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City Council Minutes - 01/13/2009 Agenda Item No. Meeting of r' a City of Tigard Tigard a eet Utes TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE/TIME. January 13, 20019 - 7 p.m. Reception; 7:30 p.m. Business Meeting MEETING LOCATION-. City of Tigard - Town. Hall,, 13125 SW`l all Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223 1. BUSINESS MEETING 1.1 Mayor Dirksen called the meeting to order at 7:30:2{7 PM 1.2 Roll Call Present. Mayor Dirksen, Councilor Buehner, Councilor Henderson, Councilor Sherwood,and Councilor Wilson Also Present: City Manager Prosser and City Recorder Wheatley 1.3 Fledge of Allegiance 1.4 Council Communications&Liaison Reports: There were none. 1.5° Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items Councilor Buehner requested a Study Session as the last item on tonight's agenda regarding urban reserves. The Mayor and City Council members agreed to hold. the Study Session per Councilor Buehnees request. 7:31:31 PM 2. ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE - COUNCILOR MARLAND HENDERSON AND COUNCILOR NICK WILSON 0 Municipal Court .Judge Michael O'Brien administered the oath of office to Councilor Marland Henderson and Councilor Nick Wilson, 7;34:02 PIVI 3. INAUGU -S Councilor Nick Wilson thanked the voters for their continued confidence in his abilityto represent their interests. He takes this charge seriously. He said that not every citizen will appreciate his stance on everyissue,but pledged to be faithful by representing what he believes to be the broad consensus among the citizens of Tigard. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -JANUARY 1 , 2009 Cityof Tigard 1 13125 SW Mall Blvd.,Tigard,OR:97223 1 5013-639-41.71 1 w.tigard-ongov Page 1 afell Councilor Wilson noted he was in the second half of his fifth year:of service on the City Council. He said he always liked this time of year because the City Council tabes a pause to review progress on goals for the previous year and establish goals for the coming year. He said that since initially coming on to the CityCouncil,his thinking has undergone a change. The first year is a learning curve—there is so much to learn and initially new Councilor might not get that much accomplished; Bythe second year:,it becomes clear that you are part of the team and nothing will happen unless you can convince at least two other Council members to agree with you. It becomes important to win the respect of your peers and to articulate your positions in a waythat is persuasive—that tabes some time. Councilor Wilson said that over the last few years the Council has come together as a team In the past,there have been times when the City of Tigard was not always unified,when this happens it is difficult to accomplish anything significant. This has not been the case since he has served on the City Council. The Council has worked well together and there has been remarkable agreement on the Council as to what the big issues in Tigard are:and the priorities for addressing those issues. In the last few years,the Council has attained a single-mindedness of purpose;however,addressing difficult problems takes time. The easy projects can be placed on a task list and checked off`when completed. A few years ago,Councilor Wilson_recalled,no one wanted to tackle the big problems. There was a sense that I-lighway99W was the Oregon Department of Transportation's problem and they should take care of it. The situation was similar for downtown in that there seemed to be a sense that the downtown property owners should take the initiative before the City Council became involved. The situation has changed;nothing will likely happen unless we take leadership. 7:38:01 PM Councilor Wilson noted important accomplishments have been made. An urban renewal district was created to serve as a funding mechanism for downtown improvements: The City has a plan for Burnham Street and received a major grant for Mara Street Improvements. With regard to Highway99W,the Council implemented a gas tax for funding improvements. Most of the accomplishments have been on paper;however,this year we are finally going to start breaking ground on real improvements. He said he thought for each successive year,we will begin to see more things happen. 7:38:31 PM Councilor Wilson said he hoped we would continue`with what we have been doing and as City Council members came and go that the candidates who share this Council's vision will apply for the position and the voters will elect them. It takes 10,20,or 30 years to make major changes to the City. "Myvisio .is that the process will continue after I'm gone,"' TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES --JANUARY 13, 2009 Crt 0f Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-639-4171 1 www.tig,-Lrd-or.gov Page 2 of ll 7:39:24 PM Councilor Henderson noted his agreement with Councilor Wilson's remarks. He advised. he anticipates he is going to have a learning curve,noting lie has only served on the Cbuncil for a couple of weeks. He has already attended a couple of seminars to learn about serving as a local.governrraent official; it is a serious job especially given the state of the economy. Councilor Henderson said in the near future,it will likely take more than just the City Council,but it will take'the whale community,to recover and move forward. Councilor Henderson said he hoped that the economy downturn is short-lived,but he was concerned that it would not recover during his administration. He said he was willing to work with everyone and.said,"My job starts right now." 7.40.46 PM 4. CITIZEN CO7 J ICATIOI' Tigard High School Student Envoy Alexa Kanbergs presented a report on recent and future Tigard High activities. A copy of her report is available in the City Recorder's office. 