Forest Grove City Council Work Session on Police Facility and Immigration Update - November 10, 2025
Forest Grove City Council Work Session: Police Facility and Immigration Update - November 10, 2025
The Forest Grove City Council held a work session on November 10, 2025, addressing two main topics: the police facility project and the city's response to increased ICE activity. The council discussed value engineering to reduce costs for a new police station, reviewed polling timelines, and then debated potential actions to protect the immigrant community, including an emergency declaration and codifying sanctuary city status.
Discussion Items
Police Facility
- Staff presented an update on the police facility project following the failed May 2025 ballot measure (47.75% yes, 52.25% no). The total project cost was estimated at $31 million, with construction costs at $23 million. The building has been reduced from 27,000 to approximately 21,500 square feet, and the cost per square foot is about $980, in line with regional averages.
- Staff proposed six value engineering alternates to reduce costs without affecting functionality, including changes to metal decking, exterior facade, bullet-resistant glazing, and secure parking fencing. The total savings from these alternates were not explicitly stated but were part of the cost reduction effort.
- Council reached consensus to accept the value engineering recommendations from staff.
- On polling, council agreed to proceed with an initial poll to gauge community sentiment and timing for a potential future ballot measure. The budget includes $25,000 for one poll; a second poll could be considered later. Council opted to conduct the first poll now.
Inclusive Community and Federal Immigration Update
- The council heard from the city manager, police chief, and city attorney about the recent increase in ICE enforcement activity in Forest Grove and neighboring communities. Oregon is a sanctuary state, but federal agents may still operate. The city attorney advised that city employees should not intervene with ICE agents but should document interactions. Police Chief Ryman noted that the city is obligated under state statute to record and report abusive incidents.
- The council discussed a draft brochure on how to identify a Forest Grove police officer. Feedback included making it more visual, adding non-examples, and using QR codes for resources. Council gave consensus to move forward with the brochure.
- Council brainstormed potential actions and voted on several items via consensus:
- Replace the 2017 Inclusive Community resolution with a Sanctuary City resolution.
- Draft a "Protect Forest Grove" ordinance codifying sanctuary city status, including training, reporting, and signage.
- Declare a state of emergency to accelerate assistance, with an initial allocation of $50,000 from contingency funds (consensus on $50,000). Staff will prepare an emergency declaration for the regular meeting.
- Write a letter to Washington County Board of Commissioners requesting suspension of the contract with Flock, the license plate reader company, due to concerns about racial profiling.
- Grant authority to the city manager and mayor to collaborate with other municipalities, community organizations, and law enforcement on regional responses.
- Schedule regular work sessions to update on immigration issues.
Key Outcomes
- Council accepted value engineering changes for the police station.
- Council authorized a first poll on the police facility ballot timing, spending up to $25,000.
- Council directed staff to bring back a Sanctuary City resolution and a Protect Forest Grove ordinance for further work session.
- Council approved an emergency declaration resolution to be added to the regular meeting agenda, with $50,000 in initial funding.
- Council approved sending a letter to Washington County regarding Flock.
- Council gave authority for collaboration with regional partners.
- No formal action was taken on the proposal to authorize police to arrest ICE agents; it lacked consensus and was removed.
Note: Public comment was not taken during the work sessions.
Meeting Transcript
So with that, next. Next slide, please. So I think tonight we're really seeking feedback from the council on next steps regarding the police facility. Next slide. Not going to go through all of those. The most key one that I would mention is in May of 2025 after alternatives analysis and needs assessment, etc. We we had a ballot, uh 34-343, and it was not successful. It was a 47.75 to no 52.25. Next slide. So the results of the county elections. This is just to kind of inform the conversation that the council may have afterwards, is both of those levies were approved. They were replacement levies. Normally we ballot the local option levy three cycles ahead of when it expires. It expires in May, or excuse me. It expires in June 30th of 2028. So normally we would ballot for the local option levy in May of 2027. That would leave two election cycles in November and then the following May, if it was not successful. That really leaves kind of two election cycles prior to the city levy. That's uh May of 2026 of next year and then November of next year. Another consideration, and we do have a timeline, and we can go over that as well. But uh there was some money that was put into the budget for polling, approximately 25,000. Typically, you want to try and do a poll as close to the election as you can. Sometimes you may want to do successive polls, so you may want to do a poll to see when you may want to put it on the ballot, and then depending on when you make that decision, you may want to do another poll to see what it is closer to the election. For example, for both the public safety and the library levies that were recently passed by the county, each of those were polled a minimum of twice for both of those local option levies. Next slide. So if you look at potential timelines, part of the reason we're having this conversation tonight is if you look at either May or November of next year, and if you assume that it takes approximately eight weeks to do polling, then that really kind of puts us to tonight. If you want to look at potentially the May election, if you want to look at the November election of next year, then that puts the timeline out a little bit further. Any questions about that timeline? Okay. So is Jeff Humphreys available. If he's not, I think the chief and I know the improvements well enough, we might be able to go through them. If you can maybe bring up McKinsey's presentation, by way of background, McKinsey is our architect. They've been the architect on this project from day one. Um of the things that I would mention prior to getting into this is this really is a conversation about what we call value engineering. Value engineering is a way to try and see if you can reduce the resource requirement for the project you have without reducing the functionality of the facility that you have. Um next slide, please. So this is the draft concept for the police station. Next slide. So I don't know that we need to go into that. Umry, did you want to mention anything about your chief? Excuse me. Right. I would mention that the outside envelope of the building has reduced in square footage through the alternatives analysis, through the needs assessment, and then through the concept and all the way up to 35% design. The facility envelope has been reduced from 27,000 to approximately 22,000, which or 21,500, which is the same envelope that was ballotted in the May election square feet. Next slide. So again, this is just looking at the same building that we had before, really no changes to it. Um the building design life was really geared toward a 40-year building, and so assuming when the construction dates, so if it gets constructed, say in 2026 or 2028, you can add 40 years to that. Uh, we are currently at is it 48 years for the existing facility? Yeah, almost 50 years in our existing facility. Our existing facility by way of comparison is about 12,500 square feet.
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