City Council Minutes - 09/14/2021 ' City of Tigard
s
City Council Business Meeting Minutes
September 14, 2021
1. BUSINESS MEETING
A. At 6:31 p.m. Mayor Snider called the Tigard City Council,Local Contract Review Board and
Town Center Development Agency to order.
B. City Recorder Krager called the roll.
Present Absent
Councilor Newton ✓
Council President Lueb ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Mayor Snider ✓
Youth Councilor Nag ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
C. Mayor Snider asked everyone to mute their mics and join him in the Pledge of
Allegiance.A flag was projected on the screen.
D. Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items—City Manager Rymer asked to add a
Proclamation to the Consent Agenda making September 10-19 as Welcoming Week in Tigard.
He said this is consistent with our Community Promise, 5 E's and anti-racism and DEI
efforts. Mayor Snider agreed to add it as Item 3.5 for separate discussion at the end of the
Consent Agenda.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
A. Follow-up to Previous Public Comment—Assistant City Manager Nyland said there was no
follow-up since there were no written public comments from the August 24 meeting. Fun
Fact: Starbucks has put pumpkin spice coffee on their menu although fall does not start for
eight days. She noted that Saturday marked Tigard's 60th anniversary and the celebration will
continue all year.
B. Tigard High School Student Envoy Elise Butera gave her first report of the year on events and
activities at Tigard High School. So far they have attended three full days of school and it
seems back to normal and there are no issues with kids not wearing masks.Tigard High
Leadership Assembly Committee is planning logistics for an assembly for the entire school,
and considering a football field or splitting into smaller groups.The Activities Committee is
working on a homecoming parade for October 8 and how it will work with COVID-19
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.dgard-or.gov I Page 1 of 12
restrictions.Youth Councilor Nag asked if there would be a homecoming dance too. High
School Envoy Butera said they are planning it but working on logistics,maybe to hold it at an
elementary school outdoor covered area or a ballfield.
C. Update from Police Chief McAlpine—Chief McAlpine reported on Police Department
activities and statistics.August statistics show person crimes up 12%and property crimes are
up 3%. Response time remains at 6 minutes. Tigard has a mental response team clinician
riding with our Officer Northcote who will be working with south Washington County cities
for the next few weeks. She will introduce the team to the PSAB and report back to City
Council on what they are seeing and doing in the south cities. Chief McAlpine noted they
took a step back on the schedule for crisis intervention training. The training requires in-
person role playing so due to COVID-safe policies,this has been moved to a future date. She
noted that without levy support we would be in a"world of hurt." Chief McAlpine noted
there were 9 residential burglaries in August where last year there were none.She advised that
doors should be closed even in hot weather. She acknowledges that there are still a fair
number of houseless individuals in crisis. This can be concerning to people who are not used
to this behavior, such as shouting.
D. Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce—Community and Membership Engagement Manager
Jessica Love reported on Chamber events and activities. Leadership Tigard launches on
October 11 with 18 participants.A panel discussion will be hosted by the Chamber on
October 6 about hiring during a tight job market, as this is a challenge they hear about from
the business community. The Tigard Farmers Market is open on Sundays from 9-1:30 at
Rotary Plaza through the end of October.Those receiving SNAP benefits can get up to $15 in
matching funds thanks to Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District.There is a new
business,Black Diamond Coffee Cart,open behind Sherrie's Jewelry Box. Cooper Mountain
Ale Works has musicians and Senet Game Bar has trivia on Thursdays. Check out Tigard
downtown Alliance website ExploreDowntownTigard.com for event listings.
E. Public Comment—Written—There were no comments received by the noon deadline.
F. Public Comment—Phone-In Caller 1:Roger Pottoff called in response to an article in Tigard
Life with a headline implying that downtown Tigard is the epicenter of local homelessness.
He and his wife went downtown to see what was going on and he was pleased to report that
they found no evidence of homelessness. He said he was not suggesting business concerns are
not real experiences,but while Tigard is a first-tier suburb nestled against Portland, downtown
is not the epicenter of homelessness as was portrayed in the article.
He said they had a nice afternoon after going up and down every street in the downtown.