7:43.13 PM 4 Citizen Sigh Up Sheet o Dennis Olson, 12540 SW Walnut Street,Tigard,Oregon,referred to the new Tigard Fire Station. He asked why there is such an array of elaborate`signals on Walnut Street for the Fire Station;it seems excessive. He referred to area Fire Stations— I-liiteon Park has one pole with a flashing light—SW Scholls Ferry Road,near Progress has one light above the street with flashing lights —Burnham Street Fire Station has no lights on the street. Mr. Olson said in his neighborhood,there are two light standards making it look life a freeway.In addition,no one asked:him about the placement of a light standard "in the middle-of my property:" He has gone to the Tigard Planning Commission. He spoke to Mike McCarthyand asked why there was a light standard in the middle of his property that will eventually be a road when his property develops. He said he has not heard back from Mr.McCarthy,but them are several pink ribbons around the standard with"ROW' printed--Mr.Olson said he tool-,that as "...my message that well put it where we want to" Mr. Olson advised that he called Washington County and spoke to Devin Ellington, Roadway Superintendent for Traffic Signals. Mr.Ellington told Mr.Olson that the light standardsareusually placed on the property line. Mr. Olson reiterated that the light standard is where he plans to access his adjacent property. He asked who would move the light standard when his road goes in. Will he have to pay for it.) No one asked him what he wants to do with his property. Mayor Dirksen said the City Council would find out the reason for the situations Mr: Olson described and advised these questions would need to be reviewed by Tualatin ValleyFir-e and Rescue as well as the City's Brild rig Division. Mayor Dirksen said Mr-. Olson's concerns are well founded and we will look into what could be done to resolve the issues. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -JANUARY 13, 240 9 qty of Tigard 13125 SCJ I-Iall Blvd.„'Tigard,OR 97223 503-639-4171 wwwL tiga rd or.gov Page 3 of 11 5. STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS Mayor Dirksen delivered the 2009 State of the City address. A copy of his remarks is attached. 7.5 .39 PM 6. ELECT COUNCIL PRESIDENT City Recorder Batley reported on Council President election procedures. The Council President will serve for the next four years as outlined by the City of'Tigard Chatter. Councilor Sherwood nominated Councilor Milson. The Mayor and Council members voted by ballot,as required in the Chatter. These ballots ate filed in the City Recorder's office. Councilor Wilson was elected by a unanimous vote. 7.59:09 P 7. ADOPT 2009 COUNCIL GOALS,FIVE-YEAR GOALS,LONG-TERM GOALS,AND 2009 COUNCIL TASKS Mayor Dirksen advised that each year the City Council meets to discuss the goals it would like to see achieved during the corning year. lie gave a brief summary of the goals. The Council did something different this year;in addition to the 2009 goals,the Council identified several five-year Council goals and some long-term Council goals. Mayor Dirksen gave a brief summary of the goals:. 2009 Council Gals 1. Implement Comprehensive Plan a. Update Tigard zoning Wraps based on Comprehensive Plan Update b. Update Tree Code to meet Comprehensive Plan c. Continue to lobby for light rail in 99W Corridor d. Develop a 50-year aspiration goal in support of Urban/Rural Reserves Program 2. Implement Downtown Urban Renewal a. Move forward with Burnham.Street Project b. Complete land use regulations and design standards for the downtown 3. Prepare for 2010 Bond Measure for Parks, Open Spaces and Trails a. Complete Parks Master Plan b. Pursue Fanno Park and downtown plaza propertyacquisition 4. Continue supporting the Legislature in Addressing the Financial Needs of Oregon State and.Local Governments TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES —JANUARY 13, 2009 2409 atyof Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-639-4171 1 www.tigard-or.gov Page 4 of 11 Five-Year Council Goals • Implement Comprehensive flan o Develop a long-term financialstrategy o Obtain 99W designation as the next Light Dail Corridor • Prepare 2010 Bond Measure for Parrs, Open Spaces and Trails Q Begin 99W access management implementation o Support WCCLS and Public Safety levy renewals in 2010 o Begin City Facility deeds Plan implementation Lean;-Team Council Coals o Pursue opportunitiesto reduce Tigard traffic congestion • Seek to improve Hwy 99 Corridor(land use,alternative routes,traffic,etc.) o Implement Downtown Urban Renewal flan Motion by Councilor Buehner,seconded by Councilor Sherwood,to approve the City Council goals as stated. Councilor Wilson offered a point of clarification. A list of tasks was also developed bythe City Council. These are not under consideration for this vete. City ger Prosser explained that the tasks are compiled in a list of ten items directing staff to accomplish in the coming year. The motion-was approved by unanimous vote of City Council present. Mayor Dirksen Yes Council President Wilson Yes Councilor Buehner Yes Councilor Henderson Yes Councilor Sherwood Yes 8.04.18 PM Motion by Councilor Sherwood,seconded by Council President Wilson,to adjourn the business meeting. