Tigard City Council Workshop Meeting – April 21, 2026
Tigard City Council Workshop Meeting – April 21, 2026
The Tigard City Council held a workshop meeting on April 21, 2026, beginning at 6:31 PM. The agenda included community updates from the Tigard Chamber of Commerce, Tigard Downtown Alliance, and Tigard High School; a police department dashboard presentation; a proclamation for National Library Week; a joint meeting with the Library Board; a discussion on parks and recreation funding; and a public hearing on an emergency ordinance addressing camp materials. The council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance No. 26-09.
Public Comments & Testimony
- One written public comment was received regarding concern with overnight construction activity at the intersection of Hall Boulevard and Hunsaker.
- During the public hearing on the emergency ordinance, one caller (Mr. Peterson) testified in opposition. He argued that the ordinance would force unsheltered individuals to carry all their belongings with them everywhere, costing them job opportunities, medical appointments, and access to indoor facilities. He asked the council to consider the impact on vulnerable residents.
Community Updates
- Tigard Chamber of Commerce: Board chair Sarah Tanner reported on Leadership Tigard (graduation in June, toiletries drive), the farmers market (over 65 vendors, opening bell by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue), networking events (Thursday mornings, 65+ attendees), upcoming Shining Stars Community Awards (winners announced: Dennis Johnson, Karen Grover, Tigard Festival of Balloons, Fun Lee, Emma Hale, Jason Weitz, Melena Kinney; MC Dan Murphy), and sponsorship opportunities for Leadership Tigard 26/27 and State of Business.
- Tigard Downtown Alliance: Executive Director Kyle Knepper and Board President Dr. Bethany Fluke reported on the four-point Main Street approach: Organization (new board member, building committees, open house), Economic Vitality (aligning with city economic development plan, surveying desired downtown businesses), Design (overhead banner policy nearly complete, glass basket project progressing, new art installation on Main Street early July), and Promotions (wine walk May 21, night market for AAPI month, First Thursday program starting June).
- Tigard High School Envoy: Becca Kosra Bani reported on prom preparations (May 2 at Oregon Zoo, tickets $45 without ASB sticker, $35 with ASB sticker), dress and tux drive, senior fundraiser ($250 raised), cap and gown distribution, multicultural night (April 9), athletics (lacrosse, baseball, golf, softball, tennis, track), and leadership class roster (52 students next year).
- Police Department Dashboard: Chief Jamie McDonald presented the March dashboard. Staffing improvements: 42% of day shifts at minimum staffing (intentional due to additional daytime resources), 61% of swing shifts had 5+ officers. Response times improving: year-to-date priority 1&2 average 6.25 minutes (target 5–5.5 minutes). Calls for service up 8.5% year-to-date; self-initiated activity down 1.75% but still 36% higher than the prior year. Chief noted new hires are improving community service.
Proclamation – National Library Week
- Mayor Wu proclaimed April 19–25 as National Library Week in Tigard, highlighting the library’s importance and its reopening on April 28 after HVAC upgrades. Library Director Halstead Bernard accepted the proclamation.
Joint Meeting with Library Board
- Library board chair Kate Ristau and staff presented the annual update on strategic plan priorities (2021–2026). Key highlights: Express library services during the three-month building closure (192 hours of service, 1,883 visitors, 636 program attendees, 2,000 questions answered, nearly 30 outreach visits); new Vox Wonder Books (252 kits, averaged 5.7 circulations in 16 weeks vs. 3.7 per year for CDs); study rooms booked 7,461 hours (310 24-hour days); 917 programs with nearly 40,000 attendees; social services coordinator had 1,201 interactions and supplied 4,000 basic needs items; community seed library; and upcoming centralized collections model by July 2027. The next strategic plan will begin development later this year. Council expressed gratitude and discussed potential collaborations, including a dignity program from the National League of Cities.
