OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tigard City Council Respectful Workplace Training – April 14, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, April 14, 2026
BodyTigard, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:56:52

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

So good evening, everyone.

0:08

I'll call this Tiger City Council to order.

0:14

City Recorder Craig, would you please come back with roll call?

0:16

I will pass the microphone.

0:20

Youth Councillor Helleck.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Mayor who?

0:24

Here.

0:25

Counselor Robbins.

0:29

Counselor Schlack.

0:33

Here.

0:34

Counselor Shaw.

0:36

Here.

0:36

Council President Wolf.

0:40

Here.

0:41

Councillor Anderson.

0:45

Here.

0:46

Counselor Gaducey.

0:49

All right.

0:50

Thank you.

0:50

And do we have a question?

0:53

Yeah, would you please stand and do the pledge of allegiance?

1:04

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:07

One nation under our liberty and justice for all.

1:14

All right.

1:15

So there's only one item on our agenda, which is respectful workplace training.

1:21

And HR Director Gomez will make the introduction.

1:25

Thank you, Mayor.

1:27

Good evening, and welcome tonight's session for respectful workplace training.

1:30

As directed to staff back in October of 2025, staff was asked to provide training on respectful workplace, and I'm very happy to introduce Deborah Jeffries from HR Answers.

1:55

So thank you to all of you.

2:01

Good evening.

2:04

Now I'm hoping that I don't have to actually hold the microphone and that this will pick me up.

2:10

And so let me know whether or not that's true or not true.

2:16

I I do better with not holding too many things in my hands at once.

2:20

This is when I really do want to be the proverbial octopus and have an extra hand set of hands.

2:25

Anyone?

2:26

Yes, you'd like to.

2:28

Okay, maybe it's just me.

2:30

Um so thank you, Laura.

2:31

I appreciate the introduction and thanks for the opportunity to be here.

2:34

Uh my name is Deborah Jeffries, and I do hail from a company called HR Answers, which is housed right here in Tiger.

2:41

And we've been here for 10 years now, and uh we're a 41-year-old firm, and I've been with the firm for over 30 of those years.

2:48

And we have bopped around from Portland to Twalleton and now most recently here in Tiger.

2:53

And I actually live down in Salem, so I get an opportunity to spend time in a variety of cities and actually work with, and this is one of the number one topics that uh between that and supervision that I spend a great deal of time delivering and sharing and answering questions on.

3:08

So I want to make sure that just to kind of set the stage a little bit, that I've obviously put together some materials for you.

3:15

And um Laura does have those, uh, HR has those if you want a formal copy or uh an electronic copy to take with you and to have and to hold from this day forward, then by all means.

3:27

Um but also I want to encourage you to ask any questions for clarification, or you do have some things that you want to um apply directly to, or if we want to verify from a stance of the city, please feel free.

3:43

I have no qualms about answering questions or providing clarification in the information that I have.

3:48

This really is for all of us here from a leadership standpoint.

3:53

Now, with that said, um I thought I would also set the stage because this is what I shared with all staff when I was providing.

4:00

And um, Mayor, you may remember making this statement, because I actually have that here in my notes, that it's an honor of a lifetime to serve as mayor of the Tiger.

4:10

Um, and that um you proudly call the beautiful city your home for more than 20 years, and deeply grateful for the trust that the community has placed in you, and that Tiger isn't defined by one person, it's all of us working together.

4:24

And that's something that I think about from a leadership standpoint that this is not only a topic of a focus for an organization, but it takes everybody, and as a leadership team and those that are here tonight to support all of this, it is a top-down kind of topic and interaction from a day-to-day standpoint and how we all show up each and every day.

4:45

So I really I appreciated that statement.

4:49

Um, and not being just one person, that it's all of us.

4:53

To build a city where everybody feels welcomed, and I think that that's important.

5:00

And depending on where you're going or who you're encountering within the city, that that's happening at every single level.

5:05

And that you're committed to restoring stability, strengthening trust, and making sure local government reflects the teamwork and respects that the residents deserve.

5:14

And that's each and every employee, too.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Workplace Culture██████████████████18%
Workplace Harassment█████████████████17%
Community Engagement████████████████16%
Workforce Development███████████████15%
Personnel Matters██████████10%
Racial Equity██████████10%
Procedural████4%
Miscellaneous████4%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Tigard City Council Respectful Workplace Training – April 14, 2026

The Tigard City Council met on April 14, 2026, for a single agenda item: a respectful workplace training session. The training was introduced by HR Director Laura Gomez and led by Deborah Jeffries from HR Answers. The session aimed to set expectations for respectful conduct, reinforce the city's commitment to a positive workplace culture, and provide guidance on legal definitions and reporting procedures.

