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11/20/2019 - Minutes 41 City of Tigard Committee for Community Engagement Minutes MEETING DATE/TIME: Wednesday, November 20, 2019; 7 — 8:30 p.m. MEETING LOCATION: Public Works Building (8777 SW Burnham St.) Attending: Bhushan Gupta Present Lauren Rowles Present Christine Rehse Present Liz Aberg Present Christopher Basil Absent Liz Newton, Council Liaison Present Connie Ramaekers Present Marissa Rainey Present Dacia Grayber Excused Miranda Woods Present Dave Hanna, Chair Present Norma Trujillo Present Dolly Specht,Vice-Chair Excused Shoni Pilip-Florea Excused Joseph Lyons Present Taylor Sarman Absent Also in attendance: Kent Wyatt, Communications Manager Nadine Robinson, Central Services Director 1. Welcome and ice breaker 2. Discussion of the City's Strategic Vision refresh Kent Wyatt, Communications Manager • The city's strategic vision was adopted in 2014. The city is taking a fresh look at it with our community. Kent asked if the vision statement resonated with the committee members. Five members were neutral and five are happy with it. Kent asked for their thoughts on the vision. • Dave said he isn't motivated by it. He is confused about why walkability is a central theme. • Joseph wishes that instead of walkability a more inclusive word was used. As written, he finds the statement kind of milk toast. He would like something more like "thriving engaged city." • Bhushan asked which members of the community like to walk. Are people walking because they do not have a vehicle or perhaps for recreation? He is curious as to what percentage of Tigard residents would put walkability at the top of their priority list. City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-718-2481 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 1 of6 • Lauren likes the vision for its sense of community and walkability. She lives near Progress Ridge and can walk to places to connect with people. In the next three years, she wants to buy a house and wants to have the same kinds of amenities she can walk to. • Christine is on the trails every day. However, bigger picture she is not sure as many people care about walkability. She likes the idea of a "connected community." • Dave asked if the city still wants to keep using resources to promote walkability. He commented that he likes connected community too. • Miranda noted that walkability is a means. She recommended focusing on what walkability does. She said that many areas of Tigard are not connected. She also wondered what forces come into play regionally. • Bhushan used his neighborhood as an example; there are good sidewalks but there are no amenities nearby to walk to. • Liz A. said there are too many gaps for her to support walkability. For example, her children can walk to school but not to the library because there is not a safe route. • Marissa also likes connected community. Kent provided a handout to spark discussion. Below are comments from the discussions and the forms. 1) How happy are you with Tigard's plan for the future? a. Happy— 5 b. Neutral—4 c. Neutral/Unhappy— 1 2) When 1 think about walking or connecting with friends in Tigard, I think about: a. Easy accessibility to parks and trails. b. I am excited! One of the reasons I am concerned about moving into downtown Tigard would be the ability to walk to places. Right now, I live near Progress Ridge. c. My Bull Mountain neighborhood. d. Having available paths and sidewalks, closeness of locations to get to, for example the Tigard Library, etc. e. What friends? f. My warm car and the luxury of driving to them. 3) Where do you get your Tigard news and information? a. Tigard Times, CCE connections, email b. Instagram, Facebook, sometimes email c. Emails from the city,Tigard Life d. Nextdoor, city newsletter e. Instagram, Tigard newspaper f. Facebook, Nextdoor 4) (Complete the sentence) It's important that Tigard keeps: a. growing and expanding. City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-718-2481 1 www.tigard-or.gov Page 2 of6 b. history. c. our neighborhoods/community safe. d. it's affordability and green spaces. e. an equity lens as they plan and implement their vision. f. a progressive step toward sustainable fiscal management. 5) What's one thing missing in Tigard? a. Robust parks and rec (parks and classes), community center, places to rent for get togethers, better lighting in parks (ex. the timed lighting in Beaverton), a splash pad. b. More community interaction—maybe. c. New and inviting restaurants,variety in activities. d. More places to connect (coffee shops, restaurants), organized events, recreation for adults. e. A town square to be Tigard's family room. f. Community and recreation center, a downtown plaza that includes indoor space. g. More community places. Beaverton's food cart area is an example of an area that encourages connection. It also has a covered area which is good with our weather. h. Sidewalks and better streets. i. Sidewalks, stronger parks and rec. 6) We want to capture your opinion as we refresh our vision. Of the focus areas listed below,which three are important to you? Word Number of votes a. Affordable 3 b. Community 3 c. Connections 5 d. Equitable 2 e. Engagement 4 f. Efficient 1 g. Inclusive 5 h. Infrastructure 2 i. Safe 5 j. Sustainability 2 k. Walkable 1 Bhushan talked about being different in the community. He has experienced feeling unwelcome at times. He shared an example of experiencing this when he was at the gym. Connie identifies safe as meaning safe with law enforcement. City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-718-2481 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 3 of6 Norma said the vision should include everyone and the approach and implementation should be equitable. She said she feels like she needs to drive to nicer neighborhoods to be able to go on a walk. Councilor Newton noted that the original intent of the strategic plan was that everyone would be able to walk to a park. Also, if someone takes the bus that they have a safe place to wait. Dave commented that a vision should be where the first dollar is spent. It is a statement to the community. He thinks connected communities is bigger than walking. Joseph used the Tigard Triangle and downtown development as examples of areas that have a walkability focus. They are being built to allow residents to walk to grocery stores and