Lake Oswego City Council Meeting - October 7, 2025

The Lake Oswego City Council met on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The meeting began with the swearing-in of new Municipal Court Judge Amy Lindgren, followed by proclamations, public comment, consent agenda items, a presentation on a public art project, two annexation public hearings, and study sessions on solid waste rates and home occupation standards. The council also discussed regional issues regarding local control and military involvement in domestic policing.

Swearing-In Ceremony

• Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Colleen Gilmarton administered the oath of office to new Municipal Court Judge Amy Lindgren. Judge Lindgren, a former deputy district attorney with decades of legal experience, expressed gratitude to the council and her family. A reception followed the ceremony.

Proclamations

• Mayor Buck proclaimed October as Meals on Wheels Month in Lake Oswego, recognizing the 150 volunteers serving homebound seniors since 1972.
• Mayor Buck proclaimed Indigenous Peoples Day on October 13, reflecting on the contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples and the city's commitment to inclusivity.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Sabrina Tremblay (co-founder, Yes LO) and Becky Owens (parent) spoke about the need for employment and volunteer opportunities for young adults with disabilities after they age out of school district programs at 21. They described this transition as "a cliff" with lost progress and isolation. Yes LO proposes a culinary and barista training program to become a community space ("the living room of Lake Oswego"). They asked for council guidance and collaboration to make Lake Oswego a model of inclusion. Several supporters attended in the audience.

Consent Calendar

• Ordinance 2968: Annexing 2405 Nas Road. Passed 7-0.
• Resolution 25-42: Creating and approving appointments to the Foothills District Technical Advisory Committee. Passed 7-0.
• Amendment to IGA with Lake Oswego School District: Regarding use of the Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatic Center. Passed 7-0.
• Resolution 25-44: Appointing advisory board members (alternates to full members). Passed 6-0, with the mayor abstaining.

Presentation: Public Art Project at the Library

• City staff, Respond to Racism, and the Arts Council presented a collaboration to install public art at the Lake Oswego Public Library. The project, five years in the making, has a budget of $31,000 from a general fund grant (originally ARPA funds).
• The artist selection process involved a rigorous, equity-centered RFP with a nine-member panel (51% BIPOC). Artist Sahara Ailana Defries was selected for her proposal "Echoes of Belonging," which includes four interpretive panels addressing Lake Oswego's history as a sundown town, redlining, Indigenous presence, and diverse communities, plus sidewalk stamps with quotes from Black feminist authors. The panels will be painted in community paint-by-number events.
• Next steps: Contracting with the artist, finalizing site placement (panels may be revised to two two-sided panels to fit constraints), materials, and community engagement. ADA accessibility and QR codes with multilingual descriptions are planned.
• Council discussion focused on placement, durability, maintenance (handled by ACLO), and the need to tell the full history of redlining impacting multiple groups. Councilor Booth emphasized uniting the community through art. Motion to approve the selection passed 7-0.

Public Hearings: Annexations

• Ordinance 2969 (2110 Birds Hill Road): Annexation for a single-family dwelling with a failing septic system. No testimony. Passed 7-0.
• Ordinance 2970 (13092 Amber Place): Annexation for future development requiring sewer extension. No testimony. Passed 7-0.

Study Session: Solid Waste & Recycling Rates

• Sustainability Manager Amanda Watson and consultant Lindsay Waldrum presented the annual rate review for Republic Services. Rates are based on a target return of 8–12% (target 10%). The adjusted return was 13.9% in 2024. After applying known cost adjustments (driver wages up 3.9%, Metro disposal up 5.5%, fuel up 61.6% due to expired CNG tax credit), the projected return is 13.65%. No rate adjustment is recommended through December 2026.
• Proposed rate schedule updates:
  1. Restructure bulky waste fees into small/medium/large/extra-large categories (matching Washington County) to simplify customer understanding.
  2. Pause recycling contamination fees for one year to align with Clackamas County’s upcoming contamination reduction plan. Republic Services opposed the pause, citing optics and fairness concerns. Council consensus supported pausing both residential and commercial contamination fees for one year.
  3. Restrict the extra yardage fee to garbage containers only (currently also applied to recycling; that practice is not standard in the region). Council supported this.
  4. Remove duplicative reinstatement fee, add late payment fee (45+ days) and standard lock fee to the rate sheet.
• Councilor Wineland expressed concern over escalating Metro disposal rates (compounding increases) and suggested a regional mayoral letter. Staff will provide additional context on Metro fee components (regional system fee, tip fee, excise tax).
• Republic Services representatives confirmed the proposed changes are acceptable.

Study Session: Home Occupation Standards

• Associate Planner Michael McNamy presented proposed updates to home occupation codes, replacing a subjective standard with objective criteria. There are approximately 570 home occupations in Lake Oswego.
• Outdoor Activity: Two options: (1) Allow small outdoor instructional classes (max 8 participants, 2 sessions/day, 6/week, 9am–7pm, no major events); (2) Prohibit all outdoor activity (current policy). Council leaned toward Option 1 but with further limits (e.g., adding Sunday restrictions, emphasizing noise and parking impacts). Staff will bring modifications to the public hearing in November (Planning Commission) and January 2026 (City Council). Councilor Rafikin and Councilor Afghan argued against over-regulation since complaints are few, but staff noted that subjective standards are difficult to enforce equitably.
• Urban Agriculture and Farm Stands: A new “urban agriculture” use category was proposed for uses like the existing home winery, with limits (20,000 sq ft or 35% of lot, hours 7am–8pm, max 30 customers, 70 sales days/year). Council directed staff to remove farm stands from the proposal and consider making urban agriculture a conditional use to address parking and noise concerns. The existing winery would become non-conforming if the code changes without a conditional use option.
• Staff will revise the draft based on council guidance.

Council Comments and Regional Issues

• Councilor Wineland reported the Wine Walk was a success with over 800 tickets sold (sold out) and 75 volunteers, bringing nearly 900 people to downtown. Combined with the Saturday Market, it was a high-traffic day.
• Mayor Buck and councilors discussed joining a bipartisan coalition of regional mayors in support of Mayor Wilson of Portland, opposing the use of the military in domestic policing. Councilors expressed support for local control and reliance on local police. Councilor Wineland cautioned that Oregon is being used as a political pawn nationally.
• Mayor Buck noted the upcoming emergency naked bike ride and made a humorous remark.

Key Outcomes

• Approved selection of artist Sahara Ailana Defries for the public art project at the library (7-0).
• Approved consent agenda items, including two annexations and advisory board appointments.
• Directed staff to pause recycling contamination fees for one year, restrict extra yardage fees to garbage, and adopt simplified bulky waste rates.
• Directed staff to proceed with home occupation code revisions favoring limited outdoor activity (Option 1 with modifications) and to remove farm stands from the proposal; consider conditional use for urban agriculture.
• Affirmed the mayor’s participation in regional mayoral solidarity regarding local control and opposition to military domestic policing.

Next Steps

• Staff will bring the public art project contract to a future meeting.
• Solid waste rate schedule amendments will be formalized.
• Home occupation code amendments will go to Planning Commission in November 2025 and City Council in January 2026.