03/15/2023 - MinutesCity of Tigard
Committee for Community Engagement Minutes
MEETING DATE/TIME:
MEETING LOCATION:
Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Virtual Meeting via Microsoft Team
Members Present
Ali Haddadi
Dolly Specht, Acting Chair
Basil Christopher
Connie Ramaekers
Isaiah Jackman
Kristi Allen
Shaila Kotadia
Not Present
Dave Hanna, Chair
Bhushan Gupta
Heidi Dixon
Israel Jacquez
City Team Present
Maureen Wolf, Council Liaison
Kurt Jun, DEIB Manager
Nicole Hendrix, Team Liaison
Judi Martin, Community Engagement Coordinator
Jade McIntosh, Notetaker
Meeting start: 7:00 pm
Welcome and Introductions
Dolly opened the meeting on behalf of Dave and asked, “What are you hearing in the
community?
Our new mayor and the city council received positive feedback on their commitment to
diversity, equity, and inclusion. Looking forward to the festival of Spring, the farmer
markets, various cultural events, the grand opening of the Universal Plaza, and a new
Mexican restaurant “El Jefe.”
People are anxious about HWY 217 construction but excited to have it completed. Another
noted concern was the issue of pedestrian safety on the Hall Boulevard corridor. ODOT
recently reduced the speed limit on a stretch of SW Hall Blvd in Tigard. Ali Haddadi
requested Nicole to post the Persian New Year (Nowruz) on March 20th on social media.
Finally, Nicole asked th ose who didn’t know to check out Shaila’s Talking Tigard podcast
with Kent Wyatt about Women’s History Month and community engagement.
Chair and Elections
A meeting quorum was reached. Nicole led the election process and briefly shared with the
committee members about the nomination process, roles, and the length of service which is
one year for each position. Each member can nominate themselves or others. The process
started with a nomination, a motion, followed by a vote. Everyone was asked to provide a
reason for their nomination.
Chair nomination
Dolly nominated Dave, whom she mentioned will happily continue to serve. Nicole said that
Dave is also happy to extend the opportunity to someone else after having served in the last
four years. Ali nominated Isaiah who declined at this time. Shaila, having been active in
facilitation and strategic planning, was interested to serve. Nicole called a motion to vote.
Shaila was elected as the 2023 –2024 CCE chair by the unanimous decision. Congratulations,
Shaila!
Vice-chair nomination
Isaiah, Basil, Shaila, Ali, and Connie nominated Dolly. Nicole called a motion to vote. Dolly
was elected as the 2023-2024 CCE vice chair by unanimous decision. Dolly accepted.
Congratulations, Dolly!
Subcommittee Updates
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, nothing to update.
Isaiah shared that Metro District 4 will have a community kick-off event on April 5th and 8th
to gather feedback on capital grants the city received to build a nature park from Elmonica to
Tanasbourne areas. This event is not limited to Beaverton residents; anyone who works in
these areas can provide feedback.
Onboarding, nothing to updat e
Outreach & Volunteerism (Nicole Hendrix)
Tigard Volunteer Appreciation Week is scheduled for Sunday, April 16th: 2:00 – 4:00 pm at
the Tigard Public Library Community Room. This event is to get to know and thank the
City’s volunteers, boards, and committee members.
Universal Plaza Update (Judi Martin)
The Universal Plaza’s grand opening is set for April 15, 2023. The ribbon -cutting celebration
will start at 11:00 am. Hopefully, the current mayor or past mayors will be able to say a few
words. The water feature is scheduled to be fully activated at that time. There will be a few
mini-market booths and family-friendly entertainment for the festivities. The Farmers Market,
however, will officially start on May 7, 2023.
Two food truck vendors selling tortas and charcuterie will have their grand opening at the
same time. They are part of the community development launchpad business incubators
program for very small businesses.
Other components for the next phase of planning the Universal Plaza’s vision are the
boardwalk, a canopy roof that will cover part of the plaza, some community tables, and an
indoor community room with restrooms (dependent on funding). Onsite bike racks will be
installed.