services. The city is building for the future without so much emphasis on driving. Kent said the city is moving toward looking at work/projects through the lens of the vision. Councilor Newton talked about the DEI work the city is doing. She said Tigard City Council is talking about what their role should be. It is important that everyone has access to services and facilities and that they feel included. Bhushan asked if we have a feel for the progress the city is making. Kent responded that the Safe Routes to School program supports the vision, that the city has evaluated sidewalk connections and completed some smaller connection projects. Councilor Newton added that there have been development code changes made that support the vision as well as some infrastructure changes. She noted the Fanno Creek trail is almost complete. She also talked about the Universal Plaza that is going to be built on Burnham St. Norma commented that she has seen city representatives at more events and appreciates it. Connie shared that there is a small community of people working on bringing a community recreation facility to Tigard. The committee is working on becoming a 501. They are working with the YMCA and trying to do the project privately. Councilor Newton commented that walkability became part of the vision because Tigard is known for having a good trail system for a city of our size. Kent shared that the city is working on a refreshed statement and new goals. He said the conversation this evening has mirrored the Leadership Team's conversations. City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-718-2481 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 4 of6 Councilor Newton indicated she wants the CCE to see the refresh vision and goals before they are shared with city council. 3. United States Census 2020 Kent Wyatt, Communications Manager Kent provided background on the census. It is a federal government program that is supposed to count everyone living in a community. City of Tigard, along with other partners, is playing a role in encouraging people to participate. He asked how the city can reach underrepresented populations and what kinds of informational updates residents would like to see about the census. He shared that conducting the census is required by the Constitution; specifically, that a count of the country's population be done every ten years. Population data gathered through the census can be a factor in determining a community's access to federal funds. It is also used to determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. In late March 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau will roll out the program by mailing the census forms. Residents can choose to respond by mail, telephone or online. The forms will be available in English and Spanish. People who speak other languages will be provided the opportunity to participate by phone and online. If people don't respond to the survey, U.S. Census Bureau employees will go door-to-door to follow-up with the residents. The bureau is hiring part-time workers to help with the data collection. City of Tigard will provide resources for outreach efforts. Staff is working with St Anthony's to help share information and encourage more participation from under-counted groups. Example of under-counted groups include some communities of color, children under age five and people who have recently moved or are experiencing homelessness. Joseph said that under-counting some groups is not new. He saw it 20 years ago when he worked with a company that worked with migrant workers. Dave asked if the U. S. Census Bureau can extrapolate the results to get a better count. The consensus is that it isn't allowed. Councilor Newton shared that cities with populations over 50,000, like Tigard, can qualify for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money that will be disbursed directly to the city. It is a big deal. She said it gives the city more ability to serve the community. Norma asked how the bureau knows there are people who are not being counted. City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-718-2481 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page.5 of6 Joseph responded that the count is one point-in-time, but the work continues year around. Modeling is done using data from a number of different databases. Researchers can see the trends from the data. Kent commented that CCE members can be messengers for the project by encouraging people to participate in the census. He also asked how the city can get accurate information into the community to dispel misinformation and encourage participation. Dave suggested using the water bill to let people know what the census is and what it isn't. Bhushan suggested handing out fliers. Miranda wanted to know if she understood correctly, that CDBG money could be directly available to the city. Councilor Newton responded that the city would have to go through a process to be designated as an entitlement city before that could happen. Miranda said she doesn't remember ever filling out a census form. She suggested providing information on what to expect and how it can be completed. Kent noted that in 2010 the city made computers available for the public to use. Joseph said the form can be two different lengths; most are 4-pages but others are 12-pages. It is random what length form a person receives. The bureau extrapolates information from the data provided in the longer form. He also noted people can watch videos about the census at the United States Census 2020 website. It was suggested that someone from the bureau be invited to present at a CCE meeting. 4. Review, discuss and adopt the September 18, 2019 meeting minutes Connie moved to approve the minutes, Bhushan seconded. Minutes were approved. 5. Information sharing round-table • The annual tree lighting is being held on December 6th. • Bhushan thanked the city for re-sealing the streets in his community. It solved the issues they were having. • Joseph told the group his partner's vehicle was recently stolen. He called the non- emergency number to report the theft and an officer responded within 15 minutes. He posted about his experience on Facebook and the Mayor liked the post. He appreciated that. • The next CCE meeting will be January 15, 2020. Cityof Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-718-2481 1 www.tigard-or.gov Page 6 oM