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of City Council present. Mayor Dirksen Yes Council President Milson Yes Councilor Buehner Yes Councilor Henderson Yes Councilor Sherwood Yes TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -JANUARY 13, 2009 Cityof Tigard I 13125 SXV Hdi Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 503-639-4171 1 www.tigard-or.gov Pa e S of 11 City Rc-catiWs Note Bee cawmbg in Sn4 Session in.A-Rol Rale Cruzafv Room City Cafndl n-as ussitalwtlj Tzg aid Higl)S"St7icbzts'attexxi d anew Their-ons cbsatssion abaft i 99 t inpvte wets ai l d"u is a gttcftion tt dx stau6 gftlx c7rts caulk iszstrallation on DtnliltnRcad adjaa—&to dx tgl7 Sdxd City tlllamgerl-trssersaid 1x-mdd dirk on the orsnwlk stains. STUDY SESSION: Kninr,inn Cniincil convened in a Sti dySession meeting,.it 8:11 pr rn. Present- Mayor Dirksen, Councilor Buehner, Councilor Henderson, CoLnicilor Sherwood, and Councilor Wilson Also Present: City Manages- Prosser, Assistant City Manager Newton, Assistant Community Development Director Bunch, City Attorney Ramis,and City Recorder Wheatley Topic. Urban and Rural.Reserves Community Development Director Bunch reviewed the Washington County Urban and Rural.Reserve process • Process came about through 20017 legislation sponsoredby Metro. Agreement was made with the Legislature to allow Metro to take a year off from their normal five-year cycle of developing an urban growth repot and making designation of the next 20 years of urban lands. The five- year process was costly,difficult,unpredictable,resource-intensive,and did not work that well because there has been very little land developed based on the last Urban Growth Boundaiy expansions;i.e.,Areas 63 and 64. a The Legislature agreed with Metro to tape time to allow time to develop a flexible response to growth conditions. a A different approach was based upon something besides numbers at the start. Metra wanted to do something that was related to the quality of place. Reference was made to a program called Makirg d;r GmtEst Place,i.e.,snaking compact,walla ble communities along with a flexible approach to take into account different economic models. a There was a long series of meetings whereby Metro and the counties and the natural resource people all got together and identified the foundation lands necessary for agriculture and lands that will require'a high level of intensive investigation before they are considered urban lands. There are other lands that were not as important as agriculture,e.g.,slopes or lands already committed to uses that made thein difficult for agriculture. • Also included in the new process was an infrastructure approach. cs The current process was convened by the"Core Four" decision-malting entities: Metro, Clackamas County;Washington County and Multnomah County. The counties were charged with leading the Urban and rural reserve process. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES —JANUARY 13, 2009 City of Tigard 13125 Sly Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-639-4171 1 www.tigard ongov Page 6 of ll o Part of this process was based upon community aspirations: What bind of comrrrcrnties do we want to be? o Community Development Director Bunch repeated that Mayor Dirksen expressed Tigard's aspirations on October 10 before a joint meeting of the Policy Advisory C..rommittee on Transportation and the Metra PolicyAdvisory Committee on Land Use. At that time,we viewed ourselves as a landlocked community. Areas 63 and 64 were undergoing concept planning by Washington Gountyplus Tigard is surrounded mostly by urban unincorporated. land- it is verydifficult to get to unincoiporated open land. Therefore,theydid not tape a geographic approacl-t at that time. Tlie approach was to lnol, inside the (atv.. o Washington C ountyhas now asked their communities to identify the geographic expansion,not only lands inside the City(redevelopment) but also look elsewhere. Where would we like to grow in 50 years? • This has come about quickly, Although this was the approach Metro wanted us to take initially, the approach by Washington County was focused on population numbers. Community Development Director Bunch said this was difficult to address;we do not brow what the future will be. o At the next Urban and Rural Reserve Committee meeting each jurisdiction will be asked to present its aspiration for its future geogr-apl-:iic area. This is happening more quicklythan was anticipated. o Councilor Buehner reported.County Commission Chair Brian commented to her it was likely the Bull Mountain area would,in time,be in Tigard and they need toknowwhat Tgard's eventual boundary might be. Councilor Buehner asked for a commitment from the County to support us in these efforts and Chair Briars responded that this would happen:over the next 30 to 50 years. • Community Development Director Bunch said the issue is about cooperatively working with surrounding communities. o GtyManager Prosser noted people in the urbanunincorporated area need to