Lake Oswego City Council Meeting - October 21, 2025

The Lake Oswego City Council met on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at approximately 2:00 PM (afternoon session). The meeting included a consent agenda, a quarterly council goals update, a public hearing on a special procurement, consideration of community grants, and council updates. The meeting concluded with an executive session. All votes were unanimous (6-0) with one councilor excused.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the consent agenda (6-0) including: meeting minutes from June 17, July 1, July 15, and August 5, 2025; Resolution 2541 (amending a cooperative agreement with the State of Oregon); Resolution 2543 (authorizing an IGA for the municipal judge); and authorization to purchase a vector excavator truck.

Discussion Items

Quarterly Council Goals Update (City Manager Bennett)

• City Manager Bennett presented the third quarter 2025 progress report on council goals. Key accomplishments included:
  • Launch of the Foothills District Plan; the Citizen Advisory Committee held its first meeting.
  • Revision of the DDA for North Anchor properties and sale of the East property to UDP, with UDP prioritizing a hotel development.
  • A community survey on gas-powered landscaping equipment received over 400 responses; results expected in early December.
  • The tree task force made progress, and a new urban forester was hired to address Emerald Ash Borer.
  • An agreement with the EPA for Wi-Fi at the wastewater plant was signed.
  • South Shore Fire Station update was deferred as not yet ready for council decision.
  • Implementation of the 20th/20 plan began.
  • Grants were obtained for housing work and a code audit.
• Discussion on the wastewater treatment plant: Jacobs Engineering is redesigning the plant using a different technology than previously proposed, but on the same footprint and meeting the same outcome-based objectives (DEQ, energy, odor, water quality). Timeline for design and construction updates expected in early 2026.
• Discussion on the North Anchor project: The DDA requires construction to begin by July 8, 2026, or further conversations will occur.
• Library update: Staff agreed to present on library services and long-term strategy to council, possibly in December or January.
• Housing Production Strategy update: Approximately 10% of the strategy has been completed. Key upcoming items include an affirmatively furthering fair housing policy (scheduled for November 4), a low-income rental tax exemption (nonprofit version already approved), a code audit (Metro grant recommended for approval, Metro Council vote delayed to mid-November), and rezoning of non-residentially zoned properties (expected to start early 2026). The goal is to complete the code audit by end of 2027.

Consideration of Resolution 25-48: Community Grants

• Deputy City Manager Madison Thesing presented the restructured community grant program, consolidating previous grant streams into social services ($30,000) and council goals ($75,000) buckets. A subcommittee (Councilors Corgan and Afkin, plus budget committee members) scored 13 social service and 19 council goal applications using a six-category rubric.
• The subcommittee recommended funding three social service organizations ($20,986 total) and several council goal grants ($61,731 total), with $9,014 and $13,268.30 reserved for spring 2026, respectively.
• Discussion focused on whether to fund improvements on private property (e.g., HOA grounds) and duplication of city efforts. The council agreed to generally exclude private property improvements but with flexibility for edge cases. Concerns were raised about a $15,000 grant to Lake Oswego Sustainability Network (LOSN) for a mailer that could duplicate city messaging and about a $768 grant to Palisades Neighborhood Association for promotion. Councilor Wendland proposed reducing the LOSN grant to $7,500 and adding two unfunded projects: Friends of Springbrook Park ($4,325) and Lakewood Center for the Arts ($5,000).
• The council approved the amendment (6-0) and then adopted the amended resolution (6-0).

Public Hearing and Approval of Resolution 25-47: Special Procurement for McEwen Road Sidewalk Project

• The council held a public hearing on Resolution 25-47 to authorize a special procurement (sole source) with KPFF Consulting Engineers for completing the McEwen Road Sidewalk project, originally designed by KPFF for the school district. Staff argued that a competitive process would delay the project by up to two months and increase costs due to a new firm needing to verify existing work. The project includes stormwater management planters. Next steps: final design by early 2026, bidding in spring 2026, construction completion by August 2026. No public testimony was offered. The council approved the resolution (6-0).

Council Updates

• Councilor Bruce reported on the successful opening of the new playground at Risk Park, noting high attendance.
• Councilor Wendland attended the Lake Oswego Tigard Water Partnership meeting; costs are stable, and production is good.
• Councilor Verdick provided regional updates from Metro: a regional housing coordination strategy is being adopted, with a focus on accelerating housing production. Metro is also studying extreme heat (cooling corridors) and supportive housing services. TriMet is adjusting routes due to budget shortfalls and changing ridership patterns.
• City Manager Bennett announced she will attend the International City County Managers Association conference in Tampa, Florida, from October 24-29, with Megan as acting city manager.

Key Outcomes

• Approved consent agenda (6-0).
• Approved Resolution 25-47 (special procurement for McEwen Road Sidewalk) (6-0).
• Approved Resolution 25-48 as amended (community grants) (6-0).
• The meeting recessed into executive session for real property negotiations and legal consultation.

Executive Session

• The council met in executive session to discuss real property transactions and legal matters. No decisions were made in executive session.