05/17/2023 - Minutes
City of Tigard
Committee for Community Engagement Minutes
MEETING DATE/TIME:
MEETING LOCATION:
Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Library Burgess Community Room/Hybrid - Teams
Members Present
Basil Christopher
Bhushan Gupta
Connie Ramaekers
Dolly Specht, Vice Chair
Isaiah Jackman
Israel Jacquez
Shaila Kotadia, Chair
Not Presen t
Ali Haddadi
Dave Hanna
Heidi Dixon
Kristi Allen
City Tea m Present
Maureen Wolf, Council Liaison
Kim Ezell, Program Manager
Alex Richardson, Management Analyst
Kelsey Anderson, Public Information Officer
Kurt Jun, DEIB Manager
Nicole Hendrix, Team Liaison
Leandro Barrientos, Digital Communications Coordinator
Jade McIntosh, Notetaker
Meeting start: 7:00 p.m.
Welcome and Introductions
Shaila opened th e meeting and welcome d everyone. An introduction was asked around the room,
“What is something in Tigard that you enjoy or brings you joy? Responses from members were
the library, city trails, p arks and recreations, the city’s sponsored activities, restaurants, launch
1
p ods at the Universal Plaza, Tigard High School students, getting involved in the community,
walkable p aths and trees, Washington Square mall, Tigard-Tualatin School districts are among the
b est in Oregon, and the Bull Mountain neighborhood.
Subcommittee Updates
Diversity, Equity, In clusion & Belonging
For a future meeting topic, Basil suggested a one-hour DEI workshop to guide and inform this
subcommittee about the City of Tigard’s DEIB framework and policy around administering
equitable and inclusive work. How the policy is administered and whom does it impact ? Dolly
suggested an assessmen t be made on the demographic diversity of the City of Tigard to address
DEIB’s needs. Shaila has an activity to assist with prioritizing and operationalizing our ideas
around DEIB. Update the subcommittee’s name from DEI to DEIB.
Onboarding (Bushan Gupta)
The current onboarding procedures have been working well with no issues. Nicole suggested
writing up an off-boarding procedure and piloting an exit interview with Dave Hanna, past chair.
Outreach & Volunteerism (Nicole Hendrix)
This committee needs a lead. Nicole will provide complete subcommittee membership lists.
Shaila’s vision will include figuring out what structure works best to keep things moving in action.
Pride & Juneteenth Events (Alex Richardson, Management Analyst)
The pride parade is a co llaboration with TTSD scheduled for Saturday, June 10th from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. The route starts on 113th and ends at Tigard HS. The celebration is like last year where there
will be on-site food ven dors and booths. The only differen ce is that people can walk, bike, and
skateboard in the parade. It’s not just cars. A non-profit “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence ” will
make a special appearan ce. Tigard Police Department will be present at the parade and at the
festival for protesto rs. Also, in the month of June, our judges will perform weddings for free.
Volunteers are still n eeded. Contact Alex for information. Registration for a vendor is due June 1st.
There is still room to participate in the parade.
Juneteenth event is also in partnership with TTSD. Like the Pride Parade, we will have a
proclamation for Juneteenth. The festivities will be filled with com munity-based performances and
local catered soul food vendors at Cook Park. The city of Tigard will continue to grow this event
for the greater community. Isiah asked why Pride was getting more attention than Juneteenth. Alex
and Nicole said that both events have been planned since the Fall and have been given equal
attention.
Houselessness – Camping Ordinance (Kim Ezell, Program Manager Strategic Initiative)
Time, Place, and Manner are used for the city’s camping ordinance in response to the Oregon
State law HB 3115. Th is law codified the Martin v. Boise case in which a city cannot prohibit
camping without an available shelter bed as it is a violation of a person’s 8 th Amendment rights.
2
Anoth er case, Johnson v. Grant Pass, reaffirme d and expanded the law to include allowing
sleeping in public places yet prohibiting campsit es with bedding or a structure as unconstitutional.
By July 1, 20023 all cities must comply. Below are drafts of the City of Tigard’s summary of
ordinances and goals. The council will be asked to review and approve the camping policy on
Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Our policy is written in alignment with neighboring cities in addition to
direct public en gagements with businesses and community members. Please send your feedback
to Kim Ezell by May 19th.
Based on data provided by our service provider, Tigard has approximately 44 to 186 houseless
individuals. We h ave several houseless shelters, and we are also part of the Greater Washington
County shelter system. Kim mentioned that w e are not expecting an influx of houseless individ uals
after July 1st; however, one possible concern (shared by neighboring cities) is that some ordinances
are more inviting than others.
3
Israel asked about proximity to schools and making sure kids are safe. Kim says our standards are
in line with other cities. Basil mentioned per ProAct 2013 the ADA outdoor accessibility
requirement is 48 inches. Kim Ezell will look at the ADA design handbook to confirm.
Policy Levy Renewal (Kelsey Anderson, Public Information Officer)
The police department is requestin g additional funding for staffing. Currently, there are 5 patrol
vacancies just to get up to the service level we have. The levy renewal will be on the ballot in
either May or November 2023.
Current ch allen ges: increasing mental health crisis and complexity of dispatched police calls,
inadequate p atrolling officers for the five districts , increasing population, increase in
houselessness, closure of detox facilities across the metro area, legis lative changes (policy reform,
decriminalizing drugs), jail overcrowding and early release s.
Note, the renewal levy doesn’t present an ideal and is just a “band-aid” to meet the Police
Department’s needs. It is good for five years. PD is aware of the looming recession; therefore,
they’re asking fo r the same rate as last year’s which is $0.29 per $1000 of assessed property value.
Community o utreach and education are critical. Kelsey asked CCE members to start engaging in
the conversation early.
CCE Visioning (Shaila Kotadia, CCE Chair)
No discussion due to time limit. Will move to a future meeting.
Review and accept meeting minutes (Shaila Kotadia, All)
Approved through a poll.
Open Agenda
No discussion due to time limit.
Wh at are we hearing in the community? (Shaila Kotadia, All)
Code of Conduct (Nicole Hendrix, Team Liaison)
Adjournment 8:36 pm
4