be included in this process in some war If not,he was concerned that hard feelings that are starting to dissipate might resurface. However,cities are being asked to respond within a very short timeline. o Mayor Dirksen suggested that we move forward and meet with our neighbors to discuss long- term aspirations. However,this is a separate process from what we need to do for the purposes required by the Urban and Rural Reserves Committee that is meeting now. Mayor Dirksen suggested since we have a short-term requirement to respond,we say. In keeping with existing City policy and Washington County agreements,we anticipate that in the next 50 years we would expand through the areas identified as our eventual urban services area. This area would include anyUrban Growth Boundary expansions that would take place. This would be our "recognition of responsibility" at the end of 50 years rather than our"aspiration." We would need to add the caveat that this is based on existing and old information and did not include any public process. o Council President Wilson recalled that last time we did something like this;we had a 20-year timeframe. When 20 years arrived,we attempted to annex Bull Mountain. .`•Tow;we are being asked to offer aspirations for the next 50 years. Mayor Dirksen said he thought that he would rather talk in more immediate terms about Areas'63 and 64. He wondered if there was anyway TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -JANUARY 1 , 2009 (ity of Tigard 1 13125 SW"Hi"all Blvd.,Tigard,C)R 97223 56,3-639-4171 w' ww.tigard-or.gov 'P' a'g'- age 7 of 11 to cherrystern around the built-out area of Bull Mountain to get there- recognizing that no one else but Tigard will provide water. o At the staff level,Mayor Dirksen said the County's desire is for the City of Tigard to take responsibility for that area. We have yet to have a dialogue with the policymakers at the. Commission level to discuss how this physicallycouk!be done. This would have to come as a result of a discussion with there and a request on their part that we become actively involved. o Council President Wilson said he would be opposed to"pie in the slay"projections. o Mayor Dirksen responded that we are being aslted to provide such a projection. Discussion followed. Maynr Dlrli sen emplaasi7ed when we provide this information it be accompanied by language to clarifythat this is being done in response to a request to provide this information and not because it is a priority on the part of the City. o Council President Wilson said it would be verydamaging,to do anything to cause people to say, "Oh,there they go again." Mayor Dirksen and CouncilorSherwood agreed with this comment. o Community Development Director Bunch said.'Tigard's situation is a difficult one because of the unincorporated urbanization issue. That is why staff met early on with Metro staff and focused on things inside the City. For some reason Washington.County is pressing the issue. He referred to an hour-long presentation to the Urban and Rugal Reserves Committee by the City of Hillsboro regarding their aspirations for facture growth. The remaining communities in the region are being given 10 minutes each,perhaps to give everyone the opportunity to express their aspirations for growth. Hillsboro's proposed expansion,he thought,was identified a long tinge ago. They have legitimate growth needs for industry and housing,etc. o Metro has been working with other cities in the region regarding their aspirations for the past 10 months. o Councilor Buehner said.the Sherwood Ma3ur commented we need to loop:at the long-term boundaries for Tigard,Tualatin,and Sherwood. There was discussion about logical (lay geography)long-term boundaries. • Mayor Dirksen rooted a previous discussion with Ding City regarding boundaries. In fact,we have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding. o C.ityAttorney auris commented on the word"aspiration," FIe suggested the City might`want to consider answering the question with what its expectation is about growth in the future and what the Council members think the rational shape of the Urban Growth Boundary will be. With respect to jurisdictional issues,this will be administered either byTigard or by the County; but the County has not resolved its policy. Mayor D rloen restated that it is not reallywhat we want to do,but what we see that we will be required to do- or,someone will be required to do. o Community Development Director Bunch stated the policy Tigard promotes is that urban development needs to occur within a municipal government. a Mayor Dirksen said we are not bringing this issue forward,we are being requested to naa.ke this statement. o There was discussion about past conversations about Areas 63 and 64 with the County. The County has asked about the City providing services to this area by contract. Our current policy is thatQve would not. This has not been discussed by the C tyC.ouncil. City Manager Prosser noted that at one time the City of Tigard did provide services to unincorporated Washington County under a contract. This did not work.out well for::us,because we were viewed as having the responsibility for the basic rules. Council President Wilson said he would agree to tl�iis only TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES —JANU Y 13, 2009 aty of Tigard 1 13125 SW HaH Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223_,.