OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lake Oswego City Council Meeting: Wastewater Treatment Plant Update and Tree Retention Fee Direction – September 1, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 1, 2026
BodyLake Oswego, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:40:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:35

All right, good afternoon, everyone.

0:37

Uh today is Tuesday, September 1st, 2026.

0:42

Welcome to the month.

0:43

And this meeting of the city council is now called to order.

0:46

Ms.

0:46

Hawkins, please call the roll.

0:48

Mayor Buck.

0:49

Here.

0:49

Councilor Winlan.

0:51

Here.

0:51

Councilor Verdick is remote.

0:53

Counselors Corrigan.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Edmunds Manns.

0:56

Here, Afkin.

0:57

Here.

0:58

And Maboob.

0:59

Thank you.

0:59

Now everyone, will you please stand, remove your hats and join us in the pledge.

1:25

September is National Preparedness Month, which is an opportunity to remind the community that emergencies can happen without warning, and that preparing in advance helps protect our families, neighbors, and community.

1:38

We invite you all to join us for the city's annual emergency preparedness fair on Thursday, September 24th, where you can learn how to make or update an emergency plan, prepare supplies, sign up for alerts, and learn how to support one another when emergencies occur.

1:56

More details can be found on the city website.

2:02

And September is also the time that we recognize both National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month, which gives us an opportunity to recognize the importance of compassion, connection, and support for those who may be struggling.

2:16

We encourage the community to reduce stigma to reach out without judgment and to help connect people with resources and support that they need because no one should face a difficult time alone.

2:27

And those are both very important topics, often that exist, of course, behind the scenes, but that impact probably nearly every uh household in the community.

2:34

You will find these community these proclamations as well as all other uh city council proclamations on our website.

2:43

And now is the time we have set aside on the agenda for public comment.

2:47

We haven't had anyone sign up, but I just want to ask if there's anyone here who would like to give any public comment.

2:53

Okay.

2:53

No.

2:54

No, no one online.

2:55

Okay.

2:56

Then we are going to move on to the consent agenda.

3:00

On the consent agenda, we have four items.

3:03

We have ordinances two nine seven four and two nine seven eight that adopts our findings for the trade regulations.

3:10

We have resolution 2645, which is a grant for body worn cameras, the police department, and resolution 26-47, which is our city manager employment agreement.

3:24

Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda?

3:26

Move to adopt the consent agenda.

3:29

Second.

3:35

Any opposed?

3:36

All right, motion passes 7-0.

3:39

Okay, now moving on to council business.

3:42

We uh I invite the director of special project, Stefan Bradis, to come forward.

3:46

We are going to receive an update on the wastewater treatment plant facility.

4:09

Mayor, counselors, thank you for having me.

4:12

Uh today, I'm here to give an update on the wastewater treatment plan, and specifically, we're going to talk about the cost proposal we recently received from Jacobs.

4:24

So joined with me here tonight is Kyle Rohr and Michelle Green, and I will let them introduce themselves.

4:30

Kyle.

4:30

Hi, I'm Kyle Rohr with Corolla Engineers.

4:33

I'm an owner's advisor to the city of uh Lake Oswego for this project for quite a long time.

4:39

I'm um Corolla Engineers National Director of Program Management and Owners Advisory Services.

4:45

Nice to see you guys.

4:47

And good evening, Michelle Green with Jacobs.

4:50

Um, I am Jacob's proposed design, build, operate, maintain project managers.

4:55

Nice to see you all again.

4:57

Hey, thank you both.

5:00

And for this evening on our agenda, a number of topics that I want to discuss.

5:04

And so running through these, uh, I want to start with uh talking about goals and objectives.

5:09

And so uh, and not just project specific goals, but I want to start with uh citywide goals and then link those to what we're trying to achieve with the project itself.

5:19

I want to give a little bit of a moment to talk about the schedule and what we've uh been up to over the last few years to get to where we are today.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████████████37%
Tree Management█████████████████████████████████33%
Public Engagement████████8%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Affordable Housing███3%
Housing and Development██2%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Lake Oswego City Council Meeting – September 1, 2026

The Lake Oswego City Council met on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included adoption of a consent agenda, an update on the wastewater treatment plant project with a cost proposal and rate increase options, and a study session on establishing a per-inch fee for tree retention deficits under the new clear and objective track. Council also heard proclamations for National Preparedness Month, Recovery Month, and Suicide Prevention Month.

Consent Calendar

  • The council unanimously (7-0) adopted the consent agenda, which included:
    • Ordinances 2974 and 2978 adopting findings for trade regulations.
    • Resolution 2645 for a grant for body-worn cameras for the police department.
    • Resolution 26-47 approving the city manager employment agreement.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public signed up to speak, and none were present.

