12/2017 Mayor's Corner DECEMBER 2017
Message from the Mayor
On Nov. 7, the City Council held a joint meeting with the Budget Committee on the city's
proposed budget approach for the upcoming fiscal year. The meeting was a wake-up call to
many about Tigard's future. It detailed how the gap between the city's revenues and
expenses grows each year, and that this gap will result in a 30 percent decline in service
levels over the next 10 years if we stay on our current path.
This didn't happen overnight. Our city's staff has been dealing with the gap for years. As our
population grows, demands on—and for—city services increase, and Tigard's dedicated
employees have been doing everything they can to meet our residents' needs and
expectations—literally doing more with less. This is not sustainable, and we must take
action.
The budget approach proposed at the November meeting includes identifying reductions to
programs in the 2018-'19 budget and completing those reductions with the adoption of the
2019220 budget. This will likely reduce staffing levels and services in every general fund
department—the largest of which are police, library, community development, capital
projects and city administration.
At the same time, staff and a citizen-led task force are also working on a possible solution:
a local option levy that could maintain or even enhance city services. A local option levy is a
property tax increase that needs to be approved by voters every five years. My hope is the
reductions can be avoided by referring a well thought-out local option levy to Tigard voters
in May 2018.
This is a difficult discussion and I want you to have access to all the information we have at
the city.
A recap of the Nov. 7 meeting is available on our website, and the video is available on
TVCTV's website. For even more information and updates, and opportunities to ask your
questions and share your thoughts, I invite you to:
• Attend City Council meetings—the Levy and Bond Advisory Task Force will be
presenting at the meeting on Dec. 12;
• Review materials presented at the Levy Bond Task Force;
• Talk to me at my monthly Fireside Chat on Dec. 14 at Symposium Coffee;
• Email me and the entire City Council at CouncilMail@tigard-or.gov
Why not consider adding a city speaker on this topic at your next homeowners' association,
school PSO, fraternal, business, nonprofit or other kind of meeting? Arrange a speaker by
contacting our communications manager at sharong tigard-or.gov.
My next Fireside Chat will be on Thursday, Dec. 14, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Symposium
Coffee, 12345 SW Main St. I hope you'll stop by to share your thoughts.
My quote of the month for December is by Donald Westlake, "As we struggle with shopping
lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded
that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation and people to whom we
are worth the same."