and passing 5-0, the Consent Calendar was approved. ANNUALAUDIT Reeserintroducedthe City'sauditor, TaraKamp,from ClearTrail CPAs, notingshewastheauditorin charge for the last two years at a different firm. Tara Kampintroduced herselfasthefinancialstatementauditorforthe Cityand URA. Kamp explained her purpose was to present the June 30, 2025 financial statement audit and then reviewed herpresentationagenda. Kampstatedtheauditistwofold:the financialstatementaudit,whichexpressesanopinionon whetherthe financial statements are fairly stated, and the Oregon minimum standards compliance audit, which ensures compliance with laws and regulations. KampstatedtheCity hadexcellentresults, receivingan unmodifiedopinion(clean no reservations)onthe financialstatementaudit. Forthe Stateminimumstandards, noexceptionsor issuesrequiringcomment except as noted on p. 109 of the audit report. The auditors did not issue a separate management letter either, which is an excellent result. Kampstatedthatthe Cityimplemented a newaccountingstandard,GASBStatement 101 Compensated Absences. Kamp explained there were no difficulties in completing the audit and thanked Reeser and the stafffor their hard work. Kampstatedtherewerenodisagreementsaboutaccountingor auditing issues. Kamp mentioned newaudit standards for the next year, GASB 103 and GASB 104, explaining she will work withthe Cityto implementthese in the nextreport. Kamp invited questions from the Council. Miner congratulated Reeser and the staff on the clean report and excellent results. Gothard asked about the "uncorrected misstatements" in the cover letter. Kamp explained that these were minor items of no significant impact on the financial statements but are still required to be tracked. Rios-Camposreiteratedthecongratulationsandappreciationforthestaff'shardworkanddedicationto transparency. Reeserexplained it is notjust thefinanceteam butalso includesthe PublicWorksstaffandotherswho keeptrackoftheirreceiptsand contracts, bids,etcetera. Rios-Camposthanked Kampfor herteam's hardworkonthe audit. Reeseralsothanked Kamp, noting he and DirksagreedthatKamp'sfirmtransitioningfrom PaulyRogersto Clear Trails met the requirement to perform an RFP every seven years for a new auditor. ORDINANCE1-2026:STATESHAREREVENUESHARINGPROGRAM Reeserexplainedthis istheofficialstartofthe budgetseason, notingthe State requiresthe Cityto passan ordinancebeforethe budgetprocessstartscertifyingthatthe City providesenoughservicesto beeligibleto collect its State share revenue portion, which is a portion of the State's liquor tax revenue collection. The City's portion is roughly$50,000and isdistributed basedon population, Reeserstatedthis is an annualand routine item and askedtheCouncilforanyquestions. Gothard asked about the requirements mentioned in the staff report. Reeser explained the major requirements include seven or eight services the City must provide to qualify for its portion ofthesharedrevenue. Dirksstated therewillalsobe a public hearingabouta potential usefortheStateshared revenuedollars, noting that historically no one has ever commented on it. The ordinance is a step signaling that the City will apply to receive these monies and will incorporate them into our budget process. Gothardasked if itwasa General Fundbudgetitem. Dirks and Reeser confirmed, yes. ReeserexplainedthattheStaterequires publicmeetingsandinformationon unrestricted revenuesto allow the public opportunity to comment on howthe City spends that money. Miner asked aboutthe amount. Reeser stated that the City received $60, 000 in 2024, $52, 000 in 2025, and is hoping to receive more next year. Upon motion by MinersecondedbyTanand passing5-0, Ordinance1-2026wasapproved. RESOLUTION1-2026:ANNUALSYSTEMDEVELOPMENTCHARGESREPORT Reeserstated this isanotherState requirementto userestrictedfundsandexplainedsystem development charges(SDCs). Reeserexplainedthatthesefundscan only bespentonthe relatedfund; in otherwords, waterSDCSmust be usedforthewatersystem, and morespecifically, on projectsalreadyidentifiedinthe SDCmethodology. Reeserexplainedthesefundsarecollected in restrictedfundsto ensuretheCityis notcomingling General Fund dollars with these restricted revenues. Reeser explained an annual report to the Council is required to include these revenues as part of the City's building permit process. Reeser stated the City has three SDC funds and opts not to levy SDCs for streets or stormwater because the City funds them through the street utility fee program. Reeser explained the water fund has the healthiest fund