City Council Minutes - 05/20/2008 Agenda Item No.
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City of Tigard -
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Tigard Workshop Meetm* — Minutes
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE/TIME: May 20, 2008 — 6:30 p.m. - Workshop Meeting
MEETING LOCATION: City of Tigard— Town Hall, 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223
1.1 Mayor Dirksen called the meeting to order at 6:26:24 PM
1.2 Deputy Recorder Krager called the roll.
Present Absent
Mayor Dirksen ✓
Councilor Buehner ✓
Councilor Sherwood ✓
Councilor Wilson ✓
Councilor Woodruff ✓
Staff present: City Manager Prosser, Engineer Duenas, Assistant Community Development Director
Bunch, Risk Manager Mills, Right-of-Way Administrator McCarthy, Assistant Planner Daniels and
Deputy Recorder Krager.
1.3 Pledge of Allegiance
1.4 Council Communications &Liaison Reports
1.5 Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items: None
These items were heard in reverse order.
`-2. MEETING WITH OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (ODOT) REGION 1
MANAGER— JASON TELL
ODOT Region 1 Manager Tell complimented City of Tigard staff on their presentation about traffic statistics.
He commended Tigard and the Council for stepping up and passing a 3 cent fuel tax to provide funding for
improvements to the Greenburg Road/Highway 99W/Main Street intersection and said, "Tigard has a story to
tell Salem and Washington,D.C."
He referred to a letter to ODOT from Mayor Dirksen requesting that ODOT help the City make up the
difference between the project cost and the proposed shortfall of gas tax money. He responded to the letter by
saying all of ODOT's funds are committed through 2013 and then in 2014 his budget will drop. He said
ODOT cannot give more funding but he wanted to discuss oppominities that might help Tigard.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES— MAY 20, 2008
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He listed three main opportunities:
• The process for the next round of MTIP funding is beginning now.
• State leaders say transportation is at the top of the agenda for the next legislative session.
• Every six years there is a federal bill funding transportation. Debates will begin again next year and
Oregon has some influential senior senators.
ODOT Region 1 Manager Tell suggested that Tigard:
• Look at MTIP money available now and how fast it is being spent;maybe some funds should come out
of corridor funding.
• Discuss with Metro the idea of shifting Greenburg Road funds.
• Position itself with a list of ready to go projects in case funding pools become available.
Councilor Woodruff noted that Tigard's gas tax was controversial but the public is supportive as long as the
City uses it for what they said they would. He said matching funds from the State would recognize that kind of
risk and he wished ODOT had such a program Region 1 Manger Tell said he agreed but the Commission sets
their policy and one factor used is leverage.
Councilor Buehner expressed concern about legislative preemption for local taxes which would preclude such
leverages. She asked for Mr.Tell's support for a state gas tax that does not have this preemption.
Mr. Tell said these traffic problems cannot be solved with just federal or state money. He said a combination is
needed to get the most for the money.
Mayor Dirksen reiterated that Council would like to meet with the Commission and.has have invited them, but
they have thus far been unable to attend. Mr. Tell said he will share this and try to get the Commission
members who live closest to the Tigard area to join in a discussion with Council. Councilor Sherwood
expressed a willingness to work around the Commission's schedules if that will facilitate their participation.
Councilor Wilson asked how some projects such as the Sellwood Bridge are deemed by Multnomah County as
regional. He suggested that if the Sellwood Bridge is regional,so is Highway 99W.
Mayor Dirksen asked Mr. Tell about expensive rural or Eastern Oregon projects that get funding while busier
roads such as Highway 99W through Tigard do not. He said this calls into question for him how decisions are
made. He also mentioned a bypass near the City of Redmond. Mr. Tell explained that local government came
up with a portion for Redmond bypass,which also had congressional earmarks.
Councilor Woodruff asked, "Is Region 1 getting their share of ODOT funding?" Mr. Tell said the method of
dividing the modernization funding is complicated and can be based on several things. He said their current
share is 38% and was unsure if there was any talk about revisions. Councilor Buehner asked if there is a policy
requiring ODOT to review and adjust regional funding, based on changes in population for example. He said
he would check on that and respond to Council.
Mr. Tell said he felt ODOT and Tigard had a good working relationship and he wanted to capitalize on this.
