OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tualatin City Council Meeting – May 25, 2026

City Council — Monday, May 25, 2026
BodyTualatin, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, May 25, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:29:13

Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

All right.

0:09

Good evening and welcome to the May 26, 2026 Toalton City Council meeting.

0:14

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

0:17

First thing on our agenda tonight is a Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Councilor Reyes.

0:29

I agree to the United States.

0:34

And to the public for religious individual.

0:49

That brings us to announcements.

0:51

Our first announcement tonight is a proclamation declaring June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month in the City of Twalton.

0:58

And I believe we have some representatives from moms.

1:01

The mom's group come on up.

1:11

Welcome back.

1:12

Go ahead and turn your turn the microphones.

1:15

A little head with the little on your mic stand.

1:23

There you go.

1:24

Now we're on.

1:26

Good evening.

1:28

Mayor Bubenek, counselors, and all of the city staff and residents in this room and online.

1:33

My name is Mary Pat Hensel.

1:35

I'm your neighbor who wears orange and resides in Wilsonville.

1:39

I'm a gun violence survivor, a gun owner, a vocal public health advocate for safe firearm storage.

1:46

And this year I have the good fortune with my friend Sydney of accepting your 2026 Wear Orange proclamation.

1:54

This is my third opportunity to tell you why this means so much to me and for your community.

2:00

So you know it means I mean it when I begin by saying thanks.

2:05

When you proclaim that you are paying attention to gun violence, it means you are listening and that you are aware.

2:12

It means that the work I do with my colleagues at Bombs Demand Action and Every Town for Gun Safety to build awareness has traction.

2:20

It also means that we are partners in this effort, and that together we will amplify the message and build more awareness because no one will miss us when we wear orange.

2:31

In Oregon, the first wear orange was in December of 2015.

2:35

It was pouring rain.

2:36

I was there.

2:38

And at that time we were concerned with 96 people per day in the US who were killed.

2:44

Now it's 120 people a day in the US.

2:47

We must do much better.

2:50

Every stat.org research shows that in an average year, 644 people die, and 719 are wounded in Oregon.

2:59

76% of gun deaths are suicide.

3:03

As I said, we must do better.

3:11

Um are suicide.

3:12

So we must do a lot better.

3:14

In a few weeks, I'll go to Washington, D.C.

3:16

And when I'm there, I will be able to tell my colleagues and your legislators that you are publicly willing to recognize gun violence survivors and those who have perished, that you acknowledge those who live in your community with the hurt and the unrest that gun violence creates with domestic situations and in very difficult self-inflicted shootings.

3:36

Let me know if you want me to say more than this.

3:48

Start by asking them to wear orange on June 5th and through the weekend.

3:55

And I just want to say, my name's Sydney.

3:57

Um I just moved here from Texas last year, so uh I would not be doing this.

4:01

I would not be in a meeting like this uh if I was still there.

4:05

So I appreciate it.

4:07

Thank you guys.

4:08

Um yeah, let's keep let's keep working.

4:11

All right.

4:12

Well, thank you for coming tonight.

4:13

Council Reyes will read the proclamation.

4:18

And I share this every year when I read this proclamation, but I know that every time I share it, there's always someone that comes to me and say thank you for sharing that.

4:25

So I'm gonna share again.

4:26

If you heard my story before, um it's sorry if I repeat it, repeat myself, but um I am a victim of um I'm a survivor of not victim, a survivor of gun violence.

4:40

Uh September 11th, 1994.

4:43

I was 17 years old, and um a young man, maybe about 14 years old, who actually went to the same high school I went to, uh, shot me three times in my on my body, and I immediately um I remember the experience, and then I ended up, I remember going to the emergency room, and that's when I felt that someone was gonna take care of me there.

5:09

Um I was after that I entered into a 38-day coma.

5:15

So I don't remember what happened to me, but I survived.

5:18

After I woke up, I remember just my body being completely cut open, and they did a lot of surgeries, a lot of blood donations that were collected from the community that helped me.

5:31

So here I am after 32 years, and I wouldn't be able to stand here without people supporting me through many different ways, science, research, um, people donating blood, everyone that participated in 1994, so I can survive.