� 503-639-4171 v.tigard-or.gov Page 8 o f ll if equivalent services were provided to the residents in and out of the City. Councilor Buehner said she did not think we should provide services by contract because of our current policy. Mayor Dirksen said this would take further discussion if ever a formal request is made; o Council President Wilson said he thinks the real issue with annexation is because of financial concerns. If you take away the financial disincentive,we could agree to provide the services so long as there would be a vote in five years for annexation. There was discussion on whether the Bull mountain annexation would have passed if the taxes did not increase. Mayor Dirksen and Councilor Buehner-said they have heard from some residents saying that taxes were not the issue for oNecrino;tem annexannn. Council President Wilson commented then, "'1 gnus we don't know." o Ce,mmunityDevelopment Director Bunch said he liked the idea to say that it is our expectation, based upon the County's request to provide a geographic designation where we would expect to be. It would be our expectation,baiting other circumstances that this would be a logical boundary. In response to a question from CAtyManager Prosser regarding how to define the boundary within the next month,Community Development Director Bunch acknowledged the difficulty. If we try to accomplish this within<a month,then vie could be creating a contentious concern because there has been no communication or involvement of the public in defining the boundary. ci Councilor Buehner advised that she is not aware of any of the ether cities going through a public process. ci Council President Wilson suggested that instead of"mapping it" we would simply saythat our expectation would be that our boundaries would follow the expansions of the Urban Growth Boundary adjacent to our current borders. Based on the geography,it looks as if the natural boundaries would be the wildlife refuge,Scholls FerryRoad,Beef Bend Road,and the Tualatin. River. Mayor Dirksen said he would like to respond with this type of answer. • Community Development Director Bunch agreed that this would be a logical response; Cour urban boundary would follow the expansions of the Urban Growth Boundary adjacent to our boundaries. Mayor Dirksen added,"...and as identified by our urban services area and our existing agreements with the County." Community Development Director Bunch said our response could be in narrative form,with no map. Community Development Director~Bunch said part of the response could include the wording, "It is our expectation that as a community that provides these urban services, that we would be responsible,based upon our policy for these areas." • The next Urban/Rural Reserves Cortunittee meeting is February 9,2009. o Councilor Sherwood asked about Metzger and whether it should alsobe tarsen into consideration also? CityManager Prosser pointed out the urban services agreement identifies Metzger as part of our urban services area. a City ager Prosser reviewed the upcoming Council meeting schedule and it was determined this item would be revisited during the Study Session on January 27,2009. • Mayor Dirksen asked if this response to the Committee bythe Council would set policy? City Manager Prosser said he did not think so,particularly,if we approach it as "our expectation." Councilor Buehner added this is to complywith Metro's required process. Commar t ty Development Director Bunch clarified that Metro`has requested communities to provide TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES —JANUARY 1 , 2009 City cif Tigard 13125 SWI-hill Blvd.,Tigard,CSR 97223 ( 503-639-4171 www.tigard-or.gov Page 9 of it aspirations as part of their"Making the Greatest Place Possible." Now is the opportunity for communities to express then-expectations of how they will grow. o There was discussion about the predicted growth rate and base assumptions for Washington, Multnomah,and Clackamas Counties. C oncem,was expressed about whether the predictions made sense because Washington Countywas being shown to grow at a slower rate than current experience while Multnomah County*growth rate was almost doubled. Community Development Director Bunch explained that the Cry of Tigard's future will likely l e with redevelopment. n Council President Wilson said he was concerned that iw erre reacting to things that are tieing asked of ras,but we are not strongly advocating our position. Areas 63 and 64 are being planned and we are not involved. Even if we do not inherit these areas,how they develop will affect us with traffic. No one is funding any transit improvements. This is not the way we should be growing. These areas should be similar to other areas on the fringe in terms of density. Instead,we ought to move the density closer to core: This has not been happening for the last 15 years;it's in direct opposition to the stated policies. Basically,it's density dumping. CommunityDevelopment Director Bunchagreed that it's density dumping in a homogenous, unsupportable kind of land use pattern where you cannot walk to basic services. 