OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - January 20, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyHillsboro, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:27:35

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to attend either personally or virtually.

0:12

Just as a reminder, this is a work session and there is no public comment.

0:16

But at 7 p.m., we will move over to the auditorium where we're going to have the city council meeting, and that's where community members are invited to speak.

0:25

If you are here in person and would like to speak during the public comments section of the city council meeting, which again begins at 7 p.m., please fill out a yellow card.

0:35

You'll be able to find those yellow cards in the auditorium on the left-hand side of the room.

0:40

And when you do, you can give it to Aubrey right over here.

0:43

And then you'll be able to speak during the city council meeting again at 7 p.m.

0:49

But again, we're in the work session right now.

0:51

Okay.

0:51

So I'll turn the time over to Robbie Hammond to begin the work session.

0:54

Thank you.

0:55

Thank you, Mayor Pace.

0:56

Good evening, everyone.

0:57

Nice to see you all.

0:58

Tonight we are going to give you all some updates on our uh plan to do with the impact advice in our community.

1:06

So if we can go ahead and go to the next slide, unless you're hean that's going to be managing it.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

So here's the agenda for tonight.

1:14

I'll address a couple of things that we've gone over a few times in the past, talking about our shared values and goals.

1:18

We'll go over Hillsboro's plan.

1:19

And then there's two areas of that plan that we're seeking direction from the council on tonight.

1:24

The first is implementing the sanctuary, the city's sanctuary status in the city's code and policy, and also talking about uh the human rights office and getting final direction from the council on that.

1:34

And then I do have a slide at the end with some other updates just to keep keep you all updated on some of our progress that we're making.

1:41

Uh next slide.

1:43

So a reminder, I know I show this each time, but I think it's important to remind ourselves uh why we're doing this work and that we have shared values and goals as we seek to try to help our community right now.

1:52

These goals come from the council's guiding principles and equity statement.

1:56

We have our strategic plan.

1:58

We have heard from our community at length about this.

2:00

We know how important it is to them.

2:02

Um, our council's goal of promoting accurate information, and then that last one is the new Hillsborough plan that the council has um brought forward over the past couple of months.

2:11

This is kind of the that plan in box form.

2:14

You can see the ones in blue, those are the areas that we have either already begun or made substantial progress in some cases uh cases we've actually finalized.

2:22

Those two in green are the ones we're gonna be going over tonight uh to see uh direction from the city council.

2:28

And so with that, uh we'll begin talking about the sanctuary status in code and policy, and I'll turn it over to Chad Jacobs.

2:36

Good evening, uh Council Chad Jacobs from the city attorney's office.

2:39

So tonight um I'm gonna go over the I uh the proposal to codify the city's sanctuary status.

2:45

And before I begin, I just want to say a couple of things.

2:48

First, I just want to take a moment and thank Councillor Sinclair.

2:51

She took the time to meet with staff and myself and really demonstrated a strong partnership and leadership on this issue.

2:56

I just want to acknowledge that publicly and for spending the time with us.

2:58

I really appreciate that you took that time to do that.

3:01

Um, I also want to um say that I I know we've got a lot to talk about tonight, so I'm gonna rely heavily on the staff memo that sort of went through everything, and I'll just go over it uh on a high level overview.

3:11

If you have specific questions, please let me know.

3:13

I'm happy to answer those.

3:15

And then finally, I just want to say that um I I think if you look at what we're proposing, what staff and myself have proposed for codifying the sanctuary status, that what we've done is try to truly implement everything that's in the proposal.

3:29

We're just doing it in different ways than necessarily codifying everything.

3:32

While we're we're seeking to codify as much as possible, there's nothing in the proposal that we're not actually implementing.

3:38

We're just implementing it more, some of these more administratively, than actually putting them in the city's municipal code.

3:44

So I think on a on a grand scheme, it's not that there's any disagreement about doing the things that we're talking about tonight.

3:50

It's just how we are doing those things that we're talking about.

3:53

So I just want to make sure that we're all clear that on that front that for the most part we are all on the same page, just a difference of opinion about how we do that is is the issue that we're talking about tonight.

4:04

Um, and so what we want to do is uh review the specific items that were presented, um, provide recommendations of what we believe uh staff believe should be in the municipal code versus implemented through policy, and then um based on your discussion and consensus, bring back uh something for a codification at a future meeting or not if you decide not to.

4:25

Um obviously, this is ultimately the council's call as a body to make, um, not staff's call, but uh what we've done is provide you with a proposal that uh can uh codify things as necessary.

4:37

Um so the ordinance that we drafted uh does three things, three basic things.

4:43

It mirrors the requirements set forth in the state sanctuary promise act.

