Tualatin City Council Regular Meeting - July 13, 2026
Tualatin City Council Regular Meeting - July 13, 2026
The Tualatin City Council met on July 13, 2026, to address a range of topics including public comment on community building, approval of consent agenda items, updates on the downtown revitalization project and economic landscape analysis, an intergovernmental agreement for the school resource officer program, and a fee schedule amendment. The meeting also included council communications on invasive species and committee assignments.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Victoria and Christina (tag team): Spoke about their personal investment in community building, including creating a community space with benches, a free pantry, and events. They described challenges with the city, including removal of toys and rocks, and asked the city to choose collaboration over conflict, develop clear pathways for resident-led public spaces, and recognize community builders as partners. They emphasized accessibility and social connection as infrastructure.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda included routine approvals: meeting minutes of June 22, 2026; resolutions authorizing grant agreements with Washington County for fitness programs, a natural hazard mitigation plan, community development block grant program, and a clear and objective code update; a resolution amending the city fee schedule; and intergovernmental agreements for digital forensics and police services. Councilor Brooks removed item 6 (fee schedule resolution) for separate discussion. The remaining consent agenda was adopted unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Downtown Revitalization Project Update: Quinn Brunner, Sid Sin, and CAC members Beth Dittman and Caden Edwards presented an update on the downtown revitalization project. The project is in three phases; phase two (with University of Oregon) produced 66 recommendations and 14 renderings. The CAC scored recommendations against five criteria (vibrant mixed-use, distinct and magnetic, environmentally sustainable, navigable and safe, supportive of businesses). An example was a facade grant program. The lily pad design for the lake received positive feedback for its creativity, pedestrian circulation, and activation of Veterans Plaza. The Metro Council awarded a $740,000 grant for phase three, which will include an urban design plan, design standards, a parking study, market study, and bilingual engagement. Council members expressed appreciation for the committee's work and noted the importance of environmental sustainability. Queries were raised about mixed-use considerations and the scope of phase three.
- Economic Landscape Analysis and Industry Cluster Analysis: Sid Sin and Matt Cragey (Echo Northwest) presented findings from the economic landscape analysis. Key data: Tualatin has 0.6% annual population growth, 2.1% average annual private employment growth, and average wages of $80,000 (up 5% annually). Only 6% of those who work in Tualatin also live there. Employment concentration is high in manufacturing (location quotient of 3). Seven industry clusters were identified, with high-tech manufacturing being the largest (15% of city employment, average wage $125,000). Building systems and health sciences are also major clusters. The analysis highlighted the risk of over-reliance on high-tech manufacturing. Council questions focused on land availability, commuting patterns, and strategies to attract and retain businesses. Councilor Pratt noted the challenge of land and infrastructure for attracting new businesses.
- School Resource Officer (SRO) Program IGA: Chief and Officers Brian Miller and Dan Hernandez presented a resolution authorizing an IGA with Tigard-Tualatin School District for the SRO program for the 2026-27 school year. They shared statistics: 43 offense reports, 16 arrests, 33 supplemental reports, and a five-year trend showing a slight decrease in arrests by race. Officers highlighted their positive interactions with students, including coaching and community events. Officer Miller shared a story about a student who gave him a painting thanking him for his support. Council members expressed strong support, noting the program's impact on youth and community safety. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda (except item 6) adopted unanimously.
- Resolution 5984-26 (SRO program IGA) adopted unanimously.
- Resolution 5983-26 (fee schedule amendment) adopted with 5 votes in favor, 1 opposed (Councilor Gonzalez), 1 abstention (Councilor Reyes). Councilor Brooks explained she wanted to vote no on fee increases. Other councilors argued the fees cover costs and prevent future large increases.
- Council directed staff to schedule a work session on the emerald ash borer following Councilor Brooks' request to hear from Tyler Peterson of Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District.
- Councilor Hillier volunteered to take over Councilor Brooks' role on the Metropolitan Area Communications Commission (MAC), following Councilor Brooks' resignation as alternate due to communication issues.
Council Communications
- Councilor Brooks reported on the first Local Government Advisory Committee for Health Care, where she learned about HPV vaccine promotion and a potential measles outbreak in November due to low vaccination rates. She also noted that two doses of measles vaccine are now recommended.
- Councilor Hillier indicated interest in serving on the MAC, and a discussion about committee attendance and reporting ensued.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to July 13th, 2026 to Walton City Council meeting. Now go ahead and call the meeting to order. First thing on our agenda tonight is a Pledge of Allegiance now tonight, led by Councillor Brooks. We're over there. Pledge allegiance to the flags of America. Under God. All right. Next item on our agenda is public comment. Public comment. It's an opportunity for anyone to address the city council regarding item that is not on tonight's agenda. Please keep your minute your comments to about three minutes. If there's anyone in the room who would like to address the council to take those folks first. And then I'll switch over to Zoom if we even have access to Zoom. But with that, we'll go ahead and insert public comment. I have a tag team coming up, Victoria and Christina. Welcome. Make sure to turn on your microphones, unlike what I did. Oh, the face button. Oh, okay. Let me get my little timer out so that I don't know. Yeah, so you've got a total of six minutes. Perfection. Thank you so much. Good evening, Mayor and Counselors. For the past several years, I have invested thousands of volunteer hours and significant personal resources into building something that I believe every neighborhood should have. And that's community. In 2018, after my child was born, I went from being a physically capable United States Marine to a new mother who was struggling to walk to her mailbox. The nearest place I could rehabilitate was the Greenway behind my home, and there was nowhere to sit. Every walk became an exercise in pain, balancing my own recovery while caring for an infant. That experience has changed how I look at public spaces forever. About that same time, I accidentally ordered some textbooks. I thought they were like those other kinds of books that are like self-help, they were textbooks on community building. I laughed, I kept them, I read them, and then I bought more of them, and it's become a passion of mine now. Uh later, when I was asked to cover graffiti on my fence, I painted it with leftover rainbow paint from my child's playhouse. And when my child outgrew some wooden blocks, I set them out thinking that maybe another child would enjoy playing with them. And they did. Something unexpected happened. Children started gathering, parents stopped to talk, neighbors met each other, donations appeared. The community itself began shaping the space. I posted questions about the community, what community means, what val how our values shape community, and I used those responses to put art upon my fence. That one small experiment of art, community questions, free resources, turned into events, a pantry, a little free store, gardens, celebrations, and eventually to Walton community gather. Has a website, has a banner, and most importantly, we provide seating. While this was growing organically, I was attending every community organization meeting that I could find. So I began my own adventure in mutual aid and community building. Now I pay for and organize community events, and I've been doing this for several years. As this project grew, so did some very specific hateful comments and complaints. And I have repeatedly asked the city for clarification and looked for ways to work collaboratively with the parks and recreation department. Over time, that relationship has shifted quickly from conversations about partnership to conversations about enforcement. And how do we know this space matters? We know because children return to play.
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