Tigard City Council Meeting - September 1, 2026: River Terrace 2.0, SDCs, and Public Safety
Tigard City Council and Local Contract Review Board Meeting - September 1, 2026
The Tigard City Council convened at 7:00 PM on September 1, 2026, for a regular meeting that included public comments, a consent agenda, updates from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and County Commissioner, and a major policy discussion on the River Terrace 2.0 finance strategy and system development charges (SDCs). Council took direction on a tiered SDC rate structure and a flat-rate option for apartments. The meeting began with a roll call: Mayor Who, Councillors Robbins, Schlack, Shaw, Anderson, Gaducey, and Council President Wolf were present.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously: an updated intergovernmental agreement with Clean Water Services and a contract amendment for pavement management programs (slurry and crack seal services).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Bill Monohand: Questioned why the city’s housing preference survey is not prominently featured on the city’s homepage, noting the mayor’s monthly meetup (drawing about 10 people) occupies prime space. Urged the city to make the survey easier to find.
- Andrea Demico Campbell: Expressed support for River Terrace 2.0 but raised concerns about Vandermost Road’s dead-end status and Oregon Fire Code limiting access to roughly 30 homes (existing 7 residences leave room for 23 new homes). Noted a 2020 Washington County bridge estimate over $50 million. Recommended zoning at 1 home per acre along Vandermost to meet fire code and allow custom homes.
- Lily Stone: Supported River Terrace 2.0 housing goals but focused on the Vandermost Road pocket, constrained by a dead end, riparian habitat, farms, and a winery. Only three parcels fall in the plan boundary; one landowner stated they do not plan to sell. Asked if rezoning the pocket at 1 unit per acre would require adding density elsewhere to stay compliant with the plan-wide average.
- Yusuf Alezi: Reported that on August 29, 2026, three Tigard residents were abducted by ICE, and abductions are increasing in Tigard. Noted the Portland Immigration Rights Commission reports surging ICE operations. Cited a $6 million general fund deficit used to justify library cuts while funds were available for public safety. Asked the council to allocate funds to support families affected by ICE actions.
- Lisa Gates (River Terrace 1.0 resident and River Terrace 2.0 Community Advisory Committee member): Urged the council to ensure SDC reductions translate into lower housing prices for buyers/renters, not just developer profitability. Stated River Terrace is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” and asked for mechanisms to ensure savings lead to affordable units.
- Ron Leighton: Described difficulty obtaining a single permit for a middle housing unit since March 2026, citing high fees and duplicate reviews. Stated that such costs undermine affordability.
- Roger and Mary Pothoff: Presented photographic evidence of goats and sheep at 11650 SW Ann Street, alleging rabies transmission risk from manure piles (6 feet high) and constant noise. Stated the city removed livestock regulations, relying on nuisance code, which they argued has failed. Mary Pothoff noted 40 chickens, sheep, and goats create a cacophony. Urged the council to act.
- Jeff Lees (owner of property at 16245 SW Beef Bend Road, via video): Clarified he is a willing partner in River Terrace 2.0 but requested the city secure financial protections and fair compensation because the planned River Terrace Boulevard bisects his property.
Discussion Items
- City Manager Report: September is National Preparedness Month and Library Card Sign-Up Month. Over 3,400 people participated in the Tigard Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. The estimated annual value of a library card is $500. The city’s CERT program helps residents with emergency preparedness.
- Washington County Sheriff’s Office Update (Under Sheriff John Cook and Chief Deputy Errol McCray): Presented an annual update covering specialty teams (crisis negotiation team won first place at Western States Hostage Negotiation Association conference; tactical team celebrating 50 years; crash analysis reconstruction team includes Tigard; mental health response team; mobile field force). Technology: body cameras in jail, drones as first responder pilot, AI for report writing (decreases report time, improves accuracy). The jail is now fully open after COVID closures and facility refresh; a jail expansion project is planned over the next 25-30 years. Council President Wolf asked about safeguards against information sharing with federal agencies; Under Sheriff Cook responded that policies are transparent, internal safeguards prevent sharing outside local public safety, and oversight ensures accountability. Mayor Who raised concerns about AI bias. Discussion also addressed jail capacity information availability on the county website.
