Forest Grove City Council Meeting - October 26, 2026

The Forest Grove City Council met at 7:05 p.m. on October 26, 2026. No written agenda or minutes were available, so this summary is based solely on the transcript. All council members were present except Councilor Gustavson. The meeting opened with a land acknowledgment, the Pledge of Allegiance, a Civics Academy graduation procession, and public comment before moving through the consent calendar, presentations, and council communications.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved 6-0 by voice vote on a motion by Councilor Martinez, seconded by Council President Valenzuela. No items were removed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dale Feek asked for and received three minutes. He raised two topics: (1) concerns about the data center resolution/action and the air quality permit process, saying he had not received conclusive answers from Oregon DEQ or city staff, and (2) an election-season appeal focused on protecting education, immigration, and democratic norms, saying "everything we love is on the line" for the November 3rd election.
• McCain LeVarant, a Forest Grove High School senior and Girl Scout Ambassador, presented "Project Shining Star" to reduce senior isolation. She asked the city to designate a week or month in November or December as a citywide "Visit a Senior" initiative and to consider a banner on Pacific Avenue. Her motto was "presence is the real present."
• Dr. Ronald Wiseman/Wismer spoke on behalf of David Hill Road landowners in the West Side planning area. He said properties were annexed in 2007, the city adopted the West Side Refinement Plan in 2017 identifying room for approximately 1,256 additional homes across roughly 592 acres, and nearly 20 years later there is still no workable path for sewer service, David Hill Road improvements, or infrastructure funding. He cited David Weekly Homes' effort on more than 90 acres for about 235 homes and asked the city to identify staff, schedule, and funding commitments, respond in writing, and provide monthly progress updates. He emphasized landowners want to work locally rather than go to the state level.
• Carol Allery thanked city staff for quickly clearing squatters near Karen's Corners, saying the area is much safer. She also shared a Bible passage from Proverbs 6:19 about a person who stirs up conflict in the community and prayed for peace in the city.
• No other public comments were offered in person or on Zoom.

Presentations & Reports

Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) Update

• Marnie Kyle, an assistant county administrator, presented on WCCLS. She reported that nearly 351,000 residents hold library cards, users had about three-quarters of a million Wi-Fi sessions, more than 3.7 million digital checkouts through Libby, and more than 2.4 million in-person visits. WCCLS includes nine cities and three nonprofit partners operating 16 library locations serving about 600,000 residents.
• The most recent library levy passed with 59% voter support in November 2025. The levy rate is 37 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value, an increase of 15 cents from the previous rate of 22 cents. Forest Grove received $1,231,813 from WCCLS in fiscal year 2026-27, a 24% increase over the prior year.
• WCCLS is developing a shared collection management model. City Manager Jesse Vander Zanden serves on the WCCLS executive board, and Library Director Colleen Winters serves on the library leadership group.
• Council President Valenzuela asked whether levy funds are used exclusively for libraries and expressed concern that centralized collections could reduce local control. The county representative confirmed 100% of levy funds go to libraries and that WCCLS funds can still be used for locally purchased materials.
• Mayor Winsel said she had lost trust in the process and finances, particularly because the new agreement has no floor or guarantee of county general fund support. She said voters who passed the levy expected it to add to services, not replace existing support, and she asked how WCCLS would rebuild trust. She also raised concerns about unincorporated Washington County residents using city libraries and the strain on city budgets.
• Councilor Marty (as transcribed) asked about levy surplus, county general fund commitments, and the perception that county commissioners could redistribute funds. He said the uncertainty makes it harder for the city to ask voters for its own levies and cited other county departments, such as health and human services and housing, as examples of collaboration that incorporates feedback. The county representative responded that levy funds do not go into the general fund, there is a 3% fund balance policy, and all partner libraries received funding increases.