4:47

It defines certain terms that are left undefined in state law, and it expressly authorizes the city manager to take certain actions necessary to implement codification, including providing training to staff and creating signage for city properties and city facilities.

5:00

Um, on that last front, providing uh training to staff and and signage.

5:05

Uh, this is something that the city staff is already working on.

5:09

It's something that was in the emergency resolution that you passed.

5:12

So it is stuff that we are already working on and currently implementing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Immigration Enforcement████████████████████████████████32%
Community Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Public Safety██████████10%
Human Rights Office████████8%
Procedural███████7%
Public Engagement████4%
Economic Development████4%
Data Center Regulation██2%
Fiscal Sustainability██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - January 20, 2026

On January 20, 2026, the Hillsboro City Council held a work session in the morning and a regular city council meeting at 7:00 PM. The work session focused on two major topics: codifying the city's sanctuary status and establishing a human rights office. The regular meeting featured public testimony, consent agenda approval, and a city manager report. No final votes were taken on the sanctuary or human rights office items; instead, the council provided direction for further engagement with community-based organizations (CBOs) and staff analysis.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously on a motion by Councillor Case, seconded by Councillor Ambry, with all councilors voting aye.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sanctuary Codification: Seventeen speakers testified during the regular meeting, the majority urging the council to pass an ordinance codifying the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act. Speakers included Callie Peters, Sandra, Sam, Dr. Vanessa Samoano, William (school bus driver and former testifier), Barry Johnson Smith, Luz Gutierrez, Andrés Pérez Lata, Maria, Abigail Ramirez, S.M., Erica Villa, and Carter Calhoun. They expressed fear, urgency, and described the impact of ICE enforcement on families, children, and small businesses. Some speakers also criticized delays and called for immediate action.
  • Other Issues: Barry Johnson Smith also spoke against the Oregon Jobs Act, arguing it would expand the urban growth boundary without public input and benefit data centers. Andrés Pérez Lata raised concerns about data center encroachment.
  • Police Response: Several testifiers recounted an incident at a Martin Luther King Day protest where a counter-protester allegedly assaulted a minor, and criticized police response. They urged the council to take stronger action to protect immigrant communities.

Discussion Items

1. Sanctuary Codification

  • City Attorney Chad Jacobs presented a proposed ordinance that mirrors the state sanctuary promise act, defines key terms, and authorizes the city manager to implement training and signage. He recommended codifying some aspects and implementing others via policy, citing collective bargaining and flexibility concerns.
  • Councillor Sinclair advocated for codification to ensure accountability and transparency, especially mandatory logging and reporting of ICE activity. She noted that policy changes have already been made but argued codification would build trust.
  • Councillors Alcare, Harris, Case, and Ambry expressed reservations about codifying beyond state law, preferring policy for flexibility and noting that codification could create false security or legal risks. They also emphasized the need for further input from CBOs.
  • Outcome: No consensus on codification. Staff were directed to share the draft proposal with CBOs, review additional material submitted (e.g., proposal from Barry Johnson Smith), and bring back feedback. A special work session with CBOs was discussed but not scheduled.

2. Human Rights Office (HRO)

  • Assistant City Manager Simone Brooks and City Manager Robbie Hammond presented a proposal to create a Human Rights Office with a manager, coordinator, and a communications assistant, at an annual cost of $321,000-$553,000. The office would coordinate with CBOs, document ICE interactions, and provide community education.
  • Councillor Salgado and Sinclair strongly supported full establishment, arguing it builds capacity and aligns with the city's values. They noted the city has sufficient funds and that the office is a necessary service.
  • Councillors Alcare, Case, Harris, and Ambry preferred option two: first convene a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to advise on whether and how to establish the office. They cited letters from CBOs (e.g., Adelante Mujeres, Bienestar) requesting a pause and redirecting funds to emergency assistance like rent and food.
  • Outcome: The council did not reach consensus to establish the HRO. Instead, they agreed to:
    • Proceed with forming the CAC (already in progress).
    • Council to review the CAC charter within two weeks and provide feedback.
    • At a future meeting, the council will determine the specific questions to ask the CAC about the human rights office.
    • Staff will explore additional funding options for CBOs, separate from the HRO proposal.