'cr Community Development Director Bunch advised Tigard has participated in the technical process and the above issues have been brought up. The County's plan does not take into account the impacts on the system in the area. The County advises there is no funding available to study the effects on the transportation system. A traffic model illustrated that the congested street system will limit driving. The Metro Functional plan requires that the jurisdiction doing the concept planning provide a financing plan to identify how they will provide services. If it gets to the point that the Cry not thinly Was1iington County can do that and it will dump all the congestion into the City or damage the transportation network beyond the condition where people drive,then the City can oppose that. o Cary ager Prosser said the City of Tigard was invited to participate on the Planning Committee for Areas 63 and 64. The Council declined to do so because of our history and this would be a bad moveforus. However,we did participate at the technical level The above concerns have also been brought up for the North Bethany area in that the County has not looked outside the defined area to identify and deal with impacts. The problem is big and is not being addressed. o Council President Wilson said he lived in a community near San Diego called Chula Vista. They-were building 5,000-a re developments adjacent to the City and annexing as they went. Multiple arterials were built all the way down through the City. Tights of way-were reserved for a freeway extension and schools were built-- everything was master planned. Our system doesn't seem to work Comments were made about taxing systems (California has a sales tax) and developer exactions. o CrmmunityDevelopment Director Bunch said there'will be an oppomrnityfor the C-'ityyto weigh in on the planning process in Areas 63 and 64. He added that there is one commercial development identified comprised of about 30,000 square feet for 3,800 housing units. Washington County is proposing to take an additional 200+acres of agricultural land associated with the urban_reserve process (adjacent to Highway 99W} up to Area 64. Councilor Buel-rner advised Metro is looking at 200 acres immediately west to Area 64. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES —JANUARY 1 , 2009 G y of"Tigard 13125 S Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 503-139-4171 1 www.tigard-ongov Page 10 of 11 o Tigard's response to the Committee will be discussed again at the January 27,2009 City Council meeting. o Community Development Director Bunch and Councilor Buehner commented on the quick turnaround time for discussions and decision making being used as the Committee tries to do its work There is no opportunity for good policy discussion. o Mayor Dirksen thanked Councilor Buehner and Community Development Director Bunch for providing the City Council with background. Community Development Director Bunch will develop a draft letter for the Council's review on January 27. n In response to a question from Councilor Henderson, Community Development Director Bunch said coordination is needed among Tigard,Sherwood,Tualatin and King City to bring forward the interests of this area of the County. There appears to be two segments of the County,our area is tied by the freeways and the system within the urban area. Councilor Buehner said the Committee does not have minutes of its proceedings. Mayor Dirksen asked if there have been handouts that have been distributed noting that Councilor Henderson might benefit from this information so he has context and background. Community Development Director Bunch said he could assemble information for Councilor Henderson. 9:02 p.m. Motion by Council President Wilson,seconded by Councilor Buehner to adjourn. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of City Council present. Mayor Dirksen Yes Council President Wilson Yes Councilor Buehner Yes Councilor Henderson Yes Councilor Sherwood Yes i r Catherine Wheatley, City Recorder Attest: ayo City o Tiga Date: Q• 1 0 . I:\ADM\CATHY\CCM\2009\090113 final.doc TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES —JANUARY 13, 2009 City of Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 503-639-4171 www.tigard-or.gov Page 11 of 11 2008 Tigard State of the City I'd like to take this opportunity to spend a few minutes to talk about how things are going here in Tigard. No one could have lived through this last year without feeling the impact that the economic downturn has had on the whole country. While we have certainly not been immune to its effects, here in Tigard, as in the rest of Washington County and even the State of Oregon, the impacts of the financial crisis have not been as severe as they have been elsewhere. Here at the City, we have continued to move forward in the areas that Tigard residents have shown are important to them. Situated at the juncture of Interstate 5, Highway 99W and Highway 217, Tigard's unique location has led us to have a higher than average number of commercial and retail businesses than you would expect for a city our size. This in turn increases the opportunity for crimes against those businesses. In response to this challenge, in 2008 Chief Dickenson created the Commercial Crimes Unit, funded by business license fees. The unit dedicates itself to the investigation and solving of crimes against businesses, as well as working with those businesses to help them find ways to reduce crime by making them more secure. After its first year of operation, the City has seen a 