Forest Grove City Council Work Session on Community Survey and Sanctuary City Ordinance - November 24, 2025
Forest Grove City Council Work Session on Community Survey and Sanctuary City Ordinance - November 24, 2025
This was a work session of the Forest Grove City Council on November 24, 2025, covering two major topics: the future of the community survey and a proposed ordinance to codify sanctuary city provisions. The council reached consensus on both items, setting a direction for staff to bring back a draft ordinance and aligning the next survey with the 2040 planning process.
Discussion Items
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Community Survey Future: Communications Manager Stephanie Fleischer presented options for the biennial community survey, which began in 1998. The survey takes about six months and is conducted every two years. Challenges include survey fatigue, outdated data, and staff capacity. Three options were presented: (1) next survey in 2028 to align with the 2040 plan update and budget cycle, (2) continue every two years but with an external contractor, and (3) status quo with internal execution every two years. Councilor Gusin asked about cost and value of using a contractor. Councilor Martinez advocated for Option 1, citing the need to avoid over-surveying and to align with the 2040 plan implementation. The council reached consensus to move forward with Option 1.
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Protect Forest Grove Ordinance: City Manager Jesse and City Attorney Jody led a discussion on codifying sanctuary city provisions, modeled after Portland's "Protect Portland" ordinance (Chapter 23.20 of Portland Code). The council reviewed differences between an ordinance (more permanent, legislative) and a resolution (administrative, temporary). Key elements of the Portland ordinance include: prohibiting city employees/contractors from assisting federal immigration enforcement, banning use of city resources for immigration enforcement, requiring new policies and training, mandatory public reporting of violations, submitting FOIA requests to DHS, and defining non-public areas. The ordinance includes a disclaimer that state and federal laws override. Councilor Martinez expressed concerns that the ordinance is "fluff" since Oregon is already a sanctuary state, and argued it may worsen cooperation with federal agents. Councilor Gifson countered that it is no longer fluff given current federal actions and that it strengthens the city's position. Councilor Valensuela emphasized the importance of protecting the community from profiling and abuse. Councilor Falkner clarified that the reporting requirement applies to all city staff, not just police. The council voted 6-1 (Councilor Martinez dissenting) to bring back an ordinance codifying sanctuary city provisions. The title was amended to "Protecting Forest Grove Resources from Misuse in Violation of State Law for Federal Immigration Enforcement" to address concerns about the word "protecting" implying guarantees. Council also discussed the need for ongoing training and updates from the city attorney on evolving legal landscape.
Key Outcomes
- Community Survey: Consensus to adopt Option 1 – next survey in 2028, aligned with the 2040 plan update and budget cycle (2029-2031 budget). Staff will plan accordingly.
- Sanctuary City Ordinance: Council directed staff to draft a "Protecting Forest Grove Resources from Misuse in Violation of State Law for Federal Immigration Enforcement" ordinance, using Portland's template. The ordinance will include new policies, training, reporting, and public space definitions. The city attorney will provide ongoing legal updates. The lone dissenting vote was Councilor Martinez.
- Next Steps: Staff will prepare a draft ordinance for a future council meeting. The council will continue discussion on specific provisions as needed.
Meeting Transcript
During Forest Grove City Council work sessions, no public comment will be taken, and the council will take no formal action. The two work sessions we have scheduled for this time period are the community survey, which will be led by our communications manager Stephanie Fleischer. Is that Flesher? Fleischer Flesher. Stephanie Flesher. And then we're going to talk about a protecting Forest Grove ordinance. And Jesse and Henry will do that. Okay, so I'm going to turn it over. Wait, I'm going to allow Jesse to introduce Stephanie. Thank you, Mayor. Members of the Council. Like to introduce Stephanie Fleischer. She's our communications manager. So welcome, Stephanie. Just a couple preamble comments. We we were a little bit unsure as to whether to kind of take this to the council. But given that we've been doing this survey for decades. And also given its integration, potential integration into the 2040 process, we really did want to touch base with council and kind of get a head nod about a potential future direction that I think Stephanie's going to be talking about with regard to our community survey. So with that, I'd like to pass it over to Stephanie. Thank you. Okay. Like Jesse said, we'll be discussing the community survey tonight. This is what we will be covering. And the purpose of tonight's work session is to discuss and reach a consensus on the future of the community survey. So a little bit of background. The community survey, sometimes referred to as the livability survey, began in 1998 and is conducted every two years. And just so you know, the demographic questions are optional. People do not have to answer those. Residents may compete, may complete the survey online. There's a paper version also included in utility bills. Both formats are available in English and Spanish. Meaning the departments we ask about don't change. The second includes livability questions, which are updated based on current issues and priorities within the community. These change every survey. Options include an outdoor swimming pool, a grocery store, a new police facility, and a boutique hotel. What are your top three sources of information about the city of Forest Grove government? Options included the News Times, City Newsletters, City Wsite, TBC TV, etc. And we also had two questions related to the potential at that time, potential city chart city charter changes. The survey took approximately six months from start to finish. And the survey results were presented to council in December and can inform the budget process. When we finished the 2023 community survey, we began the 2040 process in May of 2024 with the survey. After the online survey closed, staff began manually entering entering the results from the paper surveys, and we allowed a little bit, like a week, a little bit over, just to receive all of the paper surveys. People were allowed to just drop them in the drop box. Then the results were compiled and presented to the city council on December. So there are some positives to doing the survey. And of course, is a great way to interact with our community. There are several drawbacks to consider though. Some survey data cannot be fully applied. So certain issues identified by respondents fall outside of the city's authority. For example, community development, some changes are not feasible because staff must comply with state.
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