balance, stating the included packet report shows a 10-year history of revenue accumulation and project expenses. Reeser stated that the sewer fund typically runs close to a zero balance because there have been a lot of projects relatedto expandingthe system'scapacity. Reeserexplainedthat, ifthe Cityhad a project needingbuilt now,the Councilcouldapproveanddedicate the next three years of funding to that project so the City could pay itself back because those were SDC eligibleprojectsthatthe Cityhad notcollected the SDCfundsto payforthe project beforeit neededto be completed. Reeser stated that nothing was spent out of the sewer fund this year and a little was collected, so there is a little bitofa balanceinthefund currently. Reeser stated the Parks SDC fund has accumulated a fund over the last year, which is planned to be used as matchingfundsforwetlandparkgrants, and $45,000wasspentlastyearon the newpark restroom remodel, explainingthe projectqualifiedbecauseit expandedthe restroomcapacity. Byusing SDCfunds for the restroom remodel, it allowed the City to save its unrestricted General Fund dollars for future projects. Reeser explained howthis report meets City Council Goal 4 for long-term financial stability, economic vitality, and growth. Gothard asked about the attached SDC table referenced in the presentation. Reeserstated it should havebeen includedin the packetas ExhibitA to the resolution, and ifnot, hewould share it with the Council. Gothard asked ifthewaterfund started in 2023 becausetherewasnothingfrom 2019-2023. Reeser pulled up ExhibitA on the computer and reviewed it for the Council, apologizing that it was not included in the shared packet. Gothard stated that the presented ExhibitA shows the years she was asking about, so she had no further questions regarding the water fund. Reeserstated hewould makesuretheexhibitgotsharedwiththeCouncilors. Gotharctaskedaboutthethree$150,000payments underthe sewerfund. Reeser explained the City purchased additional dry weather daily gallon capacity from Gresham's treatmentfacilityandhad beengivena costcloseto $470,000. Dirks confirmed the cost was around $450, 000-$500, 000. Gothard asked if the three payments were an installment plan. Reeserand Dirksconfirmedthis installment plan. Gothardstatedthe other$166,000-$170,000paymentwasforthedifferenceto make upthe balance. Reeser confirmed and explained the City was only able to fund the first two payments out ofthe SDC fund, andthefinal paymentdrewthe balancedownto zero, sothe sewerfund coveredthe remainingcost through its utility ratestructure ratherthanSDCs. Gothard explained that was her next question about where the insufficient monies came from. Reeser confirmed those monies came from sewer. Upon motion bySmithsecondedbyTanand passing5-0, Resolution 1-2026wasapproved. BOARDANDCOMMISSIONAPPOINTMENTCONSIDERATION Dirks stated there is no presentation and explained that the City now has an open enrollment period for its boards and commissions. Dirks explained there were openings for the Parks Commission and the only applications were from the outgoing ParksCommissioners.All three reappliedandare in goodstandingwiththe City, noting Council policy allows for reappointment without an interview, Rios-Camposstated thatallthree applicationswereincludedin the packetand askedforanyquestions. Miner stated he is pleased to see people reapply. Upon motion byMinerseconded bySmithand passing5-0, Johnston, Bierman,andTolliverwere appointed to the Parks Commission. DISCUSSION:FIREUPDATE DirksstatedtheEastCountyTaskForcemet lastweekon January8th,whichwasmostlya recapoftheir December meeting. Most ofthe meeting was reviewing the financial analysis and the impact of compression, noting overall there is no long-term compression problem. DirksexplainedGreshamprovided numbersinthe low-to mid-$50million rangeto add2.33stationsto the current mode, which is $10ish million more than the budgetforthe current system. Dirks stated the discussion at this meeting was focused on questions around the financial analysis, explaining some in the group did not wantto dive into why it cost around $50 million to run 8.33 stations. Othersinthegroupwerecurious aboutwhatit coststo run 8. 