OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - July 7, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 7, 2026
BodyHillsboro, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:09:23

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

The July 7th work session.

0:09

It's going to be really interesting briefing tonight.

0:12

So I'm looking forward to it.

0:14

Before we get into it, though, I want to say that there have been several disruptions during city council work sessions lately.

0:19

And I want to begin by setting an expectation for everyone.

0:22

We will not tolerate disruptions that preclude the council from being able to conduct its business.

0:28

Disruptions have an impact on everyone in this room and online.

0:32

Those who cause disruptions will be asked to leave the room and watch the work session from the auditorium or leave the building altogether.

0:39

This is a first warning for all attendees, and any person who disrupts the meeting will be provided with one individualized warning.

0:46

Any further disruptions will result in that individual being asked to leave the room and watch the work session from the auditorium or leaving the building.

0:54

I'd now like to turn the time over to City Manager Robbie Hammett.

0:58

Thank you, Mayor.

0:58

Good evening, Council.

0:59

Tonight we are going to be preparing presenting on the sanitary sewer and stormwater utility fees.

1:05

This is the first of two work sessions.

1:07

In two weeks, we'll do a similar presentation on the transportation utility fee.

1:11

So I wanted to prepare you all for that.

1:12

And as a reminder, a few years ago, we uh combined the timing of these work sessions and so that we can uh talk to the council about all the rates at the same time.

1:24

It helps when we make adjustments for the public so they can see that all at once rather than what it used to be scattered throughout the year.

1:30

So with that, um, I will say uh there's about 20 slides that we'll get through.

1:35

If you can hold your questions to the end, there should be plenty of time at the end, but I think hopefully the most of the slides will answer a lot of the questions.

1:41

Um and with that, I'll turn it over to Allison.

1:46

Good evening, counselors in there.

1:48

Thank you so much for having us here today.

1:50

We're excited to talk to you today about the storm and sanitary utilities as well as their rates and all the funding sources associated with them.

1:57

We have a presentation for you tonight that we're hoping will be about 20 minutes.

2:01

Um, and if you would, we'd kindly ask that you save your questions till the end, and then we can have all the questions at the end to try and make it efficient tonight.

2:09

So that's we know you have a really crowded agenda and we don't want to impede on further progress.

2:14

But if needed, we have the after work session if it rolls over to that.

2:19

Um and Allison, we're not making any decisions.

2:22

This is just a briefing, right?

2:23

Correct.

2:24

Okay.

2:24

This is just a presentation on storm and sanitary sewer.

2:28

And I know that you're all very interested in it.

2:30

So I'm expecting there to be a ton of questions.

2:33

Thank you.

2:34

Um, but uh thank you so much.

2:35

I'm I'm Alison Bergsting.

2:37

I'm the utilities division manager for the Public Works Utilities, which is inclusive of Storm and Sanitary Sewer.

2:42

And I'm joined tonight tonight by my colleague Teresa Galvin, um, who will be able to answer a lot more questions regarding finance and I involve.

2:50

Um, as a reminder, we have a lot of utilities in the city.

2:53

Um, and tonight we're just going to focus on the sanitary and surface water management or stormwater utilities.

2:57

And as Robbie alluded to, you'll hear more about transportation in the later work session.

3:07

So, in general, when we're talking about utility planning, we have two really guiding documents that help us get to the rate study or the rates that you're adopting um later on this year.

3:17

So, first is called the master plan.

3:19

And the master plan talks about all of the things that go into funding the utility, including our programmatic operational costs and our capital improvement plans for replacing old and aging infrastructure, as well as we're adding new infrastructure to our utilities.

3:33

The master plans are typically refreshed once every 10 to 15 years, and our master plans for the storm and sanitary utility have been done within the last five years.

3:45

We also have what's called a rate study, and the rate study takes the costs that are developed in the master plan that are inclusive of the capital outlook and the programmatic costs and projects what the revenue sources should be for completing those master plan adjectives within the time frame alluded to in the master plan.

4:06

When we're talking about our rights, we're looking at the utility fees and the system development charges.

4:11

There are some other small fees that are included in those revenue sources, but largely it's funded by the utility fee.

4:18

The utility fees are then adopted every two years, even though the rate study is for every five to six years.

4:24

Um so tonight we're gonna be presenting to you what we're asking for the adoption to be for the next Bienniums rate study.

4:33

Um but this is again, as everyone's alluded to, step one of a very long uh process.

4:39

Um so this is just the early briefing.

4:46

And just as a reminder as to what the sanitary and storm sewer are.