He gave credit to staff and Council for getting a handle on tough issues and said, "You have found a way to
translate complicated transportation issues into something the public and legislators can understand. We need
to work together with the story you've got and turn it into a strategy with specific requests so Tigard can be
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right there when requests are being made. You've got a good shot at getting them." Councilor Woodruff
asked if he could identify any groups or processes where Tigard is not adequately represented. Mr. Tell said the
legislature will be taking a serious look at transportation so make sure federal and state representatives are aware
of Tigard's needs.
*3. PRESENTATION ON TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN TIGARD: CURRENT STATUS AND
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
Engineer Duenas introduced Project Engineer McCarthy who did much of the research for this presentation as
well as for the baseball-type factoid cards about Tigard Transportation Issues. Engineer Duenas said almost
every survey identifies traffic congestion as an overriding concern. He gave a PowerPoint presentation defining
congestion and pointing out Tigard's traffic trouble spots. A copy of the presentation is in the City Recorder's
Office.
Engineer Duenas said that as traffic volume approaches capacity, delays begin and motorists seek alternate
routes. This causes more accidents to occur. He said when demand exceeds capacity there are definitely more
delays and even more accidents as traffic starts cutting through neighborhoods. He gave some statistics:
• Highest traffic volume in Oregon on Interstate-5 is south of I-fighway217 in Tigard.
• Highest volume on Highway 217 is between Highway 99W and Greenburg Road in Tigard.
• The second highest traffic on a through lane in Oregon is on Highway 217 between Highway 99W and
Greenburg Road in Tigard.
• The busiest five-lane arterial in the state (with crosswalks and private accesses) is Highway 99W in
Tigard.
He showed a slide highlighting major arterial congestion on
• 72nd Avenue Interchange with Highway 217
• 99W/Main Street/Greenburg Intersection and 99W/Hall Intersection
• Greenburg Road near Washington Square.
Councilor Buehner asked if there were supposed to be flyover ramps on 72n and on Greenburg/near
Washington Square over to Cascade. Engineer Duenas said that these ideas to keep 217 from being a service
road were discussed but are not scheduled as yet. He said the expansion of Nimbus through to North Dakota
has become very expensive.
Engineer Duenas described congestion relief projects which include Highway 217 Improvements, Light Rail
Southwest, and the I-5/Highway 99W Connector. He said policies that help reduce congestion are managing
access,coordinating signals and connecting sidewalks.
Councilor Buehner referred to slides showing accident locations and said when she was on a County committee
in 2000 there were serious discussions regarding McDonald/Gaarde and McDonald/Hall. She asked Engineer
Duenas if these changes were represented in Washington County's plan and he replied that they were not.
Councilor Wilson told staff he would like to see trip generation land uses relative to other areas in the region.
Engineer Duenas asked Mr.McCarthyto work on this. Councilor Wilson asked who pays for bus pull-outs on
Highway99W. Engineer Duenas said the City has to pay for them and they significantly impact properties,
such as those on Hall Boulevard and 99W.He said Tri-Met has mixed feelings about bus pull-outs because they
make it harder for buses to get back into traffic.
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Councilor Sherwood recommended that Council start writing to Congress describing how Tigard has come up
with funds for a particular project,is seeking other funds,and needs help. Councilor Wilson suggested that
prior to doing that,the City prepare a carefully packaged list of projects with cost estimates. He said if the City
moves ahead with their paid part-time mayor proposal,the mayor could become a lobbyist for Tigard
transportation projects. Councilor Woodruff recommended that Representative Galizio and Senator Burdick
be invited next time ODOT Region 1 Manager Tell is on the agenda. CityManager Prosser said copies of the
letter sent to Mr.Tell were also sent to Representative Galizio and Senator Burdick Mayor Dirksen requested
that a copy of the presentation tonight be sent to them.
4. DISCUSSION ON COUNOL TASK# 13-PURPOSE OF CITIZEN CONFERENCE
Risk Manager Mills said Council identified hosting a citizen conference as one of their 2008 Goals and Tasks
and asked Council for further definition regarding the purpose and desired outcome of this event.
She recounted the history of the annual Fanno Creek Conference,which started in the late eighties as a round
table opportunity for Tigard citizens to discuss local issues. Topics included:
1988 Revitalization of Downtown Tigard,funding a rec program
1989 Promoting a community image
1990 Western bypass
She said the Fanno Creek Conference was held for seven years and after the Conference was discontinued
a process called Tigard Visioning began which was used for ten years.She noted that for the past year the
Comprehensive Plan update was constructed to include community input.