Discussion Items – Parks and Recreation Funding
- Business Manager Joe Barrett, Finance Director Erick Kang, and Parks and Recreation Manager Zach Gurin presented the funding gap. Current operations are unsustainable beyond FY2028, with a projected $1 million annual shortfall to maintain current service levels (608 acres, 20 FTE equivalent, plus pending additions from River Terrace 1). Revenue sources: Parks and Recreation Fee (PARF) at $9.38/month residential (established 2016, annual cap 4.26%), general fund transfer (averaging 47% of operations but declining), and fees/charges ($200,000/year). Expenses rising due to inflation (e.g., HVAC maintenance up 48%). Options discussed: updating PARF methodology/increasing rate, increasing general fund transfer, raising fees/charges, operational levy, or reducing service levels (e.g., elimination of special events, reduced mowing, fewer programs). Council consensus: parks are a core service; direct staff to explore PARF and activity fee adjustments, index to inflation, phase changes over 3–5 years, and benchmark against other cities. No immediate decisions; staff to return with detailed proposals.
Legislative Public Hearing – Emergency Ordinance on Camp Materials
- City Attorney Vihala and Homeless Liaison Megan Cohen (virtually) presented Ordinance 26-09. The ordinance prohibits leaving or maintaining camp materials on city property or public right-of-way, with exceptions for active moving, items on person, and camp materials on the public works lawn during allowed overnight camping hours. An emergency declaration was based on dangerous conditions and ADA access complaints. Outreach was conducted over the past week with police and street outreach; a morning cleanup with public works filled a truck with damaged/trash items. Several individuals have approved shelter beds but beds are not yet available. Implementation begins April 22 with education and enforcement. Police Chief McDonald and Commander Brad Sitton confirmed resources are dedicated; initial enforcement will be higher but should settle into maintenance mode. Council discussion: Councilor Helleck opposed, citing lack of storage and equity concerns; others supported balancing accessibility with compassion. Ordinance adopted.
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance 26-09 adopted by unanimous vote (7-0 council plus youth councilor advisory no vote). The ordinance prohibits camp materials on city property and right-of-way, effective immediately as an emergency measure.
- Parks funding direction: Council directed staff to explore updates to the Parks and Recreation Fee (PARF) and activity fees, with phased implementation, to maintain current service levels. Staff to return with detailed proposals, benchmarking data, and impacts of potential fee increases.
- Library update noted: Tigard Public Library reopens April 28; council expressed continued support for library services and programs.
Meeting Transcript
All right, it's 6 31, so I will call this council uh workshop meeting to order. Deputy City Recorder Bartholomew, would you please conduct a roll call? Councillor Gaducy. Present. Use Councillor Halleck. Here. Mayor who? Here. Councillor Robbins here. Councillor Schlack. Here. Councillor Shaw. Here. Council President Wolf. Here. Councillor Anderson. Here. Thank you. Well, everybody please mute your mics and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. All right, city teammate and council. Do you have any non-agenda items? I see everybody shaking their heads. So no. Let's move on to the next agenda, which is uh item which is public comments. Uh public comments um provides an opportunity for members of the public to address the city council. While it is not dialogue, either I or a staff member will follow up to address the issues brought forward in these comments. The calling number is 503 966 4101. And those wishing to come and should call now to get into the queue. Anyone present wanting to comment should sign up on the public common form at the front of the room. Those uh calling in or want to testify for agenda number seven should wait until that item is announced and then call in or are uh sign in. So let's go on to our first item, which is written common. Um, there was one written public comment received by the Monday noon deadline regarding concern with overnight construction activity at the intersection of Hall Boulevard and Hanseker. All right, let's move on to the in-person. Um those who sign up, um, please uh step forward. All right, so we have nobody sign up, so let's move on to the uh phone or video testimony. Mr. Water, are there any callers in the queue for fall phone or video testimony? There are no no callers in the queue. All right, thank you very much. So let's move on to uh agenda number number three, which is community updates. And I will invite Tiger Chamber of Commerce board chair, Tanner to provide an update. Good evening. Good evening, who are you? Hey, how are you? Yeah, welcome. I have a lot. Megan gave me a lot of updates to share with you today, so uh here we go. Um Leadership Tiger is headed towards graduation in June, and they're halfway um completed with their class project. They're collecting toiletries for their feeling fresh is fundamental project, and more details and information on dine and donate nights and booting and drop-off locations can be found on the Leadership Tiger Instagram page. Uh, for education advocacy and building a strong local economy, which is very important to us as a chamber.
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