They are longtime residents who hike and bike and see no overwhelming evidence that Tigard
is being overrun by homeless as we know exists in the metropolitan area. So what we are doing
is to some degree working. It is horrible for anyone suffering from drug addiction but
homelessness is not necessarily the cause. We have people who have been traumatized from
losing homes,jobs,and the pandemic.The said Tigard is not the epicenter of anything but a
high-quality lifestyle and if we continue to show up downtown,we're going to be fine. Fear is
not a solution to what we are experiencing.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.dgard-or.gov I Page 2 of 12
Mayor Snider said the Tigard Life publisher is probably watching and hearing this feedback.
He encouraged Mr. Pottoff to watch the discussion on the agenda tonight regarding
homelessness. There is a lot of activity and work being done. He said some of Mr.Potthoff's
experiences may have been different if he had been downtown a few weeks ago,but agreed
that the headline did not resonate with his assessment.
Phone-in Caller 2: Zach Johnson called in with a question about Tigard events that are going
to happen virtually.Mayor Snider asked Assistant City Manager Nyland to follow-up on
upcoming events and the format,whether in-person or virtual.
3. CONSENT AGENDA: (Tigard City Council and Local Contract Review Board)
A. PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 17-23 AS CONSTITUTION WEEK
B. APPROVE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
March 16,2021
March 23,2021
C. LOCAL CONTRACT REVIEW BOARD:AMEND CONTRACT WITH SCOTT
EDWARDS ARCHITECTURE FOR PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY AND YARD
PROJECT
Council President Lueb motioned for approval of the Consent Agenda as presented.
Councilor Shaw seconded the motion. City Recorder Krager conducted a roll call vote and
the motion passed unanimously.
Yes No
Councilor Newton ✓
Council President Lueb ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Mayor Snider ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
3.5 PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 10-19 AS WELCOMING WEEK IN TIGARD,WHICH IS
CONSISTENT WITH THE COMMUNITY PROMISE,ANTI-RACISM AND DEI EFFORTS
TO BE A WELCOMING COMMUNITY FOR ALL
Councilor Goodhouse suggested adding the words political affiliations. He referred to the
proclamation for Constitution Week,and asked if we are saying welcoming no matter what your
political affiliations are. He noted that there was a lot of division due to this and it would mean
that everyone in the community is welcome as a whole.He suggested adding political affiliations
to the list in the second to last Whereas clause,listing it near income, sexual orientation and
religion,as plenty of people in the community do not feel welcome in the area and are afraid to
mention their political views.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 3 of 12
Councilor Goodhouse moved to approve the proclamation and add the words "political
affiliations"in the second to last Whereas clause. Councilor Shaw seconded the motion.
Councilor Newton said she would prefer to leave it out,but she could live with it if a majority
feels otherwise. Council President Lueb preferred to leave the suggested words out but said she
could live with it if the majority felt otherwise.Youth Councilor Nag said many of the
characteristics mentioned are outside of one's control, such as race and sexual orientation,but a
political affiliation is something people choose. Councilor Shaw mentioned that something to
consider was that Constitution Week is coming and everyone in the community is a little different.
City Recorder Krager conducted a roll call vote.
Yes No
Councilor Newton ✓
Council President Lueb ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Mayor Snider ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
The motion failed by a vote of 2-3.Youth Councilor Nag cast an advisory vote of no.
Council President Lueb moved to approve the proclamation for September 10-19,2021 as
Welcoming Week,as written. Councilor Newton seconded the motion. City Recorder Krager
conducted a roll call vote.
Yes No
Councilor Newton ✓
Council President Lueb ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Mayor Snider ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Mayor Snider announced that the motion passed by 4-1.Youth Councilor Nag cast an advisory vote
of aye.
4. CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ISSUANCE OF DEBT SERVICE FOR TIF
DISTRICTS
Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly and Assistant Finance Director Isaksen gave the staff
report.Bond Counsel Gulgan Ugur from Hawkins Delafield&Wood and Financial Advisor
Duncan Brown,Director at PFM Financial Advisors were also available to answer any questions.
Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said the requested Council action and the two TCDA
Board actions are about authorizing a little over$9 million for projects in Tigard's two TIF (tax
increment financing) districts to be spent over the next 3-4 years. He described what tax
increment financing districts are and noted that Tigard requires voter approval and both districts
have been approved by Tigard voters.These projects are paid for by issuing debt to be repaid by a
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 4 of 12
portion of the property taxes generated in the TIF district. Council would be considering a
resolution authorizing full faith and credit borrowing in an amount not to exceed $3.65 million for
Tigard Triangle projects including streets and trail design and construction,parkland acquisition
and public utilities. It also authorizes $1.1 million for projects in the City Center TIF District,
including construction of Universal Plaza and bike and pedestrian facilities.The resolution
authorizes the signing of an intergovernmental agreement with TCDA that would obligate the
Agency to pay back the debt through tax increment financing.