33stations, so the groupdecidedto find averages ofcomparably sized departments or districts by looking at comparable service providers. Dirksexplainedthatthe groupdiscussedgetting nearto $50million would mean a taxablelevy rate around $3.50-$3.70whileotherplacescharge$2.50-$2.90andquestionsaroseaboutbasing iton propertytaxes or some other measure. Dirks reiterated that the group decided to at least find averages to understand where we fit in comparison. Dirksstatedthegroupalsodecidedto see ifClackamasFireis still interested andwhatitwouldtaketo get a formal proposal and what would be included in it. The proposal would not be ready for next meeting, but the groupwouldat leastfindout if Clackamasis still interestedand coulddecidewhattheywould liketo see in a formal proposal. Dirks mentioned that Tiberius will start working on cost comparisons now and asked each city to look at the five scenariospresented atthe meetingandto planon howtheircitymightraisethe neededfunding, DirksexplainedthatWoodVillagehasalreadystated propertytaxeswill payfor publicsafety, so ifjoining a first district, the City would only raise funds to cover police and 9-1-1. The other cities will need to have some sort of conversation. Dirksasked Rios-CamposandTan, whoareon thetaskforce, if he missedanythingin hismeeting recap. Tan stated thegroupdiscussedthatwhatevertierofservice(e. g. gold, silver, etc.) wasdecidedupon and its related cost would need to be explained to our communities as, yes, there is going to be an increase in cost, butwearegettingthe same level ofserviceor even better. Dirksstatedthata highercostmightcomewithmore benefits,or it maynot, explainingthisis whythe group needscomparablessothatthe citiescangoto theircommunitiesandexplainthesearetheavailable options and which one gives the best overall value. Rios-Camposexplainedthe importanceoffocusingon 8.33stations, notthecurrent6.33 model, and stressedcontinuingto pushfora contractagreeingto a newstation alongthe WoodVillage/ Fairview borderandan additionalone possiblylocated somewherein Gresham.TheWoodVillage/ Fairviewborder station is a priorityto showthecommunitythe investmentoftheirdollars. Rios-Camposexplainedresponsetimeswerethe highestcommunityconcern identifiedatthe NiteOut. Dirks stated 8. 33 is the agreed minimum standard for the region with the goal of adding the Wood Village / Fairview station as soon as possible. Minerstated it soundspositivethatthe TaskForce isaskingClackamasfora proposal. Dirks clarified that the group decided to see if Clackamas is still interested. Rios-Campos applauded Dirks for bringing Clackamas back up during the comparison cost conversation at the last meeting. Dirks stated that a Clackamas proposal needs to be seen if it is a potential real option. Miner explained that ifthe group is looking at other neighbors, then they might as well look at them all. Rios-Camposstated there needsto bean understandingof realoptions, not hypotheticals. Dirksagreed. Miner stated the City's reps are doing good work on the Task Force. Rios-Camposexplained, in hisopinion,the group is a month behindsincea costwasaskedto be brought to theJanuarymeeting in December, butit wasnotdone. Dirks reminded the Council that there is an ongoing poll and mentioned that community members should havereceiveda postcard and maynowstart receiving phonecallsforthe poll. Gothard asked about the polling results. Dirks explained he is not sure yet, but the City has received positive engagement on the upcoming CommunityConversation, mentioning recentfeedbackon social mediadueto paidadvertisingfocusingon reducingthefinancialaskbyhalf. Thepolling results will bea discussionatthe retreat. Minerstated heand hiswifetookthe surveyandalso mentionedthe Council'spreviousdiscussionfrom Decemberaboutthe ballottitle wordingthatwasto be includedin the survey. Minernotedthe pollsters incorporatedtheirfeedback,andhe believesthe poll will givegoodthe Cityinsights. Dirks mentioned he thinks there will also be good attendance atthe Community Conversation next week. Rios-Campos stated his appreciation forthe newsletter incorporating the community conversation too. Rios-Campos explained that he cannot attend next week's event butencouraged the others to come hear thecommunity'sthoughts. Rios-Campos stated this is a big deal since it's the firsttime the City hasdone this kind ofthing. Miner stated it would be informative. Dirksjoked he would make sure to turn on the audio recording forthis event. Dirks expressed the importance of hearing the community's feedback, again mentioning the postcard a community member sent to the City last week. CITYATTORNEYREPORT Rios-Campos welcomed Christine Taylor and asked herto introduce herself. Taylor confirmed this is her second Council meeting, and explained she worked with Condit for about 6-7 years but with Miller Nash for 14 years. Herfocus is providing advice to public