Training Presentation

  • HR Director Gomez opened by noting that staff had requested the training in October 2025. Deborah Jeffries, a consultant with over 30 years of experience at HR Answers (a 41-year-old firm based in Tigard), delivered the training.
  • Jeffries emphasized the importance of modeling respect from leadership, stating that "leadership is not what you intend; it is what other people experience." She referenced a memo from the mayor reiterating that council sets policy and direction, while staff executes operations, and that council members should not direct staff directly.
  • The trainer reviewed definitions of respect, professionalism, and a respectful workplace, and elicited one-word definitions from council members. She introduced the "platinum rule" (treat others as they would like to be treated) as an extension of the golden rule.
  • Jeffries discussed potential outcomes of disrespectful behavior, such as bullying, turnover, loss of joy at work, and safety issues. She covered discrimination, protected classes under Oregon law (including veteran status, race, gender, etc.), and microaggressions.
  • The trainer distinguished between bullying, discrimination, and harassment, explaining that over 90% of workplace challenges do not meet the legal definition of harassment but are still inappropriate and require corrective action. She defined hostile work environment and quid pro quo harassment, noting that harassment must involve a protected class.
  • Jeffries presented a spectrum of behaviors—from visual to physical—and answered questions about magazines under visual, and why force-related acts are considered criminal rather than mere harassment.
  • She stressed the importance of timely reporting (within 24–48 hours) and documentation to mitigate risk and liability. She reminded council members that retaliation is prohibited and that employees often prefer to quit rather than report issues, underscoring the need for a safe reporting environment.
  • The training concluded with Councilor Anderson expressing gratitude, and Councilor Robbins noting they learned new legal definitions. No votes or formal decisions were taken.

Key Outcomes

  • No decisions or votes were recorded. The training served as an educational session for council members.
  • The city council completed the respectful workplace training, fulfilling a staff request from October 2025.

Meeting Transcript

So good evening, everyone. I'll call this Tiger City Council to order. City Recorder Craig, would you please come back with roll call? I will pass the microphone. Youth Councillor Helleck. Here. Mayor who? Here. Counselor Robbins. Counselor Schlack. Here. Counselor Shaw. Here. Council President Wolf. Here. Councillor Anderson. Here. Counselor Gaducey. All right. Thank you. And do we have a question? Yeah, would you please stand and do the pledge of allegiance? And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under our liberty and justice for all. All right. So there's only one item on our agenda, which is respectful workplace training. And HR Director Gomez will make the introduction. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, and welcome tonight's session for respectful workplace training. As directed to staff back in October of 2025, staff was asked to provide training on respectful workplace, and I'm very happy to introduce Deborah Jeffries from HR Answers. So thank you to all of you. Good evening. Now I'm hoping that I don't have to actually hold the microphone and that this will pick me up. And so let me know whether or not that's true or not true. I I do better with not holding too many things in my hands at once. This is when I really do want to be the proverbial octopus and have an extra hand set of hands. Anyone? Yes, you'd like to. Okay, maybe it's just me. Um so thank you, Laura. I appreciate the introduction and thanks for the opportunity to be here. Uh my name is Deborah Jeffries, and I do hail from a company called HR Answers, which is housed right here in Tiger. And we've been here for 10 years now, and uh we're a 41-year-old firm, and I've been with the firm for over 30 of those years. And we have bopped around from Portland to Twalleton and now most recently here in Tiger. And I actually live down in Salem, so I get an opportunity to spend time in a variety of cities and actually work with, and this is one of the number one topics that uh between that and supervision that I spend a great deal of time delivering and sharing and answering questions on. So I want to make sure that just to kind of set the stage a little bit, that I've obviously put together some materials for you. And um Laura does have those, uh, HR has those if you want a formal copy or uh an electronic copy to take with you and to have and to hold from this day forward, then by all means. Um but also I want to encourage you to ask any questions for clarification, or you do have some things that you want to um apply directly to, or if we want to verify from a stance of the city, please feel free. I have no qualms about answering questions or providing clarification in the information that I have. This really is for all of us here from a leadership standpoint.

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