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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Forest Grove City Council Meeting Summary: May 26, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 26, 2026

BodyForest Grove, Oregon

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, May 26, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:01:56

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:06

Good evening.

0:07

I'd like to call this me of the Forest Grove City Council to order.

0:11

Will our city recorder please call roll?

0:14

Council President Valenzuela.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Councilor Shimmel?

0:17

Here.

0:18

Councillor Martinez.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Counselor Marshall.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Mayor Wenzel.

0:22

Here.

0:23

We acknowledge the land on which Forest Grove is located, rests on the traditional billet sites of the At Palati, a tribe of the Calipua who originally inhabited the Tewalaton Plains, including Forest Grove.

0:34

They are now a part of the Confederate tribes of Grand Ron.

0:37

Now will the audience and the council please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:44

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

0:49

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:52

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty, thank you.

1:02

We will now move on to item B on our agenda, which is public comment.

1:06

Time provided for anyone wishing to speak to the city council on an item not on the agenda or on the agenda but not scheduled for a public hearing.

1:13

Comments are limited to two minutes unless additional time is granted by the presiding officer.

1:19

The public comment period shall not exceed 30 minutes unless a majority of counselors present vote to extend the time.

1:25

Zoom attendees may use the raise hand option to be called on.

1:29

We have one person signed up for public comment, and that is David Dion.

1:45

Thank you.

1:47

I would like to ask you today what the purpose of ICE is.

1:51

Not just ICE, but the National Guard, the FBI, DHS, in short, the agencies that our government uses to engage in violence.

2:01

It's a powerful question.

2:03

Of course, there is a level on which it answers itself.

2:06

These agencies exist to put armed people with orders into places where the government wants them to be.

2:12

But that answer is taught logical.

2:15

It points us to an even more important question.

2:19

What is the purpose of armed people going into our communities?

2:23

At this point, I fall back on an old adage.

2:26

The purpose of a system is what it does.

2:30

With that in mind, I implore you to look at what the federal government has done with the agencies it controls.

2:36

Communities are living in fear.

2:39

DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that.

2:43

Multiple cities, Minneapolis, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, have been described as war zones under full-blown occupation.

2:51

DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that.

2:55

Families have been torn apart.

2:58

DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that.

3:03

People have been assaulted, arrested, and killed in the street for exercising their First Amendment rights.

3:09

DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that.

3:13

The purpose of a system is what it does.

3:16

How willing are we to see these purposes carried out in Forest Grove?

3:22

Thank you.

3:24

Is there anyone on Zoom who would like to get public comment?

3:31

Michael Miller.

3:32

And I forgot to ask, is there anyone in the audience who may not have signed up for public comment who would like to give public comment?

3:39

Seeing none, we're going to move on to item C on the agenda.

3:42

The consent agenda.

3:44

Items under the consent agenda are considered routine and will all be adopted with a single motion without separate discussion.

3:51

Counselors who wish to remove an item from the consent agenda may do so prior to the motion.

3:56

Any item or items removed will be discussed and acted upon following the approval of the remaining items.

4:03

What is the wish of the council?

4:04

Move to approve.

4:08

Thank you.

4:09

The consent agenda was moved by Councilor Martinez and seconded by Council President Valenzuela.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████████████████████████████43%

Public Safety███████████████████19%

Public Engagement████████████12%

Budget Equity Analysis███████7%

Personnel Matters███████7%

Transportation Safety███████7%

Community Engagement█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Forest Grove City Council Meeting Summary – May 26, 2026

The Forest Grove City Council met on May 26, 2026, to address a consent agenda, public comments, multiple resolutions, and council communications. Key discussions included library funding, police services, fee adjustments, labor agreements, and emergency planning.

Consent Calendar

The consent agenda was approved unanimously (5-0) with no items removed or discussed separately.

Public Comments & Testimony

David Dion made a public comment questioning the purpose of federal agencies such as ICE, DHS, FBI, and the National Guard. He argued that the purpose of a system is what it does, citing examples of communities living in fear, families torn apart, and First Amendment rights violations. He asked how willing the council is to see those purposes carried out in Forest Grove.
Michael Miller also provided comment via Zoom; his remarks were not detailed in the transcript.

Library IGA Update with Washington County

Colleen Winters, Library Director, presented an update on the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Washington County. She noted that after extensive discussions, the county proposed revised language for the IGA, which was presented to the council. The new language does not obligate the county to contribute general fund monies as part of the formula, which was a concern for many cities.
Mayor Wenzel expressed frustration, stating that the county secured the library levy endorsement from mayors and community members but now appears to be making decisions unilaterally. She called it a breach of partnership.
Councilor Schimmel agreed, noting a pattern of levied funds being siphoned away, and criticized the county for dismissing late feedback as disingenuous when the full agreement was only received two weeks prior. He acknowledged Commissioner Willie for advocating on behalf of the city.
The council expressed concern about the process and the county's lack of responsiveness to feedback.

