Cornelius City Council and Urban Renewal Agency Meeting Summary - August 3, 2026

The City of Cornelius held two public meetings on Monday, August 3, 2026: an Urban Renewal Agency Board Meeting at 6:30 PM and the regular City Council Meeting at 7:00 PM in the Cornelius City Council Chambers. The meetings were streamed live on TVC TV and via Zoom, with translation services available through Wordley. Both meetings were led by Mayor Delaney, with Councilor Lopez excused from both. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

• Urban Renewal Agency: Approved previous meeting notes unanimously.
• City Council: Approved the consent agenda unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mark Watson (Hillsborough School Board member, resident of Hillsboro) presented public testimony encouraging the City Council to support the upcoming Hillsborough School District bond measure this fall. He noted that bond dollars cannot be used for ongoing salaries but are needed for critical infrastructure replacements (e.g., boilers purchased in the 1950s, air conditioning at Liberty High School costing over $1 million). He invited elected officials to fill out statements of support (JVC forms) and offered to connect them with the bond PAC.

Discussion Items

Urban Renewal Agency: Storefront Grant Program Presentation

• Barbara Fryer (Community Development Director) presented a three-tiered Town Center Facade Program for the urban renewal district:
  • Program 1: Design consultation drawings with architectural firms on retainer; city match of one-to-one up to $2,500 total; city reimburses property owners up to $1,000 for drawings with proof of payment.
  • Program 2: Larger facade improvement grants; state grant maximum of $400,000 with a 30% match, split 50-50 between the property owner and city (e.g., $60,000 city + $60,000 owner for a full $400,000 grant).
  • Program 3: Eligible items include rehab, restoration, facade improvements, first-floor or upper-floor interior rehab, structural repairs, code compliance, energy efficiency, and compatible new construction.
• Example project: Partnership with Centro to upgrade the central mercado in Delhi and an adjacent empty storefront, including window rehab and ADA accessibility.
• Next steps: Work with staff on budgeting, issue an RFP for architectural firms, release grants on a staggered schedule (spring/summer, fall, and March of the following year), and have the Economic Development Commission review applications and make recommendations.
• Board members expressed support, noting the program addresses the financial reality that small businesses often want to improve but lack the capital, especially in the current economy.

Open Door Housing Works: Access Center Update

• Jess Larson (Assistant Director, Washington County Department of Housing Services) reported on countywide housing efforts:
  • The department served more than 20,000 people last year, supported 26 capital projects, assisted 7,700 individuals with short-term rent assistance, moved 3,100 individuals from unsheltered homelessness into shelter or outreach, provided ongoing rent vouchers to more than 10,000 people, and created 1,100 apartments.
  • The Supportive Housing Services Measure (approved by voters in 2020) has funded the system; the county surpassed every numeric goal for the measure, including 302 households moved into permanent supportive housing and 392 households prevented from eviction.
  • More than 3,000 households that were once homeless now have stable housing. The measure must be renewed before 2031.
  • Access centers are complete in Tigard, under construction in Hillsboro, with a funding opportunity open in Beaverton and the Cornelius project underway.
  • Funding pressures: loss of ARPA funding, federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, reduced eviction prevention funding, and a state legislative shortfall (estimated $1 billion needed to cover Medicaid reductions from HR 1).
• Jeremy Taves (Executive Director, Open Door Housing Works) presented the new Cornelius Access Center:
  • Open Door was founded in Cornelius in 1984 out of Verla Fuller's garage; it has been a HUD-approved housing counseling organization since 1992.
  • The current Safe Rest Village at 4th and Davis will close mid-to-late September; construction of the new Access Center begins mid-October at the same location.
  • The facility will include a two-story, L-shaped building with a courtyard, 29 parking spaces, solar energy, pet relief area, community classroom, commercial kitchen, laundry, showers, a homeownership center, coordinated care spaces, and a severe weather shelter with 50 beds.
  • Community feedback sessions: virtual session on Thursday, August 6 at 6 PM; in-person workshop on September 4 at the Cornelius Public Library; and a Good Neighbor Agreement presentation on September 30.
  • The old building will continue to be leased, with potential future affordable housing if sold.
• Discussion: Mayor Delaney asked about Cornelius' "fair share" of homeless services, noting the concentration of services on the west side of the county and the lack of centers in more affluent communities like Bethany and Cedar Hills. Larson acknowledged the need for a more complete capacity map and offered to partner on a deeper analysis. Mayor Delaney also discussed proposals among regional mayors to change the distribution of future measure funds from county-led to proportional city distribution.
• Councilor Baker and Councilor Goodinas expressed support for Open Door's community engagement and the value of the services, noting that "one bad day" can put anyone in this situation.

