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Record of Proceedings

Forest Grove Planning Commission Meeting – November 17, 2025: Public Hearing Continued Due to Lack of Quorum

City Council — Monday, November 17, 2025
BodyForest Grove, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, November 17, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

Madam Clerk, may we have the roll call?

0:27

Here, we'll turn to item number two A on the agenda.

0:32

This is just the public meeting.

0:34

The public comment period for non-agenda items.

0:37

This is for anyone wishing to speak on an item not on the agenda tonight.

0:41

Um you can be heard at this time.

0:43

In the interest of time, please limit comments to three minutes or less.

0:47

Is there anyone here who wants to speak on an item that's not on the agenda tonight?

0:58

Can you hear me?

0:59

No?

1:00

Okay.

1:01

So this part of the meeting we have one item on the agenda tonight, which is a public hearing on um proposed development code text amendments.

1:10

We're gonna wait on that.

1:12

But if you're here to speak on something that is not that item, now's your chance to speak.

1:17

So is there anyone here to speak on something that is not on the agenda tonight?

1:23

So you're all waiting for the the hearing on the proposed development code amendments?

1:27

Okay.

1:30

Well, uh just noting for the record then that um we only have three members of the planning commission.

1:36

Uh so we do not yet have a quorum, and we're awaiting word from legal counsel for the city whether we are able to go ahead and start the public hearing with less than a quorum.

1:48

Um it's an issue we haven't dealt with in a very long time on the planning commission, so we don't know the answer, I'm afraid.

5:54

We just spoke with Chris Kreen, our city attorney, and uh his suggestion was that we open the public meeting, which we have, um, not the hearing.

6:03

Um there is no possibility of having a public hearing tonight on this matter without the quorum present.

6:10

Uh what we will have to do is continue this to a time and date certain.

6:14

Uh that looks like that would probably be um December 15th.

6:22

December 1st is actually the city council's uh annual retreat.

6:26

And I won't be here and this room will be taken.

6:28

Uh so I don't know that we can wait on December 1st.

6:31

December 8th is the city council meeting.

6:34

Um so it's looking like we would have to do December.

6:37

Make sure that I'm getting this right.

6:39

December 15th.

6:41

Um at 7 p.m.

6:43

So if that's what you all want to do, you then you need to just make sure you uh announce that right here so that everybody has a chance to come back.

6:52

Uh we will not send new notice um to anybody who received it before, uh, as long as you say the time and date certain right now.

7:01

Are we allowed to confer on this?

7:03

I take it.

7:06

I am scheduled to be out of town as well.

7:10

For work travel, I'm wondering if I could change it, because obviously we need we don't not want this to happen again.

7:16

So um okay Well, by no means do I want to suggest working on vacation.

7:22

Um we do have the option to have Zoom attendance if you are able to do that.

7:28

I could attend up by Zoom.

7:32

Okay.

7:40

Does this hearing need to happen before the end of the year due to any um you know pending legal issues?

7:49

There's nothing pending right now, uh, that would make us out to the meeting first of the year.

7:53

Uh and if you guys just want to continue it to a time and date in the future, uh, we can do that.

7:59

We just would have to send a new notice to everybody who received notice the first time of the new time and date.

8:04

The reason for announcing it tonight would be otherwise we wouldn't have to send all new notice again.

8:09

And there's there's a cost and time and all it's my concern is for these people who came out here tonight.

8:14

I don't want to waste their time.

8:15

And again, at the same time, I don't want them to wait forever to have this issue um discussed, you know, because it's obviously something worth coming out for.

8:24

Not not all planning commission meetings have something worth coming out for.

8:28

So um I propose that we uh continue the hearing until December 15th, um 2025 at 7 p.m.

8:42

Do you agree?

8:43

Do we need a motion on that?

8:45

You you can't make a motion or uh because it's not a hearing.

8:50

Okay, then I as the chair declare that we will uh continue this hearing until December 15th, 2025 at 7 p.m.

8:58

in this building.

8:59

Or by Zoom.

9:01

All right.

9:02

Thank you.

9:03

Sorry, you all I know this is this is unprecedented.

9:05

Uh been doing this for a long time.

9:07

This is a first for us.

9:08

Um we just can't we can't proceed unfortunately.

9:12

Yeah.

9:13

Thank you for coming.

9:14

Um we'll see you.

9:20

If we don't go on the 15th, uh, we we will send you a new note.

9:24

Did you receive newspaper notice or if you receive notice the first time you'll get an additional notice?

9:29

Uh if we can't go on the fifteenth, we'll send you a new notice of the correct time and date.

9:33

And you can check the city calendar as well, which is uh always up to date as to when the meetings are happening.

9:40

So sincerely, our apologies again.

