Tualatin City Council Work Session: Climate Action Plan and Eviction Prevention (October 26, 2026)

The Tualatin City Council held a work session on October 26, 2026. Staff presented the draft five-year Climate Action Plan work plan, outlined a proposed eviction prevention grant program, reviewed the upcoming council agenda, and heard council roundtable updates. No agenda or minutes were included with the transcript; the regular council meeting was scheduled to follow the work session.

Climate Action Plan Five-Year Work Plan

• Amanda Watson, climate action program manager, said the Climate Action Plan includes more than 100 actions to prepare for climate impacts and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The draft work plan covers 2026-2031 and was developed with a cross-departmental staff group, advisory committees, and earlier council feedback.
• Actions were scored in two rounds. Round 1 considered climate impact, co-benefits, alignment with council goals and adopted plans, and opportuneness. Round 2 considered feasibility, staff capacity, community support, funding, rough implementation cost, and long-term cost savings.
• The draft list balances adaptation and mitigation, all major hazards (heat, flooding, wildfire smoke) and emission sources, ongoing versus new work, and short-term versus longer-term efforts, while leaving room for emerging opportunities.
• Highlighted draft actions include: heat-focused communications and tree canopy efforts, Emerald Ash Borer response under the Tualatin River watershed action, wildfire preparedness and air filtration outreach, flood reduction and stormwater work tied to downtown and Nyberg Creek, building energy efficiency incentives, home energy scores, EV charging and R99 renewable diesel policies, consumer choice and multifamily recycling initiatives, and a facilities master plan that integrates climate goals.
• Councilors offered suggestions: Councilor Brooks asked about measuring emissions and suggested public-friendly projections; Councilor Gonzalez asked to emphasize reduce/reuse before recycling, explore cool/white roofs, and support dry-season walkability; Councilor Sacco asked about partnerships with the IDEA Committee and the Grand Ronde Tribe and multilingual emergency preparedness resources; Council President Pratt asked for housing variety/ADU connections, confirmed extreme weather shelters are in place, and asked about CERT evacuation workshops and heat-resource maps.
• Watson said the next GHG inventory update will measure community-wide progress, some individual actions can be quantified while education actions are indirect, and staff could investigate cool roofs, reuse partnerships, and community walking/carpooling events.

Eviction Prevention Grant Program

• Robin Doty, interim deputy city manager, introduced the item and Megan Cohen, homelessness liaison, presented the proposal. The program would use supportive housing services funds to prevent homelessness before eviction, focusing on Tualatin renters with one-time arrears caused by short-term job loss, medical emergencies, or similar situations.
• The proposed partner is Family Promise of Tualatin Valley, which operates a 70-bed family shelter and already has dedicated eviction prevention staff. They would handle household income verification, light-touch case management, direct payments to landlords, and coordination with other agencies. The program would target renters, not homeowners.
• Funding would be $35,000 per year beginning in FY 2026-27, using roughly $105,000 in homeless liaison intergovernmental agreement funds to cover three years: $30,000 for direct assistance and $5,000 for administration. Family Promise would report twice a year and present outcomes to the council.
• Complementary programming includes Community Action utility assistance for Tualatin water bills at multifamily properties, a Community Action staff liaison at the Tualatin library one day a week and at the Tigard library one day a week, possible on-the-spot utility assistance and navigation, and advocacy during the 2027 legislative session.
• Megan Cohen noted Washington County Supportive Housing Services ended the fiscal year with roughly $14 million in unspent funds; the county commission was expected to vote in mid-November on allocating those funds, with additional eviction prevention recommended and largely managed by Community Action.
• Councilor Brooks asked about supports for people on disability and benefits renewals. Megan cited SSI/SSDI navigation gaps, mentioned the Assist organization, and said the library liaison could generally refer people but not provide full casework. Council President Pratt asked Megan to repeat the organization name. Another councilor said it was reassuring that eviction help would be available in Tualatin after hearing many Tualatin residents seek help in other cities. The mayor called it good news but acknowledged it was not enough, while noting it would help several families over three years.

Agenda Review and Council Roundtable

• Council reviewed the regular meeting agenda, including the pledge, a Native American Heritage Month proclamation with IDEA Committee members, and a consent calendar item adopting the City of Tualatin Investment Policy. Councilor Brooks raised a transparency question, but staff clarified the policy must be approved annually by state law and no changes were recommended this year, so the item remained on consent.
• City Manager Lombos reported a national website award, a record-breaking city booth at the Pumpkin Regatta with at least 1,000 items given out, an initial Pumpkin Regatta attendance estimate of about 27,000, a winning pumpkin at Pints and Pumpkins weighing 1,563 pounds, winter program registration opening November 9, the lowest lead and copper sampling results since testing began, two new grant-funded electric city vehicles, and an asset management day with 40-50 participants.
• Council roundtable updates included attendance at League of Oregon Cities and ICMA conferences, Councilor Sacco's re-election to the women's caucus board, an LOC exceptional service award for Sherilyn, a Willamette River Water Coalition update that 82% of Oregon is in drought and the Willamette basin snow water equivalent was at 4%, IDEA Committee and community events, and Council President Pratt noting the housing forum highlighted that only 1% of people who reach out for help actually receive it.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken during the work session.
• Climate Action Plan staff will incorporate council feedback, finalize the draft action list, create rough fiscal-year timelines, develop performance measures, and report annually; staff said a final plan would likely return before the end of the year.
• The eviction prevention grant program received broadly supportive feedback. Staff will continue developing the Family Promise partnership, utility assistance, library liaison, and related wraparound services, with more details to come.