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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - November 3, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, November 3, 2026

BodyHillsboro, Oregon

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, November 3, 2026

StatusNEW · FILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:19:14

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:09

Welcome everyone.

0:10

Welcome to the work session for Tuesday, November 3rd.

0:14

I had to look at the date, which is surprising.

0:16

I think I know

Unassigned speaker

0:17

it.

Speaker 1

0:18

I'm really excited to hear from the Civic Leadership Academy class of 2026.

0:22

And in order to get that going, I'll turn it over to Robbie.

Unassigned speaker

0:25

Thank

Speaker 2

0:25

you, Mayor.

0:26

Good evening, everyone.

0:27

I just want to add my thanks and congratulations to those of you that participated in the Civic Leadership Academy.

0:33

This is uh we have a lot of programs in the city, and this one is always at the top for me because of what it brings.

0:39

It brings people together to talk about really important issues.

0:42

We have several members of council that have been through this.

0:44

We've had several members go on to serve on boards of commissions.

0:46

And I just want to say thank you for participating and going through this and putting yourselves out there.

0:50

Really looking forward to hearing from you all tonight.

0:52

And with that, I'll turn it over to Michaela.

Speaker 3

0:55

Hi, Council.

0:56

Good evening.

0:58

For the record, Michaela Kennedy, City Manager's Office and the program lead for the Civic Leadership Academy, also known as CLA.

1:05

This evening, as you heard, you will be hearing from this year's cohort regarding their project, how can the city promote and expand cultural exchange?

1:14

For those who may not be familiar with the program, the Civic Leadership Academy was established in 2016 to provide Hillsboro residents an opportunity to learn about local government, further develop their leadership skills, and work on a project of community importance.

1:29

This year is especially meaningful as we celebrated 10 years of the program and in October celebrated this milestone with the Civic Leadership Academy alumni, uh, current participants, city leadership, and community partners.

1:44

And um, Jacob, if you turn on the um PowerPoint, there's a um or Mark, sorry, Jacob, Mark, sorry, um, there's some a few pictures that I wanted to share with with the group.

1:57

Um, it was a really really fun event.

1:59

So, and we had um some balloons to showcase CLA 10, which is fun.

2:05

Um, I wanted to thank everyone who joined us as well as the many community members who have participated in CLA over the years.

2:13

In the past 10 years, over a hundred community members have graduated from the academy.

2:19

And the impact of this program extends well beyond the six weeks that participants spent together.

2:25

It continues in many ways graduates contribute contribute to our community long after the program ends.

2:31

I also wanted to thank uh City Council for your time, ongoing support and attention this evening.

2:37

I know it's election night, and there's certainly a lot going on in our community and across the country.

2:42

And I think it's fitting that we're gathered here today to recognize another form of civic participation.

Unassigned speaker

2:49

Um,

Speaker 3

2:49

I wanted to also note that the presentation you'll be hearing tonight represents just a portion of the work that this group has completed.

2:57

They put tremendous amount of thought, research, and collaboration to this project, and I really encourage council to review uh exhibit A in the staff report uh for a more comprehensive look on their findings.

3:09

Before I want to turn it over, before I turn it over, I want to extend a special thank you to our executive sponsor, Assistant City Manager Simone Brooks.

3:17

Um, our city buddies.

3:18

Oh, yes, yeah, that's all.

3:20

He's awesome.

3:23

Our city buddies, Tasi, Nathan, Kiomi, and Summer.

3:30

And our partners uh from Portland State University, Kristen Wright and Yashi.

3:35

Welcome.

Unassigned speaker

3:39

I'm

Speaker 3

3:39

sorry to put you on the spot, Kristen, but um, a special happy birthday to her.

3:47

Kristen, we really appreciate you spending part of your birthday with us tonight.

3:52

Um most importantly, I want to thank our CLA participants for their time, energy,

Speaker 4

3:56

and care they've invested into

Speaker 3

3:58

this project and your willingness to share your perspectives, listen to one another and work collaboratively, reflects exactly what this program is all about.

4:07

So, with that, I'm gonna turn it over to our 2026 Civic Leadership Academy cohort to share their work.

4:13

Thank

Unassigned speaker

4:13

you.

Speaker 5

4:56

Yeah, yeah, those slides.

4:57

Thank you.

Speaker 6

5:08

Good evening.

5:10

We are the 2026 Civic Leadership Academy, a group of 10 community members with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, all brought together by a shared commitment to Hillsborough.

5:24

Over the past weeks, we have explored what it means to promote and expand cultural exchange for our community.

5:31

The one thing that became clear, it is not just about who lives in Hillsborough, it's about who feels connected, included, and welcome at that table.

5:42

Emily, let's talk about that table.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████41%

Procedural███████████████15%

Cultural Exchange██████████10%

Public Engagement████████8%

Middle Housing████████8%

Public Safety███████7%

Racial Equity███3%

Data Center Regulation███3%

Arts And Culture███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - November 3, 2026

The meeting began with a work session featuring the Civic Leadership Academy (CLA) Class of 2026, followed by the regular city council meeting. The council adopted a proclamation for Native American Heritage Month, heard public comments, approved a comprehensive plan amendment, and adopted a resolution reapportioning special assessments for the South Hillsboro LID.

Public Comments & Testimony

Martin Lehman (virtual) raised concerns about a structural conflict of interest within the city's economic development office, alleging that public funds were used to incubate a private tech lobbying group (Silicon Florida Partnership). He stated that the city used over $123,000 in public funds, that the group lists city hall as its headquarters, and that no ethics waiver or lease agreements are on file. He claimed $1.19 million in state grant funds are unaccounted for.
Carolyn Concepcion, a 37-year resident, urged the council to reconsider the 608 acres allowed for data centers, questioning how that number was determined and whether promises were made to data center companies. She also commended Councilor Harris for his oversight on utility rate increases.
Tori Lewis offered spiritual encouragement, referencing Proverbs and suggesting the council consider a study on maintaining health and wellness after the election.

