Tualatin City Council Meeting – August 24, 2026
Tualatin City Council Meeting – August 24, 2026
The Tualatin City Council met on August 24, 2026, at 7:00 PM (UTC). The meeting included the Pledge of Allegiance, proclamations, introductions of new employees, a consent agenda, an annual report from the Tualatin Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a public hearing on a corrective land use ordinance, and approval of a new intergovernmental agreement with Clean Water Services. All votes were unanimous.
Proclamations and Announcements
- Councilor Sacco read a proclamation declaring September 11, 2026, as September 11th Remembrance Day in Tualatin, marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
- Councilor Brooks read a proclamation declaring September 2026 as National Preparedness Month, encouraging residents to participate in emergency preparedness, including the CERT program.
- Council President Pratt reminded attendees of the upcoming CERT Emergency Preparedness Fair on September 12, 2026, at the library from 11 AM to 2 PM.
New Employee and Promotion Introductions
- Police Officer Matthew Thomason – hired July 13, 2026; previously with Beaverton Police Department; graduated from the Oregon Police Academy; fluent in Romanian; currently in field training on night shift.
- Captain Eric French – promoted to Captain and Patrol Commander; with Tualatin PD since June 2005; previously served in Yuma County, Arizona, and the U.S. Marine Corps; held roles including school resource officer, detective, canine handler, patrol sergeant, and community service officer. He served as interim captain since April 2026 while Captain Rankin was on medical leave.
- Joel Valdez – new court clerk for the Municipal Court; came from Beaverton with 19 years of court clerk experience; started August 3, 2026.
- Robin Doty – interim Deputy City Manager while Megan George is on maternity leave until mid-January; previously served as Library and Administrative Services Director and interim City Administrator in North Plains; oversees homelessness initiatives, community involvement organizations (CIOs), government relations, and the Thorne Run contract.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the work session and regular meeting minutes of August 10, 2026.
- Approved a new liquor license application for TEN's Kitchen LLC dba Lee's Kitchen.
- Both items were adopted unanimously via a single motion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public addressed the council during the public comment period.
Tualatin CERT Annual Report
- Alan Perricini, CERT President, presented the 2025–2026 annual report. CERT celebrated its 10th anniversary; Cathy Holland had served as president for 10 years and was succeeded by Perricini in February 2026.
- Key statistics:
- 212 total CERT members; 143 active, 69 inactive.
- 87 volunteers hold FCC ham radio licenses; 67 hold GMRS licenses.
- 21 classes have graduated since 2016; enrollment dipped during COVID but is recovering. Next class begins September 15, 2026, with 6 recruits.
- Annual city appropriation: $14,000 (received on the meeting day); additional state and federal grants historically received, though FEMA funding was noted as tenuous.
- CERT conducted a countywide major exercise in October 2025 with Tigard, Beaverton, and Hillsboro teams, focusing on disaster scene evaluation and search and rescue.
- Mobilizations at events like Blender Dash, Viva Tualatin, Pumpkin Regatta, and Big Truck Day serve as training opportunities.
- A 2025 grant funded a mobile communications unit (MCU), a solar-equipped trailer for ham, GMRS, and FRS radio networking.
- A new program, Tualatin Neighborhood Ready, led by Mary Silva, trains residents and businesses on disaster preparedness (e.g., turning off gas meters, water storage, family plans, go bags).
- Plans include a 30-member rapid response team for lesser emergencies (expected later 2026 or 2027) and emergency supply kits stationed at each CIO.
- Council members expressed gratitude for CERT's efforts and asked about supply locations (kits at each CIO) and future needs (more radio equipment; grant application in progress).
Public Hearing: Ordinance No. 1457-26
- A legislative land use hearing was held for Ordinance 1457-26, a corrective amendment to Ordinance 1499-25 regarding the annexation of approximately 54.79 acres at Tonkin Loop west of Grahams Ferry Road and north of Basalt Creek Parkway.
- The amendment clarifies that the annexed property is also included within the Clean Water Services (CWS) boundary pursuant to ORS 199.510(2)(c), as required by law.
- Staff (Planner Madeline Nelson) explained the original ordinance incorrectly stated the property was within CWS; this is a typographical fix with no change to boundaries, zoning, or conditions of approval.
- No public testimony was offered.
- Council held a first reading (by title only) and a second reading, then voted to adopt Ordinance 1457-26. The roll call was unanimous (all ayes).
General Business: Resolution No. 5993-26
- Public Works Director Rachel Sykes presented a request to authorize the City Manager to execute a new Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Clean Water Services for ongoing operations and cooperative management.
- The IGA replaces the 2005 agreement (with amendments from 2008 and 2017) and updates roles for EPA and DEQ regulatory compliance, watershed-based management, financial provisions, asset ownership, and dispute resolution.