Tigard City Council Goals (Maureen Wolf)
Maureen gave a presentation about the City Council Goals. At the recent council retreat, a
question was asked if the Tigard community’s promise “The Five E’s” (Equity, Environment,
Economy, Engagement, and Excellence) are still an anchor for our city. What can we do to
leverage these components? She also mentioned that scorecards will be developed as metrics
for service excellence and community engagement. Talks will continue to identify clear
outcomes and accountability.
On March 21st, the council will meet to discuss the adoption of the draft goals and plans
below:
Goal 1, Reduce Houselessness
Governor Kotek declared houselessness and housing issues as a state emergency. Funding
has been increased statewide. The City of Tigard Council has approved a $1 million budget
to invest in this initiative. In addition, the council will develop ordinance criteria and
definitions related to houseless individuals in public spaces.
The city ha s a Community Homelessness Assessment and Response Team (CHART) which
is a partnership of business owners, houseless service providers, and City staff to share
information and discuss solutions for houselessness. The plan is to provide wrap-around
services. We look forward to having Kim Ezel provide an update on this topic. As far as
terminology, the city preferred houselessness vs. homelessness for inclusivity.
Goal 2, Address Climate Change
The council continues to look for bold initiatives that will support climate -friendly choices in
our growing community. For example, the City of Eugene will have a ballot to eliminate gas-
powered stoves by 2035. Council Wolf asked for CCE to start thinking of a strategy for
community engagement, and to be ready to provide smart and thoughtful recommendations
for paths going forward.
Goal 3, Modernize and Improve City Services
Modernize technology with Tyler, enterprise software for resource planning to improve
citizen services through efficient data processes, inventory, and preventative management.
This is a major undertak ing for the city. The Council will prioritize support and successful
implementation. Nicole thanked everyone who took part in the beta tests of Tyler’s public-
facing site.
The city is growing, new buildings are needed for direct public-facing departments such as
the Police Department, Public Works, and the Administration Building. Investments in
repairs and replacement are no longer cost-effective at this point. We have a bond in the
next couple of years tha t will help us achieve it.
Goal 4, Enhance Community Safety & Accessibility
A discussion on pedestrian safety concerns on Hall Boulevard. The City of Tigard will take
ownership from ODOT when the road is at the level that is appropriate for transfer. The
City’s estimated future investments will cost between $30 – 40 million.
The public safety levy will be on the 2025 voter’s ballot. Increasing public awareness through
education will be important to get it passed.
Basil asked, “what is the public involvement and outreach as part of getti ng the community
support for the four goals?” Council Wolf said that the goals represented have a lot of
community engagement pieces. Outreach was done through public sessions and
conversations with businesses and community members. For example, as a council member,
she knocked on doors and chatted with individuals asking questions like, “What are your
interests and concerns?”
Nicole Hendrix suggested CCE open community engagement events or information sessions
for the community. We maybe also want to partner with the Community Academy. Nicole
will follow up on this.
Dolly urged committee members to stay engaged in civic advocacy and gathering feedback
for the city council.
Pride & Juneteenth Event Brainstorm
Nicole Hendrix sought input for the Pride celebration (June 10th), Juneteenth (June 17th), and
CCE’s quarterly hybrid meeting option. The city is partnering with TTSD for both events. A
survey poll was emailed post-meeting which will be used for events planning purposes.
On a similar topic, the city is partnering with a company called Polco and the National
Research Center to con duct a community survey in April. Data collected related to Tigard’s
livability, and community satisfaction with the city’s services will be used for comparison and
benchmarking. Paper surveys will be sent randomly to 2800 households between April 6th to
May 18th, 2023. If you are selected, please take the time to complete it.
Review and accept meeting minutes for November ‘22 & January'23
Dolly motioned to have meeting minutes approved via email. The motion was approved.
Nicole will send out meeting minutes as a follow-up.
Open Agenda
Basil would like an opportunity to have a deeper discussion in the future about the
environmental shortfalls and what the city can do.
Isaiah requested a discussion on climate and equity related to mass transportation and the
city of Tigard’s vision of a walkable, healthy, and accessible city for everyone.
Adjournment
Dolly called the meeting to adjourn at 8:31 pm
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