08/17/2017 - Summary City of Tigard
Tigard Levy and Bond Advisory Task Force
Meeting #2 Summary
MEETING DATE/TIME: Thursday, August 17, 2017; 6-8 p.m.
MEETING LOCATION: Town Hall Room (Council Chambers), City Hall
13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard OR 97223
Attendees
Task Force Council and Staff
Angela Anastasakis Councilor Anderson
Jeff Croke Eric Zimmerman
Mitch Friedman Kim McMillan
Melody Graeber Kent Wyatt
Chris Middaugh Jared Isaksen
Alan Miles Nic Westendorf
Cathy Olson
Kate Rogers Consultant Support
Clifford Rone Libby Barg
Erin Scheller Casey Hagerman
Carl Switzer
Robert Van Vlack
Jamie Watson
Selection of Task Force Chairs
The Task Force voted unanimously to approve Darlene Dick and Melody Graeber and
co-Chairs for the Task Force.
Meeting # 1 Recap: Task Force Questions & Comments
• Doesn't bringing more people to Tigard bring more money?
• Tigard is trying to develop more industrial property.
• Is there property going to residential development that should go to industrial?
• What is the difference between assessed and real property value?
• Any reduction in services can't be punitive.
• Can't we reduce things like road maintenance? Not the things we want like the
library and police?
• Could we replace the fleet less often? That would be a cost savings.
• Don't cut kid stuff.
• In general, cutting yourself to prosperity doesn't work.
Tigard Levy and Bond Advisory Task Force—Meeting#2 Summary 1
• Who trusts government? How do I know that money is being spent correctly?
Where is all the money going?
• Trust is a big issue. There was a temporary road fee that was made permanent
when gas tax vote failed.
• Need to look long-term. We will be back here in another 5 years. The only way to
fix this is to fix the property tax issues.
• City of Tigard's budget is online. All the information is there. I have been on the
Budget Committee for 6 years. There is a tremendous amount of thought that has
gone into it. It is right there for everyone to see.
• The budget process was an eye opener for me. It is very carefully done. I was
impressed.
• I like the "Budget & Brews". Great way to have citizens involved.
• Need to tell people where the money would go. Build a new recreation center and
new programs. That would have great value to voters.
• Extra money could be used for deferred maintenance. One area alone could use
$3M for projects that were not done. The needs of just physical infrastructure
could use up all the extra revenue.
• What happens if we hit another recession in the next five years?
Task Force Discussion: What are the More revenue is needed to keep
benefits and drawbacks of the scenarios? up with current service levels.
Tigard Services and Funding Scenarios
The Task Force was presented information ;AP
about the service and funding issues looking
ahead five years. Three scenarios were
presented for discussion (see handout Tigard
Services and Funding Scenarios):
1. Get Worse (no additional resources)
2. Continue to Provide Good Service
(requires new resources)
1 2 3 4 5
3. Get Better (requires new resources) Years
Although Task Force members could articulate a few benefits of Scenario #1 Get L1Worse
(keep cost of building homes lower for affordable housing, no additional costs for current
homeowners) they considered drawbacks as more serious (doesn't meet the community
needs, causes backlog in maintenance, keeps the library from providing services, etc.).
The Task Force unanimously favored Scenario #2 Continue to Provide Good Service and
Scenario #3 Get Better. Discussion focused on how the issues could best be explained to
Tigard Levy and Bond Advisory Task Force—Meeting#2 Summary 2
the community and how solutions could be supported:
• People need to know we have a need.
• There should not be a reduction in police force.
• Scenario #3 is good because it fixes the problem.
• We could mesh Scenario #2 and #3. Give the City a cost of living increase, plus an
increase for police.
• There is a need for more police to respond to traffic issues.
• What are the taxpayers getting for their money? How does the increase benefit
them? Other City fees and service charges have been going up. If I only have
another dollar to give, where would I want it to go?
• If we vote for an increase, then just keep asking for more—that is not good.
Scenario #3 is better.
Task Force Discussion: What values should guide decisions about service and
funding options?
✓ Affordability
✓ Public Safety
✓ Improve Diversity
✓ Infrastructure
✓ Livability (parks, art, recreation, library)
✓ Jobs
✓ Reinvestment
✓ Education— community engagement and communications
✓ Balanced and targeted
✓ Sustainable
✓ Access to Services
✓ Essential Services
✓ Tangible
Tigard Levy and Bond Advisory Task Force—Meeting#2 Summary 3