Watershed Annual Report

• Barry Sims of Trout Mountain Forestry and Public Works Director Greg Robertson presented the annual watershed report. The watershed is about 4,200 acres, roughly five miles northwest of the city, and supplies about half of Forest Grove's water. About one-third of the watershed is reserved from timber management to protect water quality and steep slopes.
• In 2026, thinning and small patch cuts produced 1.86 million board feet of harvest volume and a net return to the city of about $900,000. Staff recommend a smaller harvest of about 1.5 million board feet next year. A new timber inventory is planned, and the city will undergo its next Forest Stewardship Council audit next year.
• Councilor Falkner asked about long-term risks such as wildfire, disease, pests, and species diversity. Mr. Sims said the city is planting western red cedar, relying on drought-tolerant Douglas fir, avoiding steep erodible slopes, and responding quickly to issues such as lightning strikes and bark beetles. He said the only power line in the watershed is a PGE distribution line along Soda Springs Road, and undergrounding has not been discussed.
• Councilor Schimmel asked about state forestry policy; Mr. Sims said the city's stream buffers already exceed the recent Private Forest Accord requirements and he was not aware of pending state changes that would harm city watershed management.

MECOP Internship Presentation

• Ava Greck, a MECOP engineering intern, presented the projects she worked on over about five months with the city. She worked with engineering inspector Leo Cortez, Public Works staff, and contractors including Goodfellow Bros., Fortis Construction, and Clean Water Services.
• Her work included weekly erosion control inspections, ADA curb ramp inspections, subdivision projects Davis Estates and Bailey Meadows (each with over 200 new lots), Mills Lane with Habitat for Humanity (12 lots), and the Heather Street Extension. The Heather Street project created a new collector street from Mountain View Lane to Highway 47, with the Crane Data Center and Clean Water Services funding road frontage improvements. Sidewalks and two crosswalks were included at the new intersection.
• She earned an ADA curb ramp inspector certification and learned AutoCAD, Blue Beam, Procore, and other software.
• Councilor Falkner asked about pedestrian facilities on Heather Street, and Ms. Greck confirmed sidewalks and crosswalks are part of the project. A council member suggested checking an ADA ramp at the northeast slip lane at Quince and Tualatin Valley Highway for water pooling.

Public Works Annual Report

• Greg Robertson described projects by other agencies and city projects. ODOT's U Street signalization project is fully funded, with construction planned for 2028. The Rose Grove Crossing project is nearly complete. The Highway 47/Maple/Fern Hill intersection project is in Washington County's hands and is now planned for construction in 2028 after railroad agreements are finalized. The Council Creek Regional Trail is at about 90% design and is scheduled for completion around 2029.
• City accomplishments included about 1.2 miles of overlay work, 47 curb ramps (about 600 total since the program began), completion of the Public Works administration building remodel on time and under budget, finishing an emergency intertie project, and replacing a 75-year-old raw water booster pump at the water treatment plant.
• Upcoming priorities include a two-way traffic planning study for the Pacific Avenue/19th Avenue couplet between B Street and Hawthorne, completion of the Mountain View Safe Routes to School project in 2027, resumption of stormwater and sewer master plan updates, and continued support for county trail and Highway 47 projects.
• Councilor Falkner asked about speed and safety at the Highway 47/Maple/Fern Hill intersection. Mr. Robertson said ODOT is proposing a lower speed limit beginning near Elm Street through Quince, and he would follow up on a possible roundabout at B Street and safety improvements at the B Street yield intersection. He also said the city has a GIS inventory of non-compliant curb ramps and expects the full sidewalk-gap inventory to be completed in about two years.
• The mayor expressed frustration about repeated delays on the Fern Hill/Maple/47 project. Mr. Robertson explained that a roundabout was explored but not allowed by the railroad, so the project became a conventional signal. The mayor also asked about high-impact, low-cost speed reductions before construction.