9:43

This was not supposed to happen.

9:48

Thank you.

9:51

All right.

9:51

Um well, we'll go ahead and close the public meeting, then and turn to the business meeting, which we can have without a quorum, correct?

10:00

No.

10:00

I think I think we're just done.

10:02

Oh, okay.

10:02

Then we're adjourned.

10:03

Thank you, everyone.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████66%
Legal Affairs███████████████████████34%
Summary of Proceedings

Forest Grove Planning Commission Meeting – November 17, 2025

The Forest Grove Planning Commission convened on November 17, 2025, at 8:00 AM for a scheduled public meeting. The sole agenda item was a public hearing on proposed development code text amendments. However, only three of the required members were present, preventing a quorum. Following guidance from the city attorney, the commission was unable to proceed with the hearing and opted to continue it to a future date.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the public comment period for non-agenda items. All attendees were present for the development code hearing.

Discussion Items

  • Chair announced the lack of a quorum (only three of the required five members were present) and reported that City Attorney Chris Kreen advised that the public hearing could not begin without a quorum.
  • The chair proposed continuing the hearing to December 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM. One commissioner noted a scheduling conflict due to work travel but indicated they could attend via Zoom.
  • Staff confirmed that no deadline requires the hearing to occur before the end of 2025, so a January date was also possible, though the chair preferred December 15 to avoid further delay for the public attendees.
  • Chair noted that if the hearing cannot be held on December 15, new notices would be sent to all who received the original notice; otherwise, announcing the continued date at the meeting would avoid additional notice costs.
  • The chair also mentioned that the city calendar is always up to date for meeting schedules.

Key Outcomes

  • The public hearing on the proposed development code text amendments was continued to December 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the same location (with Zoom option available). This continuation was declared by the chair, as no formal motion could be made without a quorum.
  • The public meeting was closed, and the business meeting could not proceed due to lack of quorum, so the meeting was adjourned.
  • All originally notified parties will receive an additional notice if the hearing date changes; otherwise, no new notice is required.

Meeting Transcript

Madam Clerk, may we have the roll call? Here, we'll turn to item number two A on the agenda. This is just the public meeting. The public comment period for non-agenda items. This is for anyone wishing to speak on an item not on the agenda tonight. Um you can be heard at this time. In the interest of time, please limit comments to three minutes or less. Is there anyone here who wants to speak on an item that's not on the agenda tonight? Can you hear me? No? Okay. So this part of the meeting we have one item on the agenda tonight, which is a public hearing on um proposed development code text amendments. We're gonna wait on that. But if you're here to speak on something that is not that item, now's your chance to speak. So is there anyone here to speak on something that is not on the agenda tonight? So you're all waiting for the the hearing on the proposed development code amendments? Okay. Well, uh just noting for the record then that um we only have three members of the planning commission. Uh so we do not yet have a quorum, and we're awaiting word from legal counsel for the city whether we are able to go ahead and start the public hearing with less than a quorum. Um it's an issue we haven't dealt with in a very long time on the planning commission, so we don't know the answer, I'm afraid. We just spoke with Chris Kreen, our city attorney, and uh his suggestion was that we open the public meeting, which we have, um, not the hearing. Um there is no possibility of having a public hearing tonight on this matter without the quorum present. Uh what we will have to do is continue this to a time and date certain. Uh that looks like that would probably be um December 15th. December 1st is actually the city council's uh annual retreat. And I won't be here and this room will be taken. Uh so I don't know that we can wait on December 1st. December 8th is the city council meeting. Um so it's looking like we would have to do December. Make sure that I'm getting this right. December 15th. Um at 7 p.m. So if that's what you all want to do, you then you need to just make sure you uh announce that right here so that everybody has a chance to come back. Uh we will not send new notice um to anybody who received it before, uh, as long as you say the time and date certain right now. Are we allowed to confer on this? I take it. I am scheduled to be out of town as well. For work travel, I'm wondering if I could change it, because obviously we need we don't not want this to happen again. So um okay Well, by no means do I want to suggest working on vacation. Um we do have the option to have Zoom attendance if you are able to do that. I could attend up by Zoom. Okay. Does this hearing need to happen before the end of the year due to any um you know pending legal issues? There's nothing pending right now, uh, that would make us out to the meeting first of the year. Uh and if you guys just want to continue it to a time and date in the future, uh, we can do that. We just would have to send a new notice to everybody who received notice the first time of the new time and date. The reason for announcing it tonight would be otherwise we wouldn't have to send all new notice again. And there's there's a cost and time and all it's my concern is for these people who came out here tonight. I don't want to waste their time. And again, at the same time, I don't want them to wait forever to have this issue um discussed, you know, because it's obviously something worth coming out for.

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