Resolutions

Resolution 2026-15 & 2026-16: Unanimously approved (5-0). These resolutions certify city services and declare the city's election to receive state revenues for fiscal year 2026-2027. Projected revenues include approximately $450,000 in alcohol tax, $15,000 in cigarette tax, $41,000 in marijuana tax, $300,000 in state revenue sharing, and $2.2 million in state gasoline tax.
Resolution 2026-17: Unanimously approved (5-0). Adopts the Capital Improvement Program Excise Tax for FY 2026-2027, with an expected collection of about $407,000. 90% of proceeds fund public safety capital needs; the remaining 10% supports general government programs. The fee remains unchanged since 2014.
Resolution 2026-18: Unanimously approved (5-0). Sets fees and charges for the 2025-2027 biennial budget. Most fees increased by 3%, with specific adjustments for business licenses, liquor licenses (reduced to state level), Rogers Room rental (from $19 to $21), pool/spray park rentals (10% increase), and out-of-city rental differentials (30%). No new fees were created.
Resolution 2026-19: Unanimously approved (5-0). Approves a one-year intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Forest Grove School District for a School Resource Officer (SRO), with two optional one-year extensions. The agreement includes a 4% annual increase in officer wages. Councilor Martinez praised the SRO's positive engagement with students.
Resolution 2026-20: Unanimously approved (5-0). Adopts the city's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), the first update since 2014. The plan complies with the National Response Framework, NIMS, ICS, and Oregon law. The fire chief confirmed that training and exercises will follow to ensure readiness.
Resolution 2026-21: Unanimously approved (5-0) by roll call vote. Ratifies a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 125, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. Key terms include: 10%/5%/5% wage increases for journeyman linemen over the three years, and 4%/3.5%/3% for warehouse workers. Insurance shifts to LineCo trust, with the city paying 95% of premiums. The city and IBEW will split any premium savings 60/40 (60% to IBEW members via VIPA accounts).

Council Communications and City Manager Report

Council President Valenzuela reported on library commission business, including a new assessment tool and successful Friends of the Library book sale ($7,000 raised).
Councilor Shimmel noted a well-attended ADU workshop (35 attendees) and upcoming sessions; economic development commission focus on placemaking and tourism; and the TV Highway Transit Project (completion 2030) requires securing $56 million in state funding to unlock a $150 million federal match.
City Manager Jesse Van Der Zanden reported the city successfully applied for an $11.26 million Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant (total project cost $14.76 million). The police collected a record 700+ pounds of prescription drugs during the Drug Take Back event. The city is collaborating on a new IT services IGA with TIGER. The city is also working on a housing capacity analysis and placemaking engagement with community groups.

Key Outcomes

All six resolutions were approved unanimously (5-0).
The council expressed strong dissatisfaction with Washington County's handling of the library IGA and pledged continued advocacy.
The city applied for and received a major federal transportation safety grant.
Next steps include community engagement on placemaking, housing capacity, and the TV Highway Transit Project funding advocacy.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call this me of the Forest Grove City Council to order. Will our city recorder please call roll? Council President Valenzuela. Here. Councilor Shimmel? Here. Councillor Martinez. Here. Counselor Marshall. Here. Mayor Wenzel. Here. We acknowledge the land on which Forest Grove is located, rests on the traditional billet sites of the At Palati, a tribe of the Calipua who originally inhabited the Tewalaton Plains, including Forest Grove. They are now a part of the Confederate tribes of Grand Ron. Now will the audience and the council please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty, thank you. We will now move on to item B on our agenda, which is public comment. Time provided for anyone wishing to speak to the city council on an item not on the agenda or on the agenda but not scheduled for a public hearing. Comments are limited to two minutes unless additional time is granted by the presiding officer. The public comment period shall not exceed 30 minutes unless a majority of counselors present vote to extend the time. Zoom attendees may use the raise hand option to be called on. We have one person signed up for public comment, and that is David Dion. Thank you. I would like to ask you today what the purpose of ICE is. Not just ICE, but the National Guard, the FBI, DHS, in short, the agencies that our government uses to engage in violence. It's a powerful question. Of course, there is a level on which it answers itself. These agencies exist to put armed people with orders into places where the government wants them to be. But that answer is taught logical. It points us to an even more important question. What is the purpose of armed people going into our communities? At this point, I fall back on an old adage. The purpose of a system is what it does. With that in mind, I implore you to look at what the federal government has done with the agencies it controls. Communities are living in fear. DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that. Multiple cities, Minneapolis, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, have been described as war zones under full-blown occupation. DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that. Families have been torn apart. DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that. People have been assaulted, arrested, and killed in the street for exercising their First Amendment rights. DHS, ICE, and the National Guard did that. The purpose of a system is what it does. How willing are we to see these purposes carried out in Forest Grove? Thank you. Is there anyone on Zoom who would like to get public comment? Michael Miller.

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