4:49

So the sanitary sewer in Hallsboro is anything that you flush down the toilet, you drain your tub, you drain your washing machine, those things go to our sanitary sewer.

5:00

We have a separate storm sewer, so that collects all the rainwater, the snow, and the runoff.

5:03

The storm sewer is collecting all the rainwater and the sanitary sewer and the snow runoff and then moving it through the pipe system and then treating it in those vegetated facilities that are kind of depicted down there in the bottom, or in an alternative method, and then releasing it to the environment through an outfall.

5:23

So those are kind of the four components of the storm system.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████21%
Public Engagement███████████████████19%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Economic Development████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Fiscal Sustainability███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - July 7, 2026

The City Council held a work session on sanitary sewer and stormwater utility fees, followed by a regular meeting with public testimony, consent agenda, legislative actions, and a vote to censure Councilor Christian Salgado. The meeting was marked by emotional testimony regarding the death of 19-year-old cyclist Connor Navarro and ongoing public frustration over data centers and airport expansion.

Work Session: Sanitary Sewer & Stormwater Utility Fees

  • Utilities Division Manager Alison Bergsting presented proposed rate increases to fund infrastructure over a 20-year horizon. The proposed increase would result in a total utility bill increase of $4.18 in year one (2.8%) and $6.57 in year two (4.3%), inclusive of Clean Water Services rate changes. Council debated the 20-year plan vs. shorter horizons (10 or 15 years), with staff recommending the 20-year extension due to manageable risk, though deferred maintenance could lead to higher costs later.
  • Councilor Harris expressed concern about affordability and suggested capping increases at 3.5% to align with average wage growth. City Manager Robbie Hammett noted the utility assistance program has been expanded, serving 1,190 households in FY 2025–26 with $190,679 in relief.

Public Comments

  • Multiple speakers (Eli, Matt Ellenberger, Susie Logue, Nita Pecos, Mari Park) testified on the June 23 death of Connor Navarro at Main and Century Boulevard, demanding immediate safety improvements: lowering speed limits, installing rapid-flashing beacons, protected bike lanes, and abandoning the Century Boulevard expansion. Speakers described a history of near-misses and crashes at the intersection.
  • Several speakers opposed the Sky Harbor private jet hangar project, citing lack of environmental review and community notification. Garrett Fleenor (Washington County Democratic Party Vice Chair) urged the council to support the appeal and deny the project.
  • Multiple speakers criticized the city’s handling of data center development, transparency, and public engagement. Antonia Lopez and others accused the council of institutional betrayal and ignoring community input. Dirk Knudsen warned of financial risks from the North Hillsboro Urban Renewal Area if promised tax revenues fail to materialize.
  • Mickey Barnes requested the council waive a $2,500 fee for public records related to the Sky Harbor appeal, arguing the information is necessary for the appeal process.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 4 – Consent Agenda: Motion to approve (Sinclair, second Case). Discussion centered on the Sky Harbor appeal hearing type (de novo vs. on record) and a request to waive public records fees for Barnes and another appellant. City Attorney Chad Jacobs explained that de novo allows new evidence and is more inclusive. Councilor Harris noted that if the appeal is heard on the record, the requested emails would be irrelevant, potentially saving fees. After hearing from Barnes that she was comfortable with de novo, the council directed staff to work with the group to narrow the records request and reduce costs. The motion to approve the consent agenda passed with five votes in favor (Alcare, Case, Anvery, Sinclair, Harris); Councilor Salgado’s vote was not recorded.

Discussion Items

  • Comprehensive Plan Amendment 003-26 (Synopsis East): Ordinance 6519 adopted (4-2) to change land-use designation from industrial to station community planning area. Roll call: Alcare nay, Case aye, Anvery aye, Sinclair aye, Harris aye, Salgado nay.
  • Zone Change 003-26 (Synopsis East): Order 33 adopted (4-2) to rezone 4.54 acres from station community business park to station community residential medium density. Same vote split.
  • Data Storage and Energy Storage Code Amendment: Order 35 adopted (6-0) to initiate code updates defining data centers and energy storage. Councilor Sinclair and Salgado requested the definitions explicitly reference megawatt density and cooling processes, and that previously submitted council research be incorporated into staff’s work.
  • Censure of Councilor Salgado: Resolution 2927 adopted (4-0, with Councilor Salgado not voting on his own censure). Councilor Salgado read a statement arguing the June 16 meeting was adjourned, not recessed, and that the factual basis for the censure was flawed. City Attorney Jacobs stated the mayor corrected the term immediately and the council’s inability to restart the meeting due to actions during recess was the basis for the censure. The resolution passed on a roll call vote.