Discussion Items

Civic Leadership Academy Presentation (Work Session): The 2026 CLA cohort presented their project on how the city can promote and expand cultural exchange. They surveyed over 97 community stakeholders and identified three key themes: moving from spectators to participants in cultural exchange, using everyday spaces (parks, libraries) as centers for exchange, and improving representation, relationship building, and trust. Recommendations included more storytelling opportunities (e.g., porch night outs), restructuring the Cultural Exchange and Events program, creating a Hillsboro Community Ambassador program, and engaging more intentionally with faith centers and linguistic groups. The presentation used the metaphor of a dinner party to illustrate barriers such as language, fear of immigration enforcement, accessibility, and transportation.
Proclamation – Native American Heritage Month: Councilor Ambry read the proclamation declaring November 2026 as Native American Heritage Month, recognizing the history and contributions of Native peoples and the city's commitment to equity.
First Reading – Comprehensive Plan Amendment 004-26 (Avenida Diaz 10th Avenue Equitable Development Strategy): The council approved the first reading of Ordinance 6522, which incorporates the Avenida Diaz Equitable Development Strategy into the Downtown Framework Plan. The vote was unanimous (7-0).
Resolution 2940 – South Hillsboro LID Reapportionment: The council adopted a resolution to reapportion $2.6 million in special assessments for the Reeds Crossing development (phases 4 and 5) from a zoning-based formula to a uniform per-net-acre basis. Staff explained the change was driven by market demand shifting away from multifamily (MF-2) zoning in those phases. Councilors questioned the potential impact on housing needs analysis and future land use changes. The resolution passed unanimously (7-0).
City Manager Report: Robbie reported that construction began on October 26 on "CloudNest," an interactive public art sculpture at Shute Park, designed by artist Becky Borlin with community input. Completion is expected by end of 2026.

Key Outcomes

The CLA presentation was received with appreciation; council members asked questions about the process and the ambassador program idea. No formal action was taken.
Proclamation for Native American Heritage Month was read and recognized.
Ordinance 6522 (Comprehensive Plan Amendment) passed first reading (7-0). Second reading and final adoption scheduled for November 17, 2026.
Resolution 2940 (South Hillsboro LID reapportionment) was adopted (7-0).
Council comments included thanks to city staff for the 150th anniversary celebration and the CLA program.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome everyone. Welcome to the work session for Tuesday, November 3rd. I had to look at the date, which is surprising. I think I know it. I'm really excited to hear from the Civic Leadership Academy class of 2026. And in order to get that going, I'll turn it over to Robbie. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone. I just want to add my thanks and congratulations to those of you that participated in the Civic Leadership Academy. This is uh we have a lot of programs in the city, and this one is always at the top for me because of what it brings. It brings people together to talk about really important issues. We have several members of council that have been through this. We've had several members go on to serve on boards of commissions. And I just want to say thank you for participating and going through this and putting yourselves out there. Really looking forward to hearing from you all tonight. And with that, I'll turn it over to Michaela. Hi, Council. Good evening. For the record, Michaela Kennedy, City Manager's Office and the program lead for the Civic Leadership Academy, also known as CLA. This evening, as you heard, you will be hearing from this year's cohort regarding their project, how can the city promote and expand cultural exchange? For those who may not be familiar with the program, the Civic Leadership Academy was established in 2016 to provide Hillsboro residents an opportunity to learn about local government, further develop their leadership skills, and work on a project of community importance. This year is especially meaningful as we celebrated 10 years of the program and in October celebrated this milestone with the Civic Leadership Academy alumni, uh, current participants, city leadership, and community partners. And um, Jacob, if you turn on the um PowerPoint, there's a um or Mark, sorry, Jacob, Mark, sorry, um, there's some a few pictures that I wanted to share with with the group. Um, it was a really really fun event. So, and we had um some balloons to showcase CLA 10, which is fun. Um, I wanted to thank everyone who joined us as well as the many community members who have participated in CLA over the years. In the past 10 years, over a hundred community members have graduated from the academy. And the impact of this program extends well beyond the six weeks that participants spent together. It continues in many ways graduates contribute contribute to our community long after the program ends. I also wanted to thank uh City Council for your time, ongoing support and attention this evening. I know it's election night, and there's certainly a lot going on in our community and across the country. And I think it's fitting that we're gathered here today to recognize another form of civic participation. Um, I wanted to also note that the presentation you'll be hearing tonight represents just a portion of the work that this group has completed. They put tremendous amount of thought, research, and collaboration to this project, and I really encourage council to review uh exhibit A in the staff report uh for a more comprehensive look on their findings. Before I want to turn it over, before I turn it over, I want to extend a special thank you to our executive sponsor, Assistant City Manager Simone Brooks. Um, our city buddies. Oh, yes, yeah, that's all. He's awesome. Our city buddies, Tasi, Nathan, Kiomi, and Summer. And our partners uh from Portland State University, Kristen Wright and Yashi. Welcome. I'm sorry to put you on the spot, Kristen, but um, a special happy birthday to her. Kristen, we really appreciate you spending part of your birthday with us tonight. Um most importantly, I want to thank our CLA participants for their time, energy, and care they've invested into this project and your willingness to share your perspectives, listen to one another and work collaboratively, reflects exactly what this program is all about.

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