- Key features include:
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) permit compliance.
- Rate-setting and collection of sewer/stormwater utility fees and system development charges (SDCs). Tualatin remits most sewer SDCs to CWS for capital projects.
- Authority for Tualatin to charge CWS an administrative fee for billing services (regional negotiation led by Don Hudson; fee amount to be set separately).
- Clarification of asset ownership and maintenance responsibilities (CWS maintains pump stations, force mains, and pipes >24 inches; no shifts from current practice).
- More stringent code applies when city and CWS codes differ.
- Joint code enforcement process, especially for larger technical violations.
- Annual presentation by CWS to City Council and provisions for annual review.
- Five-year term with renewal options.
- CWS representatives Joe Gall (Chief Utility Relations Officer) and Megan Comer (Principal Planner) were present.
- Councilor Brooks asked about enforcement records and PFAS monitoring. Staff noted no public database for citations, but DEQ publishes a monthly enforcement newsletter; CWS will follow up on PFAS data and river management questions.
- Councilor Hillier thanked everyone for the collaborative process.
- Resolution 5993-26 was approved unanimously by roll call vote.
Adjournment
- Councilor Pratt moved to adjourn; seconded and passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted the consent agenda (minutes and liquor license) unanimously.
- Approved Ordinance 1457-26 (corrective annexation into Clean Water Services) unanimously.
- Approved Resolution 5993-26 (authorizing IGA with Clean Water Services) unanimously.
- Recognized September 11th Remembrance Day and National Preparedness Month via proclamations.
- Welcomed four new/promoted employees and one interim deputy city manager.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the August 24th, 2026, 12 City Council meeting. We will start with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councillor Sacco, so please stand. And to the Republic, for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty of justice. Next we have announcements. First is a proclamation declaring September 11th, 2026 as September 11th Remembrance Day in the City of Tuolleton. Are we just reading the proclamation? Yes. Okay. There's no president. Counselor Brooks will read the proclamation. Oh, sorry, the wrong one, Councillor Sacco will be reading the proclamation. Thank you. Whereas nearly 3,000 citizens of the United States of America were killed on September 11th, 2001 in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. as a result of an unprovoked and cowardly terrorist attacks. And whereas we pay tribute to the men and the women who perished and reflect on the bravery and courage of our civilian and military first responders and our emergency personnel for their quick and selfless actions. And whereas it is also important to remember the countless families who were forever changed by the loss of a loved one because of these horrendous attacks. And whereas this September marks the 25th anniversary of that fateful day, which renewed patriotism throughout the nation and spurred American citizens to civic action. And whereas throughout the state of Oregon, individuals, organizations, and communities will gather on this 25th anniversary and honor our nation and the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the City Council of the City of Tualaton, Oregon, that Tualaton recognizes September 11th, 2026 as September 11th Remembrance Day in the City of Tualaton. All residents are invited to remember with internal res eternal respect those whose lives were suddenly and without cause taken from them, introduced and adopted this 24th day of August 2026. Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. Now we have a proclamation declaring the month of September 2026 as National Preparedness Month in the City of Tualeton. Counselor Brooks will read the proclamation. Thank you, Council President Pratt. Whereas September marks National Preparedness Month, the annual campaign for emergency and disaster preparedness, which encourages individuals and communities to take steps to increase their resilience and look out for one another when major emergencies or disasters strike. And whereas disasters often strike quickly with little or no warning, and residents may be forced to evacuate neighborhoods, schools, and work sites, or be confined to homes. And whereas the challenges posed by climate change, such as more intense storms, heat waves, drought, wildfires, and extreme flooding could significantly alter the types and magnitudes of hazards faced by communities, and whereas preparedness is the responsibility of every resident of the city of Twalton, Oregon, and all residents are urged to make preparedness a priority and work together as a team to ensure that individuals, families, and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of any type. And whereas National Preparedness Month creates a significant opportunity for every resident of the city of Tualeton to reflect and act on shared responsibility to be prepared and we commit as a community to non-discrimination and equitable citizen participation in planning for and responding to disasters. And whereas the city supports and encourages citizen participation in the Twalton Community Emergency Response Team or CERT, so our community can be trained for emergencies. And now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the city council of the city of Twalton. September 2026 is National Preparedness Month and encourages all residents and businesses to develop their own emergency preparedness plans and work together toward creating a more prepared community. Introduced and adopted this 24th day of August 2026. Thank you for everybody that serves on CERT and helps us to be more prepared. We can. Yeah, we do have the copy available. We should have invited the lot. Come on up. Do they want to say anything first? Well, they have their annual report. They have the report. You can just hand it to you. No, come on. Okay. Come on over here. We'll get started off. Do you guys want to come in? Okay, it's a good thing my glasses matched. All right. Now we have some new employee introductions. We'll start with um Chief Pickering.
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