Good evening and welcome to the Twaleton City Council meeting for September 28th, 2026.

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

The first item on our identity tonight is a pledge of allegiance led by Councillor Gonzalez.

Please stand

and put your hand over your heart.

That brings us to announcements, and our first announcement is a proclamation declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the City of Twalton.

And I believe Rachel is here from I used to call it the Family Justice Center.

I know you have a new name.

Come on up, Rachel.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Go ahead and press the mic

and

introduce yourself and

you

go, you got it.

Thank you.

My name is Rachel Schutz.

I'm the executive director of the Family Peace Center, and thank you so much for having me and for proclaiming this domestic violence awareness month.

Thank you.

Counselor Sacco will go ahead and read the proclamation.

Thank you.

And thank you for all your work that you do, Rachel.

And thank you so much.

I don't know how many years ago it was that you invited me to come out there and I volunteered out there as a survivor of domestic violence.

So thank you so much for all your work.

Whereas domestic violence is a serious crime that affects people of all backgrounds and abilities, but often has a disproportionate effect on communities and groups impacted by inequality.

And whereas domestic violence includes physical, emotional, social, sexual, spiritual, financial, and digital abuse and can occur between family members, intimate partners, and within dating relationships.

And whereas one in 20 women and one in six men in Oregon report having experienced domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or physical assaults by an intimate partner during their lifetime.

And whereas domestic violence impacts vulnerable victims, including children, as approximately 50% of Washington County children who are child abuse fix victims also live in homes with domestic violence.

And whereas in 2025, the Family Justice Center served over 6,000 survivors, and the Domestic Violence Resource Center provided over 7,400 crisis service to survivors despite challenges due to the pandemic.

And whereas domestic violence incidents are some of the most complex and dangerous incidents that law enforcement respond to in our community, putting their lives at risk every day in the belief that a coordinated community response is necessary to support survivors, hold off offenders, hold offenders accountable, and work towards ending the cycle of violence.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the City Council of the City of Twalaton, Oregon, Twalaton, designates the month of October 2026 as domestic violence awareness month.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month provides an excellent platform to show support for the domestic violence advocates, crisis hotline staff, victim service organizations, the prosecutors who hold offenders accountable, and law enforcement officers in our community.

It also provides the community the opportunity to learn more about preventing domestic violence and show support for the numerous organizations and individuals who provide critical advocacy resources, hope, and assistance to victims.

Introduced and adopted this 20 uh 28th day of September 2026.

Thanks, Rachel.

Thank

you all

so much.

Uh Jeff from West Side Transportation, welcome.

Welcome, Jeff.

Thank you very much.

So I'm Jeff Pazdowski, Executive Director with West Side Transportation Alliance.

So we work with employers and jurisdictions throughout Washington County to promote the use of transportation options.

And we are thrilled by our new partnership with the city of Twalton and very appreciative of the

uh

proclamation for the week without driving, which is a chance to really reflect on the transportation challenges faced by members of our community that uh don't drive or don't have access to a vehicle.

So

with that go ahead, Council Brooks has the proclamation.

Thank you very much for your advocacy.

I'm just gonna take one second and say that my car had a weird thing happen to it, and it was unavailable to me for about the last four or five months.

And so I've been practicing what you're preaching for a while, and I think sometimes you forgot, even though it took me a long time to drive in the first place for other reasons.

So I just want to appreciate the work that you're doing, and it also happened to be the week that I um tried the electric bike for the first time, which was a life-changing experience, and now I've got to go save some money.

All right.

So proclamation, whereas access to mobility is fundamental to health, safety, economic opportunity, and community connection, enabling residents of Twelleton to reach education, employment, medical care, food, recreation, faith communities and social networks, and whereas transportation is the second largest household expense for most families, and the American Automobile Association estimates that the average cost of owning and operating a vehicle exceeds twelve thousand dollars per year, placing significant financial strain on households, particularly low and moderate income families.

And whereas transportation costs are directly tied to housing and land use decisions, and communities that lack affordable housing, near jobs, schools, health care, and essential services often require residents to travel farther and rely more heavily on costly car ownership.

And whereas nearly one third of people in the United States do not have a driver's license due to age, disability, income, health conditions was mine, our other barriers, and many others face temporary or permanent circumstances that prevent them from driving.

And whereas not all neighborhoods in Twalton have safe sidewalks, accessible curb ramps, protected bike infrastructure, reliable public transit, or land use patterns that allow daily needs to be met within a reasonable distance, and whereas transportation is a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and expanding safe accessible options for walking, rolling, biking, and public transit, supports climate action, cleaner air, and environmental stewardship, and whereas communities designed with multiple transportation options support local businesses, reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, improve public health, and create vibrant connected neighborhoods, and whereas experiencing a week without driving offers residents and leaders an opportunity to better understand the barriers faced by non-drivers and to identify practical solutions that promote safety, affordability, accessibility, climate resilience, and equitable land use.

Now, therefore, be a proclaimed by the city council of the city of Twalton that October 1st through 8th, 2026 is week without driving in Twalton and encourage residents, community organizations, businesses, and public officials to participate, reflect, and work towards a future where everyone, regardless of age, ability, or income, has safe affordable and uh sustainable transportation options.