Washington County Sheriff's Office Presentation

• Sheriff Massey (with Commander Yuglich) presented an update on countywide public safety services:
  • Specialty teams include Crisis Negotiations (won first place in the Western States Hostage Negotiators Association competition this year), CART (Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team, 35th year), SWAT (50th year), and Search and Rescue (60th year).
  • Mental Health Response Team (MHRT) pairs officers with licensed clinicians.
  • Mobile Field Force (27 members) provides crowd management while protecting constitutional rights.
  • Technology: Drone as First Responder pilot program (e.g., a robbery suspect was intercepted on a bus using drone footage); Draft One AI report generation from body cameras; body-worn cameras now issued to jail deputies.
  • Jail: Built 1998, the only jail in Washington County, 572 beds (80% considered full capacity). Completed infrastructure improvements including roof, HVAC, plumbing, fire suppression, and suicide prevention barriers. Cornelius brought 357 people to the jail last year.
  • The jail staff received the Founders Award from Safety Compass at the Child Abuse and Human Trafficking Summit for combating human trafficking.
  • The public safety levy was approved by voters last November; it funds the jail, mental health response, investigations, and victim services.
  • Sanctuary law: Sheriff affirmed commitment to Oregon's sanctuary law, stating he will not cooperate with administrative immigration enforcement. He noted he has been subpoenaed twice by ICE in the last three weeks and will not comply. He asked for any examples of violations to be reported to his office.
  • Community Violence Reduction Team: Since October 2024, two detectives took over 210 guns off the streets, including 11 from juveniles; identified 11 security threat groups/gangs in Washington County. Adults are reportedly issuing guns to juveniles to commit crimes, knowing juveniles will receive lighter penalties.
  • Public defender shortage: Forced releases occur for low-level offenders (about 1-2 per week) when courts cannot assign attorneys within 7 days; failure-to-appear charges compound case loads and impact jail capacity.
  • Flock cameras: The county uses automated license plate readers and does not share data with any federal or state agencies; access is restricted to a few investigators.
• Discussion: Councilor Goodinas asked about sanctuary law enforcement and community engagement; Sheriff highlighted outreach through Centro, the Latino Policy Commission, and multilingual media (including Telemundo). Councilor Baker asked about youth violence and prevention; Sheriff described YSOs (Youth Services Officers) in schools and the recent addition of a trained Cornelius deputy. Mayor Delaney asked about forest management and the record fire season, expressing concern about acres burned exceeding the record since 2000 with half the fire season remaining.

Library Advisory Board Appointment

• David Cutting was appointed to the Library Advisory Board, Position 10, serving through December 31, 2028. Approved unanimously.

Resolution 2026-53: Flatwater Trail Naming

• The Public Infrastructure Advisory Board recommended naming the North-South Trail in Central Cornelius "Flatwater Trail" (referencing the flat Tualatin River in that area). Approved unanimously.

Resolution 2026-54: Pioneer Trail Naming

• The North-South Trail in Eastern Cornelius was named "Pioneer Trail" to honor the pioneers who settled the area. This also corrects a misnaming on the Metro trail map (previously listed as Council Creek Trail). Approved unanimously.

Resolution 2026-55: City Council Appointment

• Brenda Gonzalez Pacheco was appointed to fill the vacant City Council seat for the remainder of the term ending December 31, 2028. She was the only applicant and had previously been interviewed in May 2026. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• All consent agenda items were approved unanimously at both meetings.
• The Urban Renewal Agency Storefront Grant Program will proceed to budgeting, RFP issuance, and staggered grant releases.
• Open Door's new Access Center will close the Safe Rest Village in September, break ground in mid-October, and host community feedback sessions in August and September.
• The City Council approved the Flatwater Trail and Pioneer Trail names, and appointed David Cutting to the Library Advisory Board and Brenda Gonzalez Pacheco to the City Council—all unanimously.
• The meeting was extended by 30 minutes (motion approved unanimously) and adjourned at 9:25 PM.
• National Night Out was canceled due to heat and smoke; the Friday community market status is pending as of the meeting date.