Assistant Finance Director Isaksen said in early June the city issued an RFP to 27 banks and
financial institutions and received responses from eight institutions. Only two-Columbia Bank
and Commerce Bank provided rates for all three debt issuances. Commerce Bank's terms were
more favorable for the city and staff recommends utilizing Commerce Bank for all three debt
issuances.
Council President Lueb asked if the city had any previous experience with this bank. Mr. Isaksen
said the city used them for a refinance of water bonds.
Youth Councilor Nag asked for more detail on the proposed projects at Universal Plaza.
Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said they will be done in two phases.Phase 1 includes a
water feature,restrooms,concession stand area,lawn,hardscape and swings,as well as lighting and
seating. Phase 2 would be a larger shelter area along with a community room. Youth Councilor
Nag asked if there is a way to incorporate local artwork in the plaza to show off Tigard's talent.
Mr. Farrelly responded that art is planned for the plaza.
Councilor Goodhouse asked if there would be money allocated for lighting on the trails because
he heard a lot of requests for that recently and also when he was the Council liaison to the Town
Center Advisory Commission. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly replied that he hoped
lighting would be included in the next TCDA budget and agreed that it has been on the want list
for a long time.
Councilor Shaw moved to approve Resolution No. 21-33. Council President Lueb seconded the
motion. City Recorder Krager read the number and title of the resolution and conducted a roll can
vote.Youth Councilor Nag cast an advisory vote of aye.
Resolution No. 21-33—A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF TIGARD,
OREGON AUTHORIZING FULL FAITH AND CREDIT FINANCING
FOR TIF DISTRICT PROJECTS
Yes No
Councilor Newton ✓
Council President Lueb ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Mayor Snider ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Mayor Snider announced that Resolution No. 21-33 passed unanimously.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 5 of 12
Mayor Snider convened the Town Center Development Agency for the following items.
5. TOWN' CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY-CONSIDER RESOLUTIONS
AUTHORIZING FINANCING OF TRIANGLE TIF DISTRICT PROJECTS AND AN IGA
Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly gave the staff report noting that the first resolution for
Board consideration is a companion piece to the previous Council agenda item action. It will
authorize new TIF district borrowing for$4.7 million for Tigard Triangle TIF projects including
public spaces, streets and trails,public utilities,and redevelopment assistance and partnerships
such as for affordable housing. This would be backed by TIF alone,not full faith and credit.The
second resolution authorizes an intergovernmental agreement(IGA) between the City and the
TCDA and obligates the TCDA to repay the debt using tax increment revenues.
Director Lueb made a motion to approve TCDA Resolution No. 21-05. Director Newton
seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. City Recorder Krager read the number and
title of the resolution and conducted a roll call vote.Youth Councilor Nag gave an advisory vote
of aye.
TCDA Resolution No. 21-05—A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN CENTER
DEVELOPMENT AGENCY AUTHORIZING INDEBTEDNESS FOR
CAPITAL PROJECTS DESCRIBED IN THE URBAN RENEWAL PLANS FOR
THE CITY CENTER URBAN RENEWAL AREA AND THE TIGARD
TRIANGLE URBAN RENEWAL AREA
Yes No
Director Newton ✓
Director Lueb ✓
Director Shaw ✓
Chair Snider ✓
Director Goodhouse ✓
Chair Snider announced that TCDA Resolution No. 21-05 was approved unanimously.
Director Lueb made a motion to approve TCDA Resolution No. 21-06.
Assistant Finance Director Isaksen gave further clarification on Director Lueb's question about
experience with the bank and said the city used Zions Bank as a paid agent for water bonds and
they are affiliated with Commerce Bank. Commerce has been easy to work with and the city's
financial advisors have worked with them on other transactions throughout the Northwest.
Director Newton seconded the motion. City Recorder Krager read the number and title of the
resolution and conducted a roll call vote.Youth Councilor Nag cast an advisory vote of aye.
TCDA Resolution No. 21-06—A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
INDEBTEDNESS FOR PROJECTS DESCRIBED IN THE TIGARD
TRIANGLE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 6 of 12
Yes No
Director Newton ✓
Director Lueb ✓
Director Shaw ✓
Chair Snider ✓
Director Goodhouse ✓
Chair Snider announced that TCDA Resolution No. 21-06 was approved unanimously.
