Tualatin City Council Meeting - June 22, 2026
Tualatin City Council Meeting - June 22, 2026
[The regular meeting of the Tualatin City Council was held on June 22, 2026, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. It featured awards, proclamations, employee introductions, public comments, special reports from advisory committees, public hearings on state revenue sharing and the city budget, general business including library agreements and utility rates, and council communications.]
Consent Calendar
- Items 1–4, 6–9, and 14 were adopted unanimously, except item 5 (utility rate resolution) was removed at Councilor Gonzalez's request.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jerry Renfro, a 28-year Tualatin resident, requested a designated fishing area at Tualatin Commons Lake for youth, citing safety concerns on the Tualatin River. Council noted it would be considered in the Core Area analysis.
Special Reports
1. Arts Advisory Committee Annual Report (Janet Steiger Carr, Chair; Julie Ludeman, Staff Liaison)
- Presented the 2026 Community Enhancement Award to Willowbrook Arts Camp (oldest arts camp in Oregon, founded 1982).
- Accomplishments: three new traffic signal box wraps, storm drain art installation, financial support to two arts agencies.
- Goals: continue support for local arts, facilitate installations in new park bonds, begin arts policy development.
2. Historical Society Annual Report (Ross Baker, former President)
- Heritage Center celebrated 20 years in its new location; building is 100 years old.
- Almost 10,000 visitors; 7% membership increase; $122,000 in reserves (4-year runway).
- Upcoming events: Sweck House VIP tour, Fossil Fest (August 6), speakeasy-themed Heritage Evening, and a series of centennial programs.
3. Summer Programs Preview (Julie Ludeman, Recreation Manager; Sarah Jessicawson, Public Services Manager – Library)
- Blender Dash: ~1,000 participants; adult version under consideration.
- Library summer reading: 1,500 registered during the meeting.
- Viva Tualatin: July 11, 2–8 PM, with cultural performances and food.
- Summer camp: 614 kids in grades 1–7; 90% staff retention.
- Concerts: four Friday night concerts (two at Community Park, one at Fales Park, one at the lake) and two lunchtime concerts.
- Juanita Pohl Center: $250,000 renovation complete; meals program expanding to three days/week in January.
- Volunteers needed; information on city website.
4. IDEA Committee – Land Acknowledgement Recommendation (Kelsey Ashenbrenner, Aaron Stimson)
- After visiting the Chachalu Tribal Museum, the committee recommended not adopting a written land acknowledgement but instead committing to stewarding a relationship with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
- Suggestions: exhibit indigenous artists’ work, host interactive discussions, display information at the new Riverfront Park, celebrate Indigenous Peoples Month.
- Council thanked the committee for its thoughtful, research-based approach.
Public Hearings
State Revenue Sharing (Resolution 5974-26)
- Estimated $360,000 in shared revenues for FY26–27. No public testimony. Adopted unanimously.
Budget Adoption (Resolution 5965-26) — FY26–27 Budget
- Total budget: $177,467,610; permanent tax rate $2.2665/$1,000 AV; $4,431,474 for bonded debt service.
- City attorney recommended council members declare a conflict of interest per SB 983 (ORS 244.120) due to compensation/benefits in the budget. Each member did so and stated they would participate.
- Amendments: $30,000 carryover for police building improvements; $50,000 carryover for park office ADA improvements.
- Discussion on council compensation/expenses: Councilor Brooks proposed increasing the travel/education line item by $10,000 and addressing technology stipend inflation. Councilor Gonzalez suggested studying council pay. Agreed to schedule a future work session.
- Vote: 6–1 (Councilor Gonzalez voted no). Resolution adopted.
General Business
Core Area Parking District Tax Rate (Ordinance 1456-26)
- 3% increase recommended by the Parking District Board. First and second readings adopted unanimously.
WCCLS Library Agreements (Resolutions 5971-26 & 5972-26)
- Two intergovernmental agreements with Washington County for cooperative library services. Tualatin’s allocation: ~$2 million (67% of library budget).
- Council expressed strong dissatisfaction with the process (lack of public engagement, rushed timeline, power imbalances) but recognized the necessity of approving to maintain services.
- Vote: 6–1 (Mayor Bubenek voted no symbolically). Resolutions adopted.
Utility Rate Resolution (Resolution 5964-26) – Removed from Consent
- Amends water, sewer, stormwater, road, and parks utility fees based on master plans and indexes; parks fee remained unchanged.
- Councilor Gonzalez requested removal to vote no; Councilor Reyes abstained due to unanswered questions.
- Vote: 5–1–1 (yes: 5, no: Gonzalez, abstain: Reyes). Adopted.
Key Outcomes
- Willowbrook Arts Camp awarded 2026 Community Enhancement Award.
- Proclamation designating June 22–28, 2026 as National Pollinator Week.
- Four new police officers and one new parks/public works employee introduced.
- Council to hold work session on council compensation/expenses.
- Library agreements approved despite concerns; council will continue to advocate for changes.
- Budget adopted; utility rate increase passed.
- IDEA Committee’s land acknowledgement recommendation accepted for further implementation.
After adjournment, the Tualatin Development Commission (TDC) met and adopted its FY26–27 budget (Resolution 647-26) unanimously.
Meeting Transcript
Place your right hand over your heart. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice sprawl. That brings us to announcements, and our first announcement tonight is a community arts enhancement award for Willbrook Arts Camp. And we have Janet's Diger is here along with Julie Ludeman and Sarah Hinton. Welcome. Hopefully Sarah here too or now. Yes. There you are. Shanna. All right. We'll let them come up later. Yeah. So good evening, Mayor Bubenek and members of the council. We do have a presentation. I'm not. These debates. We gotta show the pictures. If not, we'll just talk about it. No, that's right. Maybe we'll just talk about it. Hey, we can do that. All right. Well, if that's the case, this one we're gonna save for later. That was a preview for all of you. Um, but I am here as the recreation manager and staff liaison to the Tualetan Arts Advisory Committee. And our esteemed chair of the Tualetan Arts Advisory Committee, Janet Steiger Carr, is here to talk about our most recent recipient of the Community Enhancement Award, which is Willowbrook Arts Camp. Yay. Ten years of being on the committee and six of being the chair. This is the first time I've presented this. Here goes. The Community Enhancement Award is created to recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to significant art endeavors and experiences within the Tualatan community. The Tualatan Arts Advisory Committee identifies awards candidates and makes recommendations to the City Council. Past recipients include, I'm not going to read the entire list, but last year or 2024 was Mitch Charter School, and back in 2011 was Althea Pratt Broom for Willowbrook Arts Camp. She was the one who started it on her front porch. Woo-hoo! 2026 award recipient is Willowbrook Arts Camp. Since 1982, Willowbrook has provided hands-on arts experiences for children across dozens of disciplines. From ceramics, basketry, stained glass, to theater, music, and creative writing. Willowbrook's sustained presence over the decades has woven arts education into the cultural fabric of our city. And next slide. Thank you, mates. Pictures of some of the excited campers at Willowbrook Arts Camp. And that, one more slide, one more slide with some lovely pictures. Yes, we gotta have pictures of those kids doing art. And that concludes. So we're really happy to be here today to present this award to Sarah Hinton, who is executive director. And Shanna. I don't know why I was blanking on your last name. And Shanna Doolittle.
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