- Check-in with Commissioner Jason Snyder and Housing Services Director Molly Rogers: Presentation on Washington County’s homeless system of care funded by Supportive Housing Services (SHS) measure. Key points: Over 20,000 community members served in 2025; 13 homeless service facilities opened or underway; eviction prevention reduced chronic homelessness; unsheltered point-in-time count declined between 2021 and 2025; 3,000 households achieved housing stability in first five years of SHS. SHS fund balance is ~$95 million for capital; annual operations ~$94 million. SHS revenue forecast shows slight decreases in FY27-28 then increases in FY29-30. Approximately 80% of funds go to housing assistance. Tigard hosts the first access center (Just Compassion), one of three Project Turnkey hotel conversions, one of four year-round adult-only shelters, one of three city liaisons, and one of six outreach workers (shared with Sherwood and Tualatin). Commissioner Snyder noted the county tracks five-year rolling SHS forecast. Council discussed grievance processes, good neighbor agreements, and performance metrics for providers. Council President Wolf advocated for additional resources to Tigard given the disproportionate impact of shelter and access center operations on city services. Commissioner Snyder acknowledged the mayors’ consortium is making needs clear at the POC (Policy, Operations, and Communications) committee.
- River Terrace 2.0 Finance Strategy and SDC Update (Senior Planner Brittany Gata, with consultants Becky Hewitt of Echo Northwest and Deb Gillardi of Gillardi Rothstein Group): Presented a proposal to shift from current housing-type-based SDC rates to a tiered structure based on unit size citywide, with a redistributed policy discount to support smaller units and middle housing. Current rates are higher than Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Sherwood; SDCs make up 5% of development costs for large units but a larger share for smaller units. The tiered approach aims to lower fees for smaller units (starter homes, senior housing, cottages) in a budget-neutral manner. Council also discussed a flat-rate option for apartments to avoid disincentivizing family-sized units (over 1,200 sq. ft.), which are undersupplied in the region. Council provided policy direction: most members supported the tiered structure and flat-rate option in concept, with concerns raised by Councillors Shaw and Gaducey about potential disincentives for multi-generational housing (larger homes) and the need to ensure budget neutrality and measurable affordability outcomes. Mayor Who asked how the city will measure that savings translate to affordable housing prices; staff responded that SDC reductions alone do not guarantee lower prices and that other tools will be examined through the Tigard Housing Plan. Council also requested clarity on budget neutrality analysis assumptions and the ability to course-correct if development patterns shift. The next meeting on this topic was rescheduled from October 13 to November 17, 2026, to allow more time for consultant analysis.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda adopted unanimously.
- SDC Policy Direction: Council concurred with moving forward on a tiered SDC rate structure by unit size citywide and a redistributed policy discount (budget-neutral) to support smaller units and middle housing. Council also concurred with adding a flat-rate option for apartments to support family-sized units. Final direction on rates is scheduled for November 17, 2026.
- No other votes were taken. The meeting adjourned ahead of schedule with no executive session.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the Tiger City Council meeting. I will call the Tiger City Council and Local Contract Review Board meeting to order. Acting City Recorder Bartholomew, would you please conduct a roll call? Mayor Who? Here. Councillor Robbins. Here. Councillor Schlack. Here. Councillor Shaw. Here. Council President Wolf? Here. Councillor Anderson. Here. Councillor Gaducey. Present. Thank you. Would everyone please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? Council and staff, do you have any non-agenda items? All right, seeing none, let's move on to public comments. The public comment period provides an opportunity for members of the public to address the city council. While it is not a dialogue, either I or staff will follow up to address the issues brought forward in these comments. The calling number is 503 966 4101, and those wishing to comment should call now to get into the queue. Anyone present wanting to comment should sign up on the public comment form and the at the front of the room. First up is uh written commons. Uh we received three written public comments by Monday noon deadline. All three comments were about River Terrace 2.0. Let's move on to in-person common. Uh so when I call your name, uh please come forward and uh speak your name and uh make sure the microphone is on. And let me see. We have six, so uh we will have uh each person will have two minutes uh to provide their comments. Uh so first one will be Bill Monohand. Would you please come forward to uh present your comment? Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Do I make the green? Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor and Council. My question is how much does Tiger want to hear from the public? Why isn't the survey for Tiger's housing plan featured on the city's webpage? So the August 29th Valley Times had an article that reported the Tiger seeking public input to identify future housing needs and to develop strategies to support that housing. Yet when residents visit the city's website, the survey isn't featured on the home page. Instead, the first item displayed is an announcement of the mayor's monthly one-hour meetup. Why? The meetup notice was posted by at least August 21st, August 26th, rather, when I first saw it, even though the event isn't until September 24th. Now the meetups are listed also on as community events. But if you go to the community events page, it's clear that they're not city organized events. They're routine activities initiated by the mayor.
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