5:52

So I survived and um just want to say that to me I advocate for education, prevention, because it's hard to do it when you're when someone's already in that situation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Library Services███████████████████19%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Youth Programs███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Waste Management█████5%
Public Engagement█████5%
Governance Structure█████5%
Procedural████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Tualatin City Council Meeting – May 25, 2026

Note on meeting date: The agenda and transcript refer to this meeting as taking place on May 26, 2026, but the instruction specifies a date of 2026-05-25 07:00:00+00:00. This summary uses the provided date; the discrepancy is noted.

The council held a regular meeting that began with a Pledge of Allegiance, followed by proclamations, announcements, public comment (none received), and consent agenda approval. A special report from Metro Councilor Garrett Rosenthal covered regional issues including waste fees, housing, and parks. After a recess for a photo opportunity with Tualatin High School students, the council heard general business items on a sidewalk maintenance backlog project and library intergovernmental agreements with Washington County.

Proclamations & Announcements

  • Gun Violence Awareness Month – Mayor and Councilor Reyes presented a proclamation declaring June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month. Mary Pat Hensel (Moms Demand Action) and Sydney spoke about the Wear Orange campaign. Councilor Reyes shared his personal story as a gun violence survivor. Statistics cited: 120 Americans killed per day; 76% of gun deaths in Oregon are suicide.
  • Pride Month – Council President Pratt read a proclamation declaring June 2026 as Pride Month in Tualatin, noting the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals, including higher rates of victimization and suicide attempts.
  • Juneteenth – A proclamation recognizing June 19, 2026 as Juneteenth was presented, commemorating the end of slavery and contributions of Black Americans.
  • Chamber of Commerce Transition – Annalia Jackson (outgoing CEO of Tualatin Area Chamber of Commerce) introduced her successor, Allie Angverzat, who will serve as interim CEO starting June 1. Council members thanked Annalia for her service and welcomed Allie.
  • New Employee Introduction – Human Resources Assistant Jennifer Nason was introduced by Deborah Ballard. Nason previously worked for the city and was named Employee of the Year in 2016.

Consent Calendar

The following items were approved unanimously by motion:

  1. Approval of regular meeting minutes of May 11, 2026.
  2. New liquor license application for La Senne Vietnamese Grill.
  3. Resolution 5957-26 for no parking sign on SW Wanapanag Drive.
  4. Resolution 5958-26 concurring with vacation of a public easement by Washington County.
  5. Resolution 5959-26 awarding landscape maintenance contract to Diversified Abilities.

Special Report – Metro Update

Metro Councilor Garrett Rosenthal, accompanied by staff, presented an update on regional activities. Topics included:

  • Future Vision 2050 – A year-long process to develop a 50-year shared vision; community engagement is underway through a commission and youth committee. Tualatin-area survey respondents prioritized environment, affordability, and green spaces.
  • Parks and Nature – Metro’s 2022 Parks and Nature Levy funds habitat restoration (40%), regional parks (35%), and community grants (15%). Key local acquisitions include Basalt Creek and Tualatin River Dew Park.
  • Housing – The 2018 affordable housing bond (over $652M) has produced over 5,379 homes; the 2020 supportive housing services (SHS) tax has raised $1.2B and placed 20,600 households. Reforms are ongoing via a Regional Policy Advisory Committee (RPAC).
  • Economic Development – Metro is creating a regional industrial lands inventory and supporting a comprehensive economic development strategy, including data center siting and workforce coordination.
  • Solid Waste – Metro approved a 10% increase in waste facility fees and a 5% increase in the regional system fee. Councilors expressed concern about cumulative rate increases (92% since 2020) and the elimination of food scraps technical assistance funding. Councilor Reyes and Sacco raised questions about the lack of direct accountability to residents.

Recess & High School Student Presentation

The council recessed for a photo with Tualatin High School students involved in a backyard habitat project at the Tualatin City Services building (TCS). Students from the Design Core program (Jassiani Ferrara, Hanaya Tommy, Lily Eswee, Deegan Baldwin, and teacher Dan Rote) explained how they designed and planted a native landscape around the InPipe microhydro turbine installation. The project aims for Backyard Habitat certification. Students expressed pride in the hands-on learning and concern that the Design Core program is being discontinued. Council members thanked them and encouraged continued community involvement.