16% decrease in reported cases of shoplifting, and at the end of the third quarter had made arrests in over 80% of its investigations. Three years ago the City Council made a commitment to update the city's comprehensive plan, our guiding document, to better reflect the culture and philosophy of its residents in the 21st Century. Discussion with staff and citizen groups quickly led to the realization that what we really needed was not just an update, but a total re-write of the Plan. Through an immense effort by city staff and especially by literally hundreds of Tigard citizens, the New Comprehensive Plan was completed this past October. This will be followed up in 2009 by review and revisions to our municipal code so that its statutes support the new plan. Our library has long been a center of our community identity. In 2007 the library passed a major milestone. For the first time ever, more than one million items were checked out by library patrons, by far breaking any previous record. This trend continued this past year, with 2007's record library usage being surpassed two months earlier. And in 2008, with the passage of the Washington County library levy, we were able to increase the library's hours on Thursdays, which had been curtailed due to budget cuts, and as of this month we are also further increasing weekend hours. Traffic congestion, especially on Pacific Highway, has been the number one concern and frustration for Tigard residents since before my wife Jackie and I moved to Tigard in 1977. In response to citizen's demands that the city do something, the Council made seeking a solution a priority. I was not optimistic. Honestly, I was doubtful that there was anything that could be done to cause a significant improvement. It seemed an insurmountable task; one that even ODOT, the Oregon Department of Transportation had given up on. But through a process that included a study done in cooperation with ODOT to identify specific projects, teamwork with Washington County, and making the decision to create funding through a local gas tax, we actually have a plan of action that will address most of the problems. Five years ago I would have told you it was impossible. But over the next five years we will do several reconstruction projects that will make a real difference. And over the next decade, there are other changes we will make to continue to improve, and to prevent further, congestion. Also, within the month, the Westside Express Service, or WES, will inaugurate its service from Wilsonville through Tigard to Beaverton, where it will connect passengers to the existing light rail system. This will give Tigard residents the ability to make better use of public transportation and become less dependent on their private automobiles. Improving Ti ard's downtown continues to be high on Council's priority list. On the Burnham Street project, the design is finished, the funding has been identified, and the necessary land acquisitions are almost complete. Though we did not make as much progress as we had hoped last year, we are still committed to moving forward. This coming spring will see the construction begin, continuing through the year and into the following summer. We also have federal grant funding for a complete remodel of south Main Street to make it a green and pedestrian friendly street. It will be our next construction project following the Burnham Street reconstruction. This coming budget cycle, I am going to ask the Budget Committee to fund a fagade improvement grant program. Business and property owners on Tigard's historic Main Street and downtown would be able to apply for grants or no- interest loans to restore and improve their building frontages. The City will also be looking at some downtown properties that are already publically owned that can be redeveloped into mixed-use and high-density residential housing and stimulate new private investment. These plans and projects are aggressive, and may seem to fly in the face of the current economic situation. But the City's revenue base is stable, and the money for these projects is either already in-hand or solidly dedicated. And at the state and federal level, government leaders are beginning to wake up to what we at the local level have known for some time —that adequate investment in public infrastructure: streets, roads, water quality facilities and the like — is necessary to preserve and improve what we have already invested billions in creating. It's just good business. The federal government is talking about an economic stimulus package, that would fund already identified public projects to help put people to work, and the Governor has also proposed to the Oregon Legislature a robust transportation improvement funding package. The coming year may see the best prospect we have seen in Oregon in some time to fund the backlog of maintenance and improvement projects we've been struggling to complete. A time of economic challenge can also be a time of opportunity —to encourage us all to be more efficient, to be more creative, and to align our priorities with real world needs. With your help and by the grace of God, the City of Tigard is positioned and ready to rise to the occasion. Together we can make 2009 not just a year of recovery, but one of advancement and increased success. God bless you all and God bless the City of Tigard.