Discussion Items

  • Wastewater Treatment Plant Update

    • Director of Special Projects Stefan Bradis, along with Kyle Rohr (Corolla Engineers) and Michelle Green (Jacobs), presented an update on the proposed design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) project for a new wastewater treatment plant to replace the aging Tryon Creek facility (nearly 70 years old).
    • The fixed price to design and construct the facility is approximately $370 million, with a year one operating and maintenance cost of $6.5 million (including major repair/replacement, biosolids hauling, and an energy guarantee). The O&M fee will be indexed annually over a 10-year term.
    • The project is a partnership with the City of Portland, which will cover roughly 30% of costs based on flow contributions.
    • Council discussed two rate increase options to fund the project:
      • Option 1: A 28% sewer rate increase in July 2027, returning to 3.9% annual increases thereafter.
      • Option 2: An 8% annual increase for 10 years, then dropping to 3.9%.
    • Staff indicated a preference for Option 1 as more sustainable long-term, though Councilor Mans raised concerns about impacts on fixed-income residents. The city has utility assistance programs (about 50 residents enrolled) that cut bills in half for qualifying households.
    • Councilors asked about odor control, seismic resiliency, and contract flexibility. Staff confirmed robust odor control measures (with financial penalties) and that the plant is designed to meet hospital-level seismic standards.
    • Next steps: Two virtual public information sessions on September 16 and October 1, followed by a special council session on October 13 to seek contract authorization and rate adoption.

  • Study Session: Tree Retention Deficit Fee

    • Community Development Director Jessica Numanalu presented three options for a per-inch fee when new housing development cannot meet the 45% tree retention requirement under the new clear and objective track (effective October 1, 2026).
    • Options: Low ($100/inch), Moderate ($250/inch), High ($400/inch). Staff did not recommend the low option as it would encourage pay-to-cut behavior.
    • Council debated the appropriate fee level. Councilor Corrigan advocated for $400/inch with no sliding scale, while Councilors Manns and Winland supported a sliding scale (e.g., $300/inch for deficits of 6 inches or less, $400/inch above). Councilor Boop favored $400/inch to strongly deter removal.
    • The mayor sought compromise but the council did not reach a final consensus; however, staff was directed to bring back a resolution with a fee of $400 per inch (the high option) and to include an exemption for affordable housing developments (consistent with existing fee waiver policy for projects at 80% AMI or below).
    • Council also discussed that the fee is in addition to on-site mitigation tree planting requirements.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda adopted 7-0.
  • Wastewater treatment plant: Council directed staff to proceed with public outreach and return on October 13 for contract authorization and rate adoption. Council expressed general support for Option 1 (28% one-time increase) as more sustainable.
  • Tree retention fee: Staff directed to prepare a resolution establishing a fee of $400 per inch for tree retention deficits under the clear and objective track, with an exemption for affordable housing. The resolution will be placed on the consent agenda at the next council meeting.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good afternoon, everyone. Uh today is Tuesday, September 1st, 2026. Welcome to the month. And this meeting of the city council is now called to order. Ms. Hawkins, please call the roll. Mayor Buck. Here. Councilor Winlan. Here. Councilor Verdick is remote. Counselors Corrigan. Here. Edmunds Manns. Here, Afkin. Here. And Maboob. Thank you. Now everyone, will you please stand, remove your hats and join us in the pledge. September is National Preparedness Month, which is an opportunity to remind the community that emergencies can happen without warning, and that preparing in advance helps protect our families, neighbors, and community. We invite you all to join us for the city's annual emergency preparedness fair on Thursday, September 24th, where you can learn how to make or update an emergency plan, prepare supplies, sign up for alerts, and learn how to support one another when emergencies occur. More details can be found on the city website. And September is also the time that we recognize both National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month, which gives us an opportunity to recognize the importance of compassion, connection, and support for those who may be struggling. We encourage the community to reduce stigma to reach out without judgment and to help connect people with resources and support that they need because no one should face a difficult time alone. And those are both very important topics, often that exist, of course, behind the scenes, but that impact probably nearly every uh household in the community. You will find these community these proclamations as well as all other uh city council proclamations on our website. And now is the time we have set aside on the agenda for public comment. We haven't had anyone sign up, but I just want to ask if there's anyone here who would like to give any public comment. Okay. No. No, no one online. Okay. Then we are going to move on to the consent agenda. On the consent agenda, we have four items. We have ordinances two nine seven four and two nine seven eight that adopts our findings for the trade regulations. We have resolution 2645, which is a grant for body worn cameras, the police department, and resolution 26-47, which is our city manager employment agreement. Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda? Move to adopt the consent agenda. Second. Any opposed? All right, motion passes 7-0. Okay, now moving on to council business. We uh I invite the director of special project, Stefan Bradis, to come forward. We are going to receive an update on the wastewater treatment plant facility. Mayor, counselors, thank you for having me. Uh today, I'm here to give an update on the wastewater treatment plan, and specifically, we're going to talk about the cost proposal we recently received from Jacobs. So joined with me here tonight is Kyle Rohr and Michelle Green, and I will let them introduce themselves. Kyle. Hi, I'm Kyle Rohr with Corolla Engineers. I'm an owner's advisor to the city of uh Lake Oswego for this project for quite a long time.

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