To the April 13, 2026 Twalton City Council regular council meeting.

I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order.

First item our agenda is a Pledge of Allegiance tonight, led by Council Hillier.

I invite you all to stand, face the flag, place your hand over your heart, and join with us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which is nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

All right.

That brings us to our next item on the agenda, which is announcements.

And the first one, one that most of the people in the room are here for volunteer appreciation.

This evening we celebrate our outstanding city volunteers under the theme of Connected Through Kindness, honoring the incredible contributions all volunteers make to the City of Twalton.

In 2025, 1,500 volunteers generously donated over 14,000 500 hours of their time, filling more than 90 different positions that meaningfully augment the services that our city staff provide.

Our volunteers bring their time, energy, and talents to the community in countless ways.

In the library, they provide daily support alongside monthly programs like Tween Takeover and Spruce Up to Twalton Library, welcoming groups and families throughout the year through our wonderful library.

Through the Put Down Roots in Twalton program, individuals, school groups, and corporate partners alike have given back to our green spaces and community.

Volunteers have also channeled their dedication into completing Eagle Scout projects and ensuring beloved community events from the Blender Dash and the Pumpkin Regatta to Arbor Week celebrations are resounding successes.

Their reach extends across the Guanita Poll Center, where they support special events and our meal program partners, as well as the Heritage Center and the police department.

During the summer months, volunteers are at the heart of our team Tualton and Teen Towalton programs, and throughout the year they serve with distinction on boards and commissions.

In nearly every department of our city, volunteers contribute their unique skills and talents, stepping in alongside our staff to help deliver the important services that makes Tualton great and a wonderful place to live.

Next up, I'm going to have uh counselor Gonzalez read the proclamation.

Wonderful.

Thank you, Mayor.

Whereas the entire community can inspire, equipped, mobilized people to take action that changes the world, and whereas in 2025, over 1,500 volunteers contributed approximately 14,500 hours of their time and equivalent of about seven full-time employees.

To the betterment of our community, and whereas volunteers give freely of their time, talent, and energy, and ask only for a thank you for their countless hours of service and whereas it has been a long-standing tradition in our community for individuals, families, and local businesses to volunteer to make a difference in our communities, and whereas it is fitting to recognize our volunteers for their dedicated service.

Now, therefore, be proclaimed by the City of Council of the City of Tualton, Oregon, that Towalton recognizes the week of April 19th through April 25th, 2026 as volunteer appreciation week.

The City of Twalton takes great pleasure in honoring the volunteers of our community and conveying our sincere gratitude and appreciation for the committed, selfless and compassionate effort.

Our volunteers truly embody a community that is connected through kindness.

Introduced and adopted this 13th day of April 2026.

City of Twalton.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Gonzalez.

So each year we present some awards to those uh groups and individuals of folks who've uh been nominated throughout the city for those efforts that uh Councilman Gonzalez mentioned.

Uh there's a nomination process, and this is how the nomination process works.

Uh first nominee uh must address a critical community need and or strengthen the city of Twalton over the past year.

The nominee service resulted in significant improvements with measurable outcomes for our community.

The nominee collaborated with others, leverage community resources, andor employed a unique approach to solving problems here in the community.

And finally, the nominee service reflects a dedicated and sustained commitment of time and effort to the city.

That's available to attendees tonight, and it's posted on the city's website of the contributions of each nominee in each category.

Each winner this evening is being presented a frame certificate that they're over here, a logo crossbody bag, coin purse, and grass tumbler.

On behalf of the city council, city staff, and the entire Twalton community, I thank each and every one of our volunteers in the community.

If we didn't have your efforts, this city wouldn't be as great as it is, and those you know, thousands of hours makes a difference everywhere from the library to the parks to the police department, and I very much appreciate all your help in making this a wonderful place to live and creating a better community that is connected through kindness.

So we'll start off with the uh outstanding group volunteers.

The winner of the outstanding group volunteers this year is the teen library committee.

Everyone here from the Teen Library Committee, please stand.

They're all over here.

The Teen Library Committee was created to meet a critical need in the city of Twalton, ensuring that teens have a meaningful voice in shaping the programs and activities designed for them at the library.

Under the leadership of Teen Services Librarian Amy Mutual, the committee brings together teens to collaborate, brainstorm, and problem solve in an environment where their ideas are valued and used.

In 2025, TLC members not only contributed their ideas but also developed important leadership skills through hands-on experience.

TLC members learned how to manage responsibilities and think critically about community needs.

TLC members collectively contributed over 200 hours of service to our library in 2025.

Congratulations, all of you on the TLC.

Lauren Earnhardt, Emma Goodell, Percy Horsford, Aspen Lorelide, Daphne Losley, Jay Norris, Olivia Pham, Felicia Ree, Emma Ree, Piper Robbins, Nissar Sanchez Kimona, Callie Savage, Olucia Wang, and Daruka Vadipu.

We'll let the photographer decide how to figure this one out.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Excuse me, we have two outstanding youth volunteers this year.

The first recipient recipient is Nestor Sanchares Kimona.

Nestor, please stand.

Nestor contributed a hundred and forty hours of volunteer time in 2025, but what's most impressive about Nestor is his genuine love of helping others.

NISER has helped with the decorations and publicity for Viva Twalton, folded t-shirts from Pumpkin Regatta volunteers, and supported many store times in Twalton Parks.

Nestor has also participated in the Twileton Library Advisory Committee and added positive perspectives to the committee.