Councilor Sherwood said Council's goal was to seek better ways for citizens to get involved.She said she
was frustrated by Fifth Tuesday meetings where complaints are aired but there often is a lack of positive
feedback She said she would like to find a more productive wayto encourage citizens to think of
solutions to problems.
Councilor Woodruff said the purpose of Fifth Tuesday meetings is to give people a chance to speak about
any issue they want and he was not concerned that complaints are expressed.He said he favored any forum that
giving citizens the opportunity to give feedback on what is going on in the community and to get involved in
developing policies and goals.
Councilor Buehner described a citizen involvement process used by Portland in the eighties. She said citizen
input was sought through live public access television programs,which included a call-in phone number for
those who couldn't be present.She said this method was used to obtain citizen input on budget funding
shortfall issues and suggested this as a method Tigard could use.
Councilor Wilson agreed with Councilor Buehner on getting more involvement for big picture issues such as
the upcoming financial situation. He said he did not seethe urgency inputting together a conference this year.
Councilor Sherwood agreed,suggesting a large conference be planned for one to two years out to talk about the
financial picture and get input from citizens on what the City should focus on.
Councilor Woodruff recommended using Risk Manager Mills and Assistant City Manager Newton as
facilitators.
City Manager Prosser remarked that the conference format was not so much the issue as it was developing a
mechanism that engages citizens in a conversation or discussion allowing an in-depth exchange of
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES— MAY 20, 2008
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information.He said new technologies present opportunities to engage citizens who have not been
involved before. He suggested a single event where the public can join the discussion on-line and brainstorm
solutions.
Councilor Sherwood said the Fanno Creek Conference was just one example of a way the community could
come together and exchange ideas about specific issues.She noted that the Transportations Financial Strategies
Committee came up with the idea for the gas tax and held meetings for citizen input. Responding to a question
from Risk Manager Mills about the same people being involved all the time,Councilor Sherwood said there
were some activists who repeatedly attend Fifth Tuesday meetings to speak on their issues.
Councilor Woodruff said Council was not disparaging the committed people who have been involved over the
years but,but wants to include people who have not been as involved.
Risk Manager Mills asked if how to engage new members of the community was an issue.
Mayor Dirksen said,"It is.How can we engage citizens that we have not been able to before? I was envisioning
a one-day,no commitment conference,modeled after the League of Oregon Cities Conference.Staff could put
out some information and ask what people think We could hold breakout sessions or round table discussions.
Offer lunch. Trying to do one this year is too soon."
Councilor Buehner said the technology could help involve people with young children or who have other
difficulties attending in person.
Risk Manager Mills suggested different ways to reach populations that may not want to take a Saturday and
attend a conference,such as a Webinar or a way for people to text in their continents and questions.
Councilor Sherwood suggested using Parks and Open Spaces as 2009's Conference topic, but leaving room for
issues citizens bring up.
Councilor WAson said the context of this discussion was the budget because by the time Council addresses the
budget each of the departments has prepared theirs. If the City did this outreach far enough in advance there
would be enough time to incorporate something into a budget. He said this would be a way to test big ideas
such as expanded municipal court or a park and recreation program that might require a new funding source.
Risk Manager Mills summarized Council's desires:
Involving new people as well as those that are already involved
Using multiple methods to engage different age groups
Tuning it to allow programs to be budgeted
Choosing topics is important but leave some room
Having the neighborhood groups participate,especially in publicizing
Including Youth Advisory Council to help draw in youth
Working closely with Committee for Citizen Involvement
Councilors Sherwood and Buehner said they were willing to serve on a conference committee.
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTE S- MAY 20, 2008
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5. ADJOURNMENT
Councilor Woodruff moved for adjournment and Councilor Sherwood seconded the motion. All voted in
favor and Mayor Dirksen adjourned the meeting at 8:22:02 PM.
a
Carol A. Krager,Deputy Oty Rec ?der
Attest:
114�5"
Mayor ity of Ti""gard
Date: N.IG/ l a, o16O'I
ADM\Cathy\CCM\2008\080520.works hop.doc
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MINUTES- MAY 20, 2008 _
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