Council Comments

  • Councilor Alcare requested clarification on agenda-setting authority, noting the public comment time was moved from end to beginning without council input. City Manager Hammett explained the change was made to allow those attending for specific items to speak early, but acknowledged confusion and restored the original format. Alcare recommended no further changes without council consultation.
  • Councilor Sinclair expressed condolences to the Navarro family and committed to improving pedestrian and cyclist safety on the Transportation Committee.
  • Councilor Case recommended prioritizing planning and funding for a second ladder truck at South Hillsboro Fire Station 9 to reduce response times, noting the current truck is also used for vehicle extrication. She asked staff to explore faster timeline options.
  • Councilor Harris proposed a six-month renewable moratorium on Strategic Investment Program (SIP) tax abatements for data centers, closing a potential loophole. He asked council to consider by email.

Key Outcomes

  • Council directed staff to work with Sky Harbor appellants to narrow public records requests and reduce associated fees.
  • Ordinances and orders adopted as detailed above.
  • Council adopted a public censure of Councilor Christian Salgado for conduct during the June 16 meeting.
  • Council will consider via email a moratorium on SIP tax abatements for data centers and prioritizing a second fire ladder truck.
  • The next work session on transportation utility fees is scheduled for July 21, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

The July 7th work session. It's going to be really interesting briefing tonight. So I'm looking forward to it. Before we get into it, though, I want to say that there have been several disruptions during city council work sessions lately. And I want to begin by setting an expectation for everyone. We will not tolerate disruptions that preclude the council from being able to conduct its business. Disruptions have an impact on everyone in this room and online. Those who cause disruptions will be asked to leave the room and watch the work session from the auditorium or leave the building altogether. This is a first warning for all attendees, and any person who disrupts the meeting will be provided with one individualized warning. Any further disruptions will result in that individual being asked to leave the room and watch the work session from the auditorium or leaving the building. I'd now like to turn the time over to City Manager Robbie Hammett. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Council. Tonight we are going to be preparing presenting on the sanitary sewer and stormwater utility fees. This is the first of two work sessions. In two weeks, we'll do a similar presentation on the transportation utility fee. So I wanted to prepare you all for that. And as a reminder, a few years ago, we uh combined the timing of these work sessions and so that we can uh talk to the council about all the rates at the same time. It helps when we make adjustments for the public so they can see that all at once rather than what it used to be scattered throughout the year. So with that, um, I will say uh there's about 20 slides that we'll get through. If you can hold your questions to the end, there should be plenty of time at the end, but I think hopefully the most of the slides will answer a lot of the questions. Um and with that, I'll turn it over to Allison. Good evening, counselors in there. Thank you so much for having us here today. We're excited to talk to you today about the storm and sanitary utilities as well as their rates and all the funding sources associated with them. We have a presentation for you tonight that we're hoping will be about 20 minutes. Um, and if you would, we'd kindly ask that you save your questions till the end, and then we can have all the questions at the end to try and make it efficient tonight. So that's we know you have a really crowded agenda and we don't want to impede on further progress. But if needed, we have the after work session if it rolls over to that. Um and Allison, we're not making any decisions. This is just a briefing, right? Correct. Okay. This is just a presentation on storm and sanitary sewer. And I know that you're all very interested in it. So I'm expecting there to be a ton of questions. Thank you. Um, but uh thank you so much. I'm I'm Alison Bergsting. I'm the utilities division manager for the Public Works Utilities, which is inclusive of Storm and Sanitary Sewer. And I'm joined tonight tonight by my colleague Teresa Galvin, um, who will be able to answer a lot more questions regarding finance and I involve. Um, as a reminder, we have a lot of utilities in the city. Um, and tonight we're just going to focus on the sanitary and surface water management or stormwater utilities. And as Robbie alluded to, you'll hear more about transportation in the later work session. So, in general, when we're talking about utility planning, we have two really guiding documents that help us get to the rate study or the rates that you're adopting um later on this year. So, first is called the master plan. And the master plan talks about all of the things that go into funding the utility, including our programmatic operational costs and our capital improvement plans for replacing old and aging infrastructure, as well as we're adding new infrastructure to our utilities. The master plans are typically refreshed once every 10 to 15 years, and our master plans for the storm and sanitary utility have been done within the last five years. We also have what's called a rate study, and the rate study takes the costs that are developed in the master plan that are inclusive of the capital outlook and the programmatic costs and projects what the revenue sources should be for completing those master plan adjectives within the time frame alluded to in the master plan. When we're talking about our rights, we're looking at the utility fees and the system development charges.

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