Mayor Snider reconvened the Tigard City Council for the following items.
6. UPDATE ON HOMELESSNESS ASSESSMENT TEAM AND COUNTY PARTNERSHIP
Assistant City Manager Nyland,Police Chief McAlpine and Police Commander Rogers presented
this update.Assistant City Manager Nyland said there are many reasons why an individual or
family would be experiencing homelessness,such as loss of employment,lack of housing,housing
affordability,mental illness, addiction, domestic violence and other reasons.There are also many
ways to address this. The city's job is to provide stability by crafting an approach that is effective
and thoughtful,with a sense of urgency.The goals in an effective response system are to identify
our population experiencing homelessness,prevent homelessness when possible,connect people
with housing quickly, and provide services when needed.That approach works because it aligns a
community,its programs and services around one common goal—to make homelessness rare,
brief and non-reoccurring.
She said the city team recognizes that Tigard has some urgent as well as long-term needs and both
she and Chief McAlpine have extensive experience with homelessness issues in other cities. She
noted that Council requested that action be taken,and the team will respond to that request
tonight.The City of Tigard is doing a lot and plans to do more.
Assistant City Manager Nyland showed slides of what has been completed,including 2017
Homeless Task Force recommendations that were implemented,two listening sessions with the
business community and seven days of impact assessment conducted by Police staff.A trash
collection program with Metro began and a business needs survey was launched. In progress is the
MOU/IGA for the Washington County pilot program (aligning the community with services),
preparing a resource card,gap analysis,and possibly establishing a discretionary fund using ARPA
funds. Services are being mapped to identify gaps and breaks. We will be able to see when shelters
are available or not,what we have and what we need. The CHART (Community Homeless
Response Team) was convened,and Police Chief McAlpine and Commander Rogers will discuss
this next.
Ms. Nyland said additional actions that are ongoing include opening restrooms,researching and
evaluating code amendments and continuing to respond to the community. Staff will return to
Council with options to discuss such as safe lots,tiny villages,hygiene stations, self-cleaning
restrooms,SHARPS collection,lockers and wrap around services. These could address impacts we
heard from community members.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES — September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 7 of 12
Police Chief McAlpine and Commander Rogers presented a report on the HAT Houseless
Assessment Team Phase 1 —an initial assessment and Survey of Point in Time. Their presentation
is in the packet for this meeting. Commander Rogers said the HAT assessed nuisance, disorder
and other criminal conduct within the Pacific Highway corridor (from Canterbury on the south to
Coronado on the north) for one week. He discussed the nuisance-related issues and said the areas
officers focused on are well known to law enforcement.Encampments were not a focus of this
phase.
They studied advocacy manuals and developed a survey that can be a guide when communicating
with unhoused community members.They spoke to three people who were willing to participate
but three others walked away,perhaps because the officers were in uniform.
Commander Rogers showed slides of transient call snapshots. There were 50 calls during this
period in the downtown area. Garbage was actually a success story. The city is providing trash
bags and found that people were willing to clean up not only their own but even extra areas. He
acknowledged the need to have the full trash bags picked up more frequently. Universal Plaza will
be a blessing to the community but is also a respite for the homeless and sometimes the boxes
there get arranged in a fort configuration. He noted that there is a latrine and handwashing station
available.
They worked with Code Compliance Officer Ross on broken RVs and applying pressure to move
them. He noted that sleeping in cars is more prevalent due to upcoming evictions. Thankfully,
they did not find any unhouse children in the community sleeping in cars. Members of the
homeless community are resourceful and will take advantage of things left in dumpsters, etc.
People leave stuff at donation centers and some unhoused members will take it.
Recommendations:There is a nexus between mental health issues and nuisance calls. The ability
to take people into custody is a challenge and transportation is a barrier for them to obtain
services. Currently we can't have members of the community doing courtesy transports as they did
in the past. Some houseless individuals indicated they would use other centers if they had a ride
such as an Uber. They are often looking for places to rest.Benches can be modified so people
don't sleep on them. Municipal codes can be changed but need to be consistent among cities.
Ideas included"pop-up"mental health clinics"and easier access to latrines,power, and trash
disposal.