General Business – Item 1: Sidewalk Maintenance Program Backlog

Lindsay Marshall (Public Works) and James Scogan (Street Division Manager) presented Resolution 5960-26 to award a $1.47 million contract to Paul Brothers Incorporated for a two-year sidewalk repair and street tree replacement project. The project addresses 325 properties with defects (over 1,000 panels) caused by street tree roots. Zone 1 work begins summer 2026; Zone 2 in 2027. Property owners were given a choice from an adaptive tree list (about 40 species). Councilor Gonzalez expressed concerns about the number of tree choices and lack of clarity on average costs. He also noted that some Spanish-speaking residents had not received translated letters. The resolution passed 6-1, with Gonzalez voting no.

General Business – Item 2: Library Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs)

City Manager Sherilyn and City Attorney Kevin presented the final drafts of the Library Cooperative Governance Agreement (perpetual) and Operating Agreement (tracking the levy cycle, expires June 30, 2026). Key discussion points:

  • Governance Structure – The cooperative is governed by the Washington County Board of Commissioners, advised by an Executive Board of 12 city managers (or designees). Multiple councilors (Pratt, Brooks, Hillier, Reyes) questioned the lack of elected official representation and the transparency implications. Staff noted that council could create an internal liaison role.
  • Operating Agreement Changes – Changes included adding definitions, clarifying data breach notification, and modifying the termination clause. The county struck language allowing termination “if not in the public interest” but retained “if sufficient funds are not available,” which some councilors found vague.
  • Centralized Collections MOU – A separate Memorandum of Understanding is still being negotiated; it will allow phasing for smaller libraries like Tualatin. The MOU is not finalized but expected by late summer.
  • Timeline – The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved the IGAs unanimously on May 26 (the actual meeting date). The city council is scheduled to vote on June 22. Councilors expressed frustration over the compressed timeline and lack of community engagement.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda adopted unanimously.
  • Resolution 5960-26 (sidewalk backlog) passed 6-1 (Councilor Gonzalez opposed). Contract awarded to Paul Brothers Incorporated for $1.47 million.
  • Library IGAs – No vote taken; final consideration scheduled for June 22, 2026. Council directed staff to continue negotiating the MOU and to explore options for improved communication with the council and the community.
  • Metro Update – No formal action; councilors registered concerns about waste fee increases and economic development duplication.
  • Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Good evening and welcome to the May 26, 2026 Toalton City Council meeting. I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order. First thing on our agenda tonight is a Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Councilor Reyes. I agree to the United States. And to the public for religious individual. That brings us to announcements. Our first announcement tonight is a proclamation declaring June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month in the City of Twalton. And I believe we have some representatives from moms. The mom's group come on up. Welcome back. Go ahead and turn your turn the microphones. A little head with the little on your mic stand. There you go. Now we're on. Good evening. Mayor Bubenek, counselors, and all of the city staff and residents in this room and online. My name is Mary Pat Hensel. I'm your neighbor who wears orange and resides in Wilsonville. I'm a gun violence survivor, a gun owner, a vocal public health advocate for safe firearm storage. And this year I have the good fortune with my friend Sydney of accepting your 2026 Wear Orange proclamation. This is my third opportunity to tell you why this means so much to me and for your community. So you know it means I mean it when I begin by saying thanks. When you proclaim that you are paying attention to gun violence, it means you are listening and that you are aware. It means that the work I do with my colleagues at Bombs Demand Action and Every Town for Gun Safety to build awareness has traction. It also means that we are partners in this effort, and that together we will amplify the message and build more awareness because no one will miss us when we wear orange. In Oregon, the first wear orange was in December of 2015. It was pouring rain. I was there. And at that time we were concerned with 96 people per day in the US who were killed. Now it's 120 people a day in the US. We must do much better. Every stat.org research shows that in an average year, 644 people die, and 719 are wounded in Oregon. 76% of gun deaths are suicide. As I said, we must do better. Um are suicide. So we must do a lot better. In a few weeks, I'll go to Washington, D.C. And when I'm there, I will be able to tell my colleagues and your legislators that you are publicly willing to recognize gun violence survivors and those who have perished, that you acknowledge those who live in your community with the hurt and the unrest that gun violence creates with domestic situations and in very difficult self-inflicted shootings. Let me know if you want me to say more than this. Start by asking them to wear orange on June 5th and through the weekend. And I just want to say, my name's Sydney. Um I just moved here from Texas last year, so uh I would not be doing this. I would not be in a meeting like this uh if I was still there. So I appreciate it. Thank you guys. Um yeah, let's keep let's keep working. All right. Well, thank you for coming tonight. Council Reyes will read the proclamation.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com