entities. Taylor stated she is continuing to provide support and legal advice related to the ballot measure referral for the levydiscussedattonight'smeeting. Rios-Campos thanked Taylor forjoining the meeting and expressed looking forward to working with Taylor on the levy process, Dirksexplained that the City signed a contract with Miller-Nash last week and agreed that forthe next six months, Taylor would virtually attend the first meeting ofthe month and then the City would reevaluate her meeting attendance requirements. Tanasked ifTaylorwould beattendingthe Councilretreat. Dirks confirmed she would attend. Rios-Camposstatedthiswould be positiveto allowTaylorto gatherasmuch informationas possibleto help with the upcoming levy. Dirksexplained if anything comes up, she can always be invited to attend. MineralsowelcomedTaylorto the City. Rios-Camposonceagainthankedherforattending. MAYORANDCOUNCILCOMMENTS Rios-Campos stated he sent out a letter to the other Councilors last weekthat will be shared bythe four City mayors to request $50, 000 from the County to be directed to organizations working around food insecurity, noting the Reynolds School District is one ofthe highest enrolled forthe free and reduced lunch 10 program, andutilityassistance,eitherfromthecitiesorotherorganizations.The letter is currentlyawaiting signatures from a few mayors, but the letter should be public soon. Tan mentionedthatGresham is also holdinga communityconversationtonight. Rios-Camposmentioned Greshamis puttingtogethera resolutionto go beforethe GreshamCityCouncil nextweekin conjunctionwiththis letter, aswell. The letterwouldbea jointeffort betweenthefourmayors. Minerexpressedhispride in Rios-Camposforworkingwiththeothermayorson this letter, notingelected voices need to be heard and his hope that the City would take public steps on the matters mentioned in the mayors' letter. Dirksmentionednewideasforthe 75thanniversarycelebrationwill be discussedatthe next meeting but wanted to get input on a few items tonight: a commemorative calendar has been put together, but given it is alreadymid-January,Dirksaskedthe Councilforthoughtson printingasan undatedcalendar. Dirksalso mentioned potentialstreetbanners, aswell, andthen suggestedprintingexamplesoffto presentatthe next meeting. Tanaskedifthecalendarwasforthe 75<hanniversaryand asked ifthere wasan decisionon a celebration date. Dirks explained a date has not been set yet, but this will be included in the next meeting discussion. Dirkspulled upthe street bannerdesignoptionson thecomputerforthe Council. Rios-Campos asked ifthese were for the pole banners. Dirks confirmed these would temporarily replace some of the pole banners, and there are options for designs. Dirkspulled upthe commemorative calendarfileonthecomputer. Tan stated that the calendar is a great idea to have at the celebration and expressed her preference for a dated calendar. Dirksstated conceptscould be broughtbackatthe nextmeeting butexplained bythetimethecalendar would be printed, it would likely be February already. Minerstated there are very interesting photos and asked aboutearly photos ofthe aluminum factory. Dirksexplained,yes, butthatstafftried to focuson thingsin WoodVillageonly. Dirks stated more will be discussed for the celebration at the next meeting, but staffwanted to know ifthese items were in the right direction to continue working on items for the next meeting. The Council confirmed, Dirks mentioned community member stories about utility worker impersonators, noting the City shared a social mediapostabouthowto confirmofficialsandupdatedall Citystaffs IDbadges.Dirksexplainedthat Citystaffwould neverrequestaccessinsidehomesunlessprearrangedwiththe propertyowner 11 Dirksexpressed his appreciation to the Council for allowing himtime awaybefore and after losing his wife, noting he is backatworkbutis a long wayfrom being"back". The Councilexpressedtheirongoingsupportfor Dirks. Rios-Campos restated the City's full support behind Dirks, and asked Dirksto notifythem if he needed anything. Rios-Campos expressed that Dirks has built a great time to support him and to keep the City operating. Dirksthankedthestaffforallowinghimthetimeawaywithoutworryingaboutwork. Rios-Campos noted Dirks' personal strength in being so public with his life, remarking on it as greatly valued and courageous, and stated Dirks' leadership shown in his time away through the staffs capabilities. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the Council adjourned at 7:16 pm. 0 08- MAYOR AT T: CITY RECORDE 12