Chief McAlpine spoke about HAT Phase 2. Foot and bicycle patrols started September 11th and
there will be a focus on visibility and contacts with the community using the trails.A park ranger
would be less expensive than an officer.An analyst will review data sets acquired through this
phase.
Trails are used to move from area to area and the issues are not localized solely in downtown.
COVID-19 is a struggle right now and the jails are full. Commander Rogers said we are in a
COVID-19 struggle right now. Jails are full and folks can't be transported to jail for disorderly
conduct. If they fail to appear in court,they'll have a warrant,but we cannot lodge them. The
district attorney is willing to prosecute but they have to show up in court. Someone who needs
sobering or for a mental hold has to go to a hospital and that is not the best solution now.
Chief McAlpine said the encampment focus has a defined.timeline and location. Police will be
looking at what is believed to be the largest local camp. It is behind the library and we will be
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 8 of 12
partnering with Washington County in assessing encampments as soon as the agreement with the
county is finalized. She recommended that if restrooms are placed throughout the community,
they need to be upgraded and well maintained for the houseless as well as the general public. She
said it would be good to have a facilitator in City Hall,not necessarily the Police Department.
Assistant City Manager Nyland said as far as communication,we agree that we want a point
person. As you know when people respond,they email the chief,they email council and then the
police. We will start out with a webpage and one email alias to gather input and have a consistent
response. We need a coordinator and navigator who will be working with businesses, community,
state and county.Yes,getting people into housing is the goal but as she experienced in Seattle,
there is a significant number of people who will not accept services for a variety of reasons.
Councilor Newton said to remember that people call her because they don't want to use email and
that option should be kept open. She noted that people want a number to call when they see
something concerning but don't want to call the police.
Councilor Goodhouse commended them for the work begun and said there was good response
from the business owners about seeing officers out on the sidewalks.He suggested they walk the
trails too so people feel more safe and also suggested more lighting on trails. He said he has heard
the comment that if too many amenities are available it might attract more houseless people.
Mayor Snider said we can't expect people not to defecate on the sidewalks when the restrooms are
locked.
Council President Lueb expressed appreciation for all staff is taking on and doing this in a
thoughtful way. Councilor Shaw asked if Tigard would be working with nearby cities to make sure
that actions taken by one city don't create a problem in the city next door.
Councilor Goodhouse said that each city has limited resources and asked if more emphasis could
be placed on state legislation. He said he didn't want the issue to bounce from one community to
another. People need to support getting more mental hospitals and pressure the state to apply
more resources towards mental health.
Assistant City Manager Nyland said the city is coordinating with Just Compassion because they are
part of the solution.They will be at the table for the mapping exercise. She agreed with Councilor
Goodhouse that no one city can take care of this and noted that staff are tracking legislation. She
gave kudos to all who worked on this to make Tigard more welcoming to everyone.
7. AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) -BUSINESS SUPPORT
Economic Development Coordinator Bemis presented this item. The slide show is in the packet
for this meeting.At the August 24 business meeting Council requested that staff conduct a
business needs assessment to help with making recommendations for ARPA funding of
investments that support local business needs. In order to gather information in the short time
period they assembled a cross-departmental team who created a digital survey to gather input
from Tigard-based businesses.The survey asked about their short-term needs resulting from
COVID-19,long-term needs resulting from COVID-19 and what business assistance from the
City of Tigard would be most beneficial right now.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 9 of 12
Staff also took this opportunity to ask about other concerns not related to COVID-19 and how
they prefer to receive information from the city.
Economic Development Coordinator Bemis described the outreach methods used to ensure wide
circulation of the survey.This is detailed in the staff report and included mailings,in-person visits,
newsletters,texts,and emails. 95 responses were received,or 4 percent.
Survey results were summarized. The top four short-term business needs were cash flow, staffing
and easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Nine said they had no needs at this time. Long-term
business needs were similar to short-term. Business assistance needs were financial first, followed
by none needed, staffing and other. Other concerns included, crime/safety/theft,unhoused
population and rent increases.When asked for their preferred communication method,84 said
email, 7 said mail and 3 said by text.
How is the city responding?
■ Financial assistance was the top need. The city's response was to educate them about the
Tigard CARES forgivable loan program and invite them to the Cash Flow Planning
webinar scheduled for October 7.
• For Employment/Staffing needs, the September 15 drive-through hiring event was
highlighted;a hiring/recruitment strategies webinar is planned for October 6 and a
webinar on manufacturing recruitment/retention scheduled on November 3.
