All right, good afternoon, everyone.

Uh today is Friday, February 6th, 2026.

This is a special meeting of the Lake Osego City Council, and we are now called to order.

Ms.

Hawkins, will you please call the roll?

Yes, Mayor Buck.

Here.

Counselor Burdick.

Here.

Counselors Corrigan, RAF, and Afkin are excused.

Councillor Maboo.

Yeah.

Councilor Wenlin.

Here.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

We are here today to uh consider resolution 26-10.

This authorizes the mayor to sign a separation agreement and general release with the city manager.

Is there a motion to adopt resolution 26-10?

Move to adopt resolution 26-10.

Second.

Okay.

Motion has been made by Councillor Verdick, seconded by Councillor Winland.

Now for uh discussion.

Uh before we vote, just want to uh comment that over these past years, all of us, um, the team at the city and the community at large has gotten to know uh Martha Bennett, our uh city manager, not only uh as the manager of the city, but also as a neighbor.

And while she's stepping away from the city manager role, she remains a neighbor and a part of our community.

And we're always going to respect the personal reasons behind workplace uh departures, even when they are made in uh a public way, such as um this one, just due to the nature of the position.

So uh I ask our community uh to kind of refrain from the typical speculation instead to hear these words.

Our city has always been under strong, steady, and forthright management.

During her tenure, Martha accomplished a great deal of important work that has impacted the day-to-day lives of everyone in Lake Oswego.

She's navigated tremendously complicated projects and has been a champion of the team working in all the various departments here within the city.

She leaves us only with our immense gratitude for the impact she's had on the Lake Osego community and the city organization.

All of us have something we have learned from her vast experience.

I also have tremendous faith in the capabilities of the city's executive team and in the leadership provided by the city council.

Our city is not only in good hands, but in the care of some of the most experienced, professional, and technically proficient folks in their fields.

The folks who work underneath them are also highly dedicated professionals who work mostly behind the scenes every day to make Lake Oswego the uh type of community we all love to live in, to work in, to visit, to keep the water flowing in and the sewer flowing out.

Um, with any transition comes opportunity.

Uh, my colleagues and I on the city council ask the community to join us in looking forward with anticipation to the many ways in which we're continuing to build a resilient, welcoming, safe, and thriving city.

Um, but our leadership team here at the city runs pretty lean and mean.

And the recruitment of a city manager is a process that uh uh requires engagement with a variety of stakeholders and a robust talent recruitment effort.

Uh, it is nothing that we want to rush.

In the meantime, the city council wants to ensure that the current executive leaders are not left shouldering more than can reasonably be expected.

The city council will be appointing Megan Phelan, our assistant city manager as city manager pro tem for a short period to commence once Martha departs later in February.

Megan is accustomed to this role and not only fills in uh when the city manager is away on vacation, but has served in the interim capacity before during the last city manager transition in 2019.

This will allow uh me as mayor to engage with the council on appointing a city manager pro tem who will then take over for Megan and serve on an interim basis while we conduct the broader city manager recruitment process.

I want to thank uh Megan as well as Madison Thesing, the deputy city manager, for rising to the occasion in this moment.

These city leaders have uh incredibly full plates, and the city council will ensure that they and the rest of the team have the leadership needed to continue doing uh their work uh uh successfully operating the city, uh supporting the heads of our departments and their teams, and advancing forward the work of the city council.

So thank you to all of the staff within the city for the work that you all do daily to create the type of community people just don't um live in, but that they love.

So thank you to all um of the staff within the city for the work that you all do daily to create the type of community people just don't um live in, but that they love uh our community and the city work because of trusting relationships and the fact that we can count on one another.

So I ask that we uh continue that trust here, and everyone rest assured we are moving forward on solid ground and with incredible people.

So thank you.

Colleagues, I'm concur with all the comments, and I just want to uh from my assurance level, we've got a great team in place.

Um we have in this city for a very long time.

Uh and uh we're all good planners and good um uh administrative minds, and uh uh this is just a transition that we're going through as a city, and we've done it before, and we'll do it again.

And um uh I look forward to the the next steps.

And I just want to thank Megan for stepping forward again and again and again and again.

Um, and she's been uh a true um uh blessing to this city and uh in all kinds of ways, but she can handle this role and Erica is on board and is taking care of everything that we have from a legal team.

Um, and so um, you know, charter officer officers, we have a judge uh in place, the court system's working great.

Um so from uh the city council's perspective, uh our great city staff is going to continue doing exactly what they've been doing, and uh I'm looking forward to the transitional process of uh figuring out our next steps.

Um yes, same thing.

I I thank Martha for her great work in the city and you know wish her the best, you know.

The next adventure and thank Megan for taking over.

Um we are in good hands.

I know Megan.

I have known Megan for a long time.

I know she'll rise to the occasion and will do very well.

I also want to say things that I have heard also about city and attorney or stuff like that.

I think Erica is there.

I think we have the best legal team we could have right now for a city.

So that also, you know, Lake Oswego will never be a city that will slack no matter what.

Government is government, it continues, you know.

We we we are all we are not imir, but we'll go away soon.

And as a folks will be here, the city will continue to rise.

And you know, thank you for everyone and my colleagues.

Thank you.

Okay, all right.

Um, let's take a take a vote.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

Motion passes 4-0.

And with that, we are adjourned.

Thank you, everyone.