Federal Affairs Update: ICE Incident

• Police Chief Marzelli provided an update on the October 7th incident in which an ICE agent entered the police station. He said a public records request for video footage is being processed; the city plans to release the video to the requester and post it on the city's YouTube channel. He estimated the video could be ready by the end of the week.
• The chief met with community organizations on October 22 to discuss rebuilding trust. Groups included Adelante, community action agencies, the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Portland Community College, Centro Cultural, and others. An external third-party review is being coordinated, and training materials will be updated after the review.
• Forest Grove participates in the governor's office coordination call on ICE activity. City staff also reminded department directors of policies for interactions with federal immigration officers.
• Councilor Martinez said she has trust in Chief Marzelli and Assistant City Manager Zelle and thanked officers for their work. Councilor Schimmel asked about state coordination regarding Oregon State Police parking lots and broader scenarios if ICE agents were turned away from one public location and went to another. The chief said those questions are part of ongoing discussion.
• Chief Marzelli affirmed that officers are committed to serving and protecting everyone in Forest Grove regardless of immigration status.

Data Center Moratorium: Next Steps

• Dan Reardon, senior planner, presented the schedule for development code amendments during the data center moratorium. The council adopted the moratorium resolution on October 12, 2026, which started a 120-day period ending February 9, 2027.
• Proposed schedule: a joint council-planning commission work session on November 9; a council work session on November 23 to review draft amendments; public notice around November 30; a planning commission hearing on January 4, 2027; council first reading on January 25; second reading on February 8; and code amendments effective about March 10 unless an emergency clause is used.
• Amendment topics may include application review process, location restrictions and setbacks, building design and screening standards, electrical availability requirements, water-cooling standards, noise standards for continuous low hum, heat island mitigation/heat recapture, and natural resource protections.
• The mayor asked about the gap between moratorium expiration and the effective date. Mr. Reardon said the council could extend the moratorium or adopt an ordinance with an emergency clause.
• Councilor Falkner suggested learning from Eugene, where data centers are not allowed in industrial zones, and noted that many of the proposed standards could benefit all industrial zones, not just data centers.

Council Communications & City Manager Report

• Council President Valenzuela reported on the October 14 library commission meeting, the Civics Academy library tour, and the band book event attended by about 10 people. She said Forest Grove is in the last cohort for centralized library collections, beginning in March 2028. She also reported on the Public Arts Commission's plans to present a Main Street art project, decorated trash bins (city purchased 25, starting with five), and an artist mixer on November 13.
• Councilor Schimmel reported on the TV Highway bus rapid transit project, noting value engineering reduced the state funding ask from about $50 million to $40 million. He also mentioned the veterans memorial grant, Barney Reservoir Joint Water Commission recruitment after Rod's retirement, the Chamber's Latina Power Luncheon on November 4, and the tree lighting on November 27.
• Mayor Winsel mentioned the sister city student delegation arriving Wednesday evening and discussed a future idea to combine the holiday parade with the tree lighting.
• City Manager Jesse Vander Zanden reported that the community open house is October 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. He said the September FIRE report showed the fire department could staff and equip two emergency response units 90% of the time (27 of 30 days); without levy-funded firefighters, that would be 47% of the time (14 of 30 days). He also noted the library foundation funded five new crepe myrtle trees, Light and Power completed holiday tree decoration at Pacific University and replaced ten 1954 transmission poles, and the city is hiring cashier positions at the pool.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 6-0.
• The council voted to extend the meeting past 9:30 p.m. to finish council communications.
• No formal votes were taken on the presentations, but the council received the WCCLS update, watershed report, MECOP internship report, public works annual report, ICE update, and data center moratorium plan.
• Council reached consensus for staff to evaluate whether the state Veterans and War Memorial Grant program, ranging from $10,000 to $80,000, is viable for the city and to return with a recommendation.
• Next steps for the data center moratorium include a November 9 joint work session, November 23 council work session, January 2027 hearings, and February 2027 ordinance readings.