West Linn City Council Business Meeting: Code Amendments, Property Acquisition, and Proclamation - October 14, 2025
West Linn City Council Business Meeting - October 14, 2025
The West Linn City Council held a business meeting on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The meeting included a proclamation declaring Oregon City-West Linn Rivalry Day, unanimous approval of consent agenda items, a public hearing and adoption of text amendments to the Community Development Code, and approval of a resolution to acquire two real properties. The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:50 p.m., ahead of schedule.
Consent Calendar
- Meeting Minutes: Unanimously approved (5-0) the September 8, 2025, City Council meeting minutes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the general public comment period or during the public hearing for Ordinance 1763. No written comments were received.
Discussion Items
- Proclamation: Mayor Rory Bialostosky read and signed the Oregon City-West Linn Rivalry Day Proclamation, declaring October 31, 2025, as such, recognizing the 105th annual football rivalry between the two high schools.
- Agenda Bill 2025-10-14-02: Public Hearing for Ordinance 1763 - Adopting text amendments to the West Linn Community Development Code Chapters 2, 5, 24, 55, 85, and 99 to update language for clarity and objectivity regarding minimum/maximum density calculations, minimum density exemptions, and shape of newly created lots. Planning Manager Darren Wyss presented the staff report, noting the amendments were previously reviewed in a September 15 council work session without major issues. No public testimony was offered. The council asked no questions.
- Agenda Bill 2025-10-14-03: Resolution 2025-14 - Approving the acquisition of two real properties: Tax Lot 21E26D00907 (a stormwater facility, approximately 0.25 acres, currently owned by Clackamas County and subject to a class-action lawsuit regarding surplus auction proceeds) and Tax Lot 21E36BA04000 (a 0.25-acre parcel on Reed Street, offered by the county for $1,100, intended for future street connectivity). Public Works Director Erich Lais and City Attorney Kaylie Klein explained the parcels, the auction process to avoid litigation entanglements, and the city's existing stormwater easements. Council discussed potential competing bids, the class-action lawsuit, and the city's condemnation authority as a backup.
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance 1763 (First Reading): Motion to approve first reading and set for second reading passed unanimously (5-0).
- Ordinance 1763 (Second Reading): Motion to approve second reading and adopt the ordinance passed unanimously (5-0).
- Resolution 2025-14: Motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the acquisition of the two tax lots passed unanimously (5-0). The city manager is delegated authority to carry out the transactions, including bidding at auction for the stormwater parcel.
- City Manager Report: City Manager John Williams noted upcoming work sessions, including a budget prioritization discussion (services, infrastructure, community amenities) and a goal-setting session possibly in January. Council expressed support for a separate retreat-style session for budget priorities. Council also directed staff to schedule an executive session for the city manager's annual evaluation, with council members to complete evaluation forms by the following week.
Meeting Transcript
We're recording. Yep, we're recording. Online there. Okay. Are we ready to go? All the staff here. I will then call to order the pre-meeting of the Western City Council. And it looks like we're recording live, so we can go ahead and uh get started. We have the uh allegiance start with an approval of the agenda public comment, mayor and council reports with a couple of appointments. You know, this is a real shift like a two one to two months. She said we could appoint, or we could just wait until December meeting and make the deployment. So this is for the Arts and Culture Commission. Yeah. Happened. Is that right? Yes, October. Month of October. Right. It's happening. I think we did. Okay. I just wanted to slide. I would agree with that. I don't know what kind of thing. Council Growner is ready on or you okay you okay wait until December to make the arts and culture appointments to the I don't think much is going to happen the rest of the year. The term goes to December, so I'm necessary to hurdles there. Okay. So we can still that off the agenda. We've got the Oregon City Western Rivalry Day. No arbitration was possible. No. Meeting minutes. Thank you, Kathy. And then we go into the business meeting and I'll turn it over to John to walk through the two items. We have two uh agenda uh on the business meeting. Uh both are well uh starting with Darren. This evening to enter any process questions you have, and as usual we won't talk about content in the pre-meeting, but it's an ordinance adopting text amendments to a variety of chapters. Um full staff recording the packet. If there's any information needs you have that you want to share with us right now or questions with Aaron about process, we're happy to answer them otherwise. I think we saw this in a work session previously, correct? Yeah, I was just here on uh meeting in September. So I'll try to keep the uh presentation a little briefer than the uh two other times as part of the planning session. Would you like to present it? We'll let the professionals do that. Uh and then Eric, this is uh a new item. Uh we'll cover it of course during the meeting, um, but you may have had an opportunity to read the packet. Uh if there's anything that you uh want Eric or Kaylee to research in the few minutes before the meeting, information that you don't have in the packet, questions you might have, we'd be happy to provide those with the relatively small item, but sometimes small items require a fair amount of staff time to bring to you. These are a bargain. Look at those purchase prices on there. Okay.
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