3. Other Updates

  • Small Business Stabilization: A $200,000 program is being finalized. The $50,000 originally for financial literacy will be redirected to sole proprietors affected by ICE enforcement.
  • Eviction Prevention: $200,000 in partnership agreements (e.g., with Bienestar) are near completion.
  • Training: City employee training on sanctuary policy is nearly finalized; council may also receive the training.
  • Notary Services: Libraries will increase notary availability; legal review is ongoing for notarizing parental delegation forms.
  • Police Hiring: Detailed background checks are in place; any red flags (e.g., past controversial agency employment) are thoroughly investigated.
  • Automatic License Plate Readers: Only Oregon entities with MOUs consistent with sanctuary laws will have access; cameras are used only for specific events.
  • Eviction Moratorium: Councillor Salgado proposed a limited moratorium on evictions at affordable housing complexes; staff will conduct a legal analysis and consult with CBOs.
  • City Manager Report: Hillsboro will host the new women's professional softball team (Portland Cascades) starting June 18, 2026. The annual street leaf collection program removed over 5,000 cubic yards of leaves and collected 600 pounds of food. The State of the City is scheduled for February 19, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Sanctuary Codification: Staff to share the ordinance draft with CBOs, review community proposals, and bring back feedback. No decision on codification.
  • Human Rights Office: Not established. Proceed with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Council to review the CAC charter within two weeks. Future council meeting to define questions for the CAC regarding the HRO.
  • Additional CBO Funding: Staff to explore and bring back options for increasing support to CBOs.
  • Eviction Moratorium: Staff to research and report on the feasibility of a limited moratorium for affordable housing.
  • Small Business Support: The $50,000 in financial literacy funding will be redirected to sole proprietors; communication on the application process will follow.
  • Police and Training: Continued implementation of policy changes for recording ICE interactions; council training to be scheduled.
  • Public Engagement: The city encourages residents to sign up for newsletters (Creciendo Juntos and City Views) for updates.

Meeting Transcript

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to attend either personally or virtually. Just as a reminder, this is a work session and there is no public comment. But at 7 p.m., we will move over to the auditorium where we're going to have the city council meeting, and that's where community members are invited to speak. If you are here in person and would like to speak during the public comments section of the city council meeting, which again begins at 7 p.m., please fill out a yellow card. You'll be able to find those yellow cards in the auditorium on the left-hand side of the room. And when you do, you can give it to Aubrey right over here. And then you'll be able to speak during the city council meeting again at 7 p.m. But again, we're in the work session right now. Okay. So I'll turn the time over to Robbie Hammond to begin the work session. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Pace. Good evening, everyone. Nice to see you all. Tonight we are going to give you all some updates on our uh plan to do with the impact advice in our community. So if we can go ahead and go to the next slide, unless you're hean that's going to be managing it. Thank you. So here's the agenda for tonight. I'll address a couple of things that we've gone over a few times in the past, talking about our shared values and goals. We'll go over Hillsboro's plan. And then there's two areas of that plan that we're seeking direction from the council on tonight. The first is implementing the sanctuary, the city's sanctuary status in the city's code and policy, and also talking about uh the human rights office and getting final direction from the council on that. And then I do have a slide at the end with some other updates just to keep keep you all updated on some of our progress that we're making. Uh next slide. So a reminder, I know I show this each time, but I think it's important to remind ourselves uh why we're doing this work and that we have shared values and goals as we seek to try to help our community right now. These goals come from the council's guiding principles and equity statement. We have our strategic plan. We have heard from our community at length about this. We know how important it is to them. Um, our council's goal of promoting accurate information, and then that last one is the new Hillsborough plan that the council has um brought forward over the past couple of months. This is kind of the that plan in box form. You can see the ones in blue, those are the areas that we have either already begun or made substantial progress in some cases uh cases we've actually finalized. Those two in green are the ones we're gonna be going over tonight uh to see uh direction from the city council. And so with that, uh we'll begin talking about the sanctuary status in code and policy, and I'll turn it over to Chad Jacobs. Good evening, uh Council Chad Jacobs from the city attorney's office. So tonight um I'm gonna go over the I uh the proposal to codify the city's sanctuary status. And before I begin, I just want to say a couple of things. First, I just want to take a moment and thank Councillor Sinclair. She took the time to meet with staff and myself and really demonstrated a strong partnership and leadership on this issue. I just want to acknowledge that publicly and for spending the time with us. I really appreciate that you took that time to do that. Um, I also want to um say that I I know we've got a lot to talk about tonight, so I'm gonna rely heavily on the staff memo that sort of went through everything, and I'll just go over it uh on a high level overview. If you have specific questions, please let me know. I'm happy to answer those. And then finally, I just want to say that um I I think if you look at what we're proposing, what staff and myself have proposed for codifying the sanctuary status, that what we've done is try to truly implement everything that's in the proposal. We're just doing it in different ways than necessarily codifying everything. While we're we're seeking to codify as much as possible, there's nothing in the proposal that we're not actually implementing. We're just implementing it more, some of these more administratively, than actually putting them in the city's municipal code. So I think on a on a grand scheme, it's not that there's any disagreement about doing the things that we're talking about tonight. It's just how we are doing those things that we're talking about.

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