Tigard City Council Meeting – February 3, 2026
Tigard City Council Meeting – February 3, 2026
The Tigard City Council met on February 3, 2026, to discuss public comments on immigration enforcement, receive updates from Washington County on budget and housing services, hear from Clean Water Services, and adopt amendments to council ground rules.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Caleb Johnson (Tigard resident of 27 years) expressed strong concern about the presence of ICE in Tigard, describing violent detentions, fear in the community, and children living in anxiety. He urged the council to codify sanctuary city status, hold bilingual town hall meetings, provide resources to immigrant families, and ensure Tigard police help when ICE violates constitutional rights.
- Kyle (Maplewood Drive) spoke by phone, acknowledging the compassionate motivations behind opposing ICE but warning of unintended consequences: non-cooperation may force ICE into riskier field operations, endanger everyone, and lead to federal funding being withheld. He noted that less than 10% of ICE arrests involve serious crimes like murder or assault. He questioned the city's plan for funding shortfalls, whether they would encourage local law enforcement to partner with federal authorities, propose more taxes, or cut projects.
City Manager Report
- Acting City Manager Trish announced the temporary closure of the Tigard Public Library due to an HVAC construction project. Express library services begin February 6, 2026, every Friday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Tigard City Hall. Phone service is available daily at 503-684-6537. The library is expected to reopen in May.
Discussion Items
- Washington County Commissioner Jason Snyder reported a $5 million general fund shortfall for the county, down from $20 million last year, largely due to one-time increases in assessed value from SIP agreement roll-offs and data centers. He noted that the county is considering a vehicle registration fee increase and that the recently approved library and public safety levies will maintain services for five years. Council President Wolf raised concerns about the high volume of houselessness-related calls for service (127 calls, 169 contacts, 159 individuals contacted in January alone) and a stabbing incident. Commissioner Snyder confirmed the county declared a state of emergency regarding food insecurity and immigrant/refugee issues, spending $450,000 from reserves. He also emphasized that county law enforcement chiefs have worked to help the community identify local versus federal officers.
- Washington County Housing Department Presentation (Molly Rogers, Executive Director, and Jill Chen, Assistant Director): They presented the FY 2024-25 annual report, noting they served more than 20,000 persons across all programs. Highlights included: 80% of outreach contacts found shelter, housing, or reunification; 400+ shelter beds maintained; 700 individuals transitioned from shelter to permanent housing; 5,300 households served with rental assistance (including 780 in Tigard); 97% of those housed remained stably housed. They also highlighted affordable housing projects funded by Metro bonds, with 172 units at Woodspring undergoing renovation. Council questions focused on average rents (two-bedroom at 60% AMI, about $1,920 vs. market $2,000+), low vacancy rates (~5% or less), and the location of the Good Neighbor Center on their map (not all shelters are SHS-funded).
- Clean Water Services (CWS) Update (Joe Gall, Chief Utility Relations Officer): He provided an overview of CWS's role, budget (~$800 million), and the integrated watershed permit. CWS is planning $2 billion in investments over 20 years, including $15 million for the Metzger Fannel Interceptor and $2 million for Fennel Creek Enhancement in Tigard. CWS is also conducting a feasibility study on billing systems (currently handled by cities) and updating the operating IGA with Tigard, with a target for council action in summer 2026. Councilor Schlack urged CWS to avoid rate increases given public perception of overspending; Gall responded that the utility uses reserves to smooth rates and avoids sudden spikes. Councilor Gaducey asked about the shift of the self-insurance company from Hawaii to Arizona, which Gall confirmed.
- Ground Rules Discussion: City Attorney Rihala presented an amendment to clarify that council questions on policy matters should go to the department head or city manager, not line staff. The amendment was proposed after a single piece of feedback. After brief discussion, the council moved to adopt.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 26-05 amending the Tigard City Council Ground Rules for 2025-2026 was adopted unanimously by the council present (7 ayes, 0 nays).
- The city manager's report on library closure and express services was acknowledged with no further questions.
- The council received updates from county partners and Clean Water Services; no formal action was taken.
- The meeting adjourned at the conclusion of business.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening, everyone. I will call this uh Tiger City Council meeting to order. Uh Deputy City Recorder Bartholomew, would you please conduct a roll call? Councillor Shaw. Absent. Council President Wolf? Here. Councillor Anderson. Here. Councillor Gaducey. Present. Use Councillor Halleck? Here. Mayor who? Here. Councillor Robbins? Hair. Councilor Schlag. Here. Will everybody uh stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? Uh City Council and Staff, do you have any non-agenda item? None from us, Mayor. And seeing none from the council, let's move on to the next item on our agenda, which is public common. Public common period provides an opportunity for members of the public to address the city council. While it is not a dialogue, either I or the staff will follow up to address the issues brought forward in these comments. The calling number um tonight is 503-966-4101. And those wishing to comment shall call now to get into the queue. Anyone present wanting to comment should sign up on the public comment form at the back or at the front of the room. First one is written common. So let's move on to the in-person um uh public comments. Uh so uh those sign up. Uh I was ask those who sign up um to speak. Uh, when your name is called, please come forward. Um turn on the microphone and please state your name and where you live, what city you live, and then you have two minutes. So tonight we have one person who sign up is Caleb Johnson. Uh please come forward. Good evening. Uh please turn on the mic first. Good. My name is Caleb Johnson. I've been a proud Tiger resident for 27 years, aka my whole life, and I'm here to express my concern about the presence of immigration and customs enforcement, better known as ICE in Tiger. I've never considered myself a very political person, but when I saw what was happening in our country, I couldn't sit back and ignore it. People are being violently detained because of their race or their accent, snatched off the streets by masked men in unmarked vehicles, torn away from their families, denied of constitutional rights, and shipped off to internment camps where they are best neglected and at worst abused and tortured. People protesting this are being maced, tear gassed, and even shot dead in the streets. And although it may seem like our hometown of Tigert is removed from all these atrocities, we can't be complacent because we have lost community members to ICE, which is operating out of a home base on McAdam, just 20 minutes from here. And I've personally heard from employees of the Safeway, just five minutes down the road, that on multiple recent occasions there were ICE agents sitting in the parking lot wearing masks and ballistic vests. ICE is here. And because of that, we have community members living in fear every day, afraid to go to the grocery store or to go to work, afraid to walk their kids to the bus stop, afraid to take their sick babies to the hospital. And we have children, children living with anxiety that no child should ever have to feel. Kids who think they don't belong here because of the color of their skin or the way their voice sounds, kids who are terrified that they'll lose their parents or be taken themselves.
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