• Current support includes business programs:Tigard AID Utility Billing Assistance,RAFT
Round 3—businesses and childcare support,Tigard Outside allows businesses to safety
operate outdoors,business license fee waiver program, business support scholarship
program, Advance Tigard,monthly new business meeting,welcome packet and survey,
Business Update E-newsletter and Los Empresarios de Tigard,a culturally specific
program for Ladnex businesses.
Staff felt it was a robust outreach campaign but only 95 surveys were received, or a 4%response
rate. This indicates there is not the acute business need felt last year. As COVID-19 restrictions
begin to ease,staff recommends current business support programming and monitoring the
evolving COVID recovery. The Economic Development team will return to Council quickly if
the economic situation worsens or additional input reveals an opportunity to assist businesses with
recovery.
Councilor Shaw said they couldn't have done more outreach,but the 4%return is such a small
number.Assistant City Manager Nyland responded that staff noticed that too and that is why they
asked how businesses prefer to communicate. She said more accurate information is needed at
gateways to city services,like when applying for utilities or licenses,etc. Economic Development
Coordinator Bemis said it was a quick turnaround time in order to report back to council and that
is why they will continue to seek input.
Councilor Goodhouse said it was appreciated that staff went to the businesses,but their operating
hours vary currently and since finding staff is difficult, some businesses remain closed for days
Another thing is having food and produce or cash flow to help with food shortages until vendors
can deliver inventory. He said the biggest issue is being able to help hire staff and find ways to
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 10 of 12
bring people back downtown. They don't want a handout but something to help attract
businesses would be helpful.
Councilor Goodhouse said it is difficult when special events get planned but then they have to
stop. Business can move and pivot,but it seems the city cannot adapt quickly.
Economic Development Coordinator Bemis said some business owners identified the need to
publicize more.The city has established relationships with business advisors to help with these
needs.Councilor Goodhouse said the issue is what happens when a business wants to hold an
event a few weeks away. Training is not what is needed. They don't want to go through a lengthy
process or get insurance. It would be desirable to have one contact at the city,even a part-time
person that can share the right information or get event approval. He said he hears that doing the
event paperwork takes too long and the process should be streamlined. Forms are completed and
then the business finds out they need to do more forms.
City Manager Rymer responded that Dan Murphy suggested coming together to discuss some of
the issues that Councilor Goodhouse raised. It will be important to make sure the responsibilities
of using public spaces are considered. He agreed that the city can work on efficiency and there are
things that can be done to cut down on red tape. He noted Community Engagement Coordinator
Lauren Scott is attempting to attend monthly business meetings. Councilor Goodhouse advised
keeping an open mind because not all businesses are TDA or Chamber members, so speaking to
the Chamber does not necessary speak to all Tigard businesses.Mayor Snider added that we need
to remember that most Tigard businesses are not in the downtown.
Councilor Newton said continuing outreach will help and she suggested putting a reminder in
utility bills to sign up for the economic development newsletter.
Mayor Snider said a majority of Council agree with the staff recommendation to proceed with the
programs in place and continue monitoring the economy and problematic themes Councilor
Goodhouse raised.
8. NON-AGENDA ITEMS—None.
9. ADMINISTRATNE REPORT—City Manager Rymer reported on a few administrative items.
He gave appreciation to Council and teammates for their quick turnaround on the previous two
agenda items.The 2023 budget kicked off last week with a process review. Things that worked will
be continued and there will also be some revisions.Applications are being accepted now for
various boards and committees.More applicants are being sought for the Town Center Advisory
Commission. Information is on the city's website. Round 3 of RAFT funding is launching and the
city will be reaching out to non-profits, faith-based programs and childcare providers. Library
curbside pickup continues to be popular,and circulation is dramatically rebounding with a 171
percent increase over August of last year. Review of the second Assistant City Manager position
applications begins tomorrow.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None scheduled.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES— September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 11 of 12
11. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:11 p.m. Councilor Shaw moved for adjournment. Council President Lueb seconded the
motion. City Recorder Krager conducted a roll call vote. Mayor Snider announced that the
meeting was adjourned.
Yes No
Councilor Newton ✓
Council President Lueb ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Mayor Snider ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Carol A. Krager,City Recorder
Attest:
Jason B. Snider,Mayor
Date: &r 7.v2 ea 1
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES — September 14, 2021
City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223 www.dgard-or.gov I Page 12 of 12