[0:09] Three counties,

[0:13] 24 cities, working together, accomplishing more than any of us could alone.

[0:30] Whether

[0:30] your roots run generations deep,

[0:36] or you recently moved to Greater Portland, you are a part

[0:40] of Metro. The nation's only regional government, elected by the people,

[0:50] planning for the future.

[0:53] Preserving what we love.

[0:56] Let's keep our region thriving for decades to come.

[1:05] I'm Laura Leppley, a metropark ranger.

[1:08] Here at Oxbow Park, safety is our number one priority, not only for our guests, but

[1:13] for our staff members.

[1:15] I'm at the Welcome Center and you're at the Regional Center.

[1:18] The council chambers are located on the third floor.

[1:21] In the event of a fire or fire alarm, please exit through the door in the northeast corner

[1:26] of the room. Go down the stairway to the second floor. Exit through the main entrance by the

[1:32] reception desk and gather in the courtyard outside that entrance. In the event of a medical

[1:37] or fire emergency, please call 911 and notify the security agent at the reception desk.

[1:43] The nearest defibrillator is mounted on the steps, leading from the reception desk down to grand avenue.

[1:48] Thank you and come visit us at Oxford Park.

[1:50] So,

[1:57] a business meeting of March 12, 2026 to order.

[2:00] Directly, please call the roll.

[2:04] Absolutely.

[2:06] Councillor Simpson.

[2:09] Present, be warning.

[2:11] Councillor Nolan.

[2:13] Present.

[2:15] Councillor Rosenthal.

[2:17] Present.

[2:18] Councillor Good morning.

[2:19] Councillor Gonzales.

[2:20] Present, good morning.

[2:21] Councillor Wong.

[2:22] Present.

[2:23] Councillor Lewis.

[2:24] Present.

[2:24] Councillor President Peterson.

[2:26] Here.

[2:27] Thank you.

[2:27] So with that, we will move on.

[2:32] Before we begin today's business meeting, I am delighted to welcome students, families,

[2:37] and staff from the Korean Society of Oregon who have chosen to spend their morning with

[2:40] Metro learning about civic engagement and seeing local government at work.

[2:44] Councilor Sons-Alesen-Rose and all visited with the Korean Society of Oregon's Bebe, which

[2:47] in office is in December, and extended today's invitation.

[2:52] The Korean American Youth Ambassadors program for middle and high school students.

[2:56] students interested in civic engagement, public service, and community leadership.

[3:00] This is their first visit to measure to better understand how regional government serves our communities and how leadership can create lasting impact.

[3:07] This morning they took a special tour of the Oregon Convention Center,

[3:10] chat with counselors and we'll observe parts of today's council session.

[3:13] A special thank you for being here today as our visitors.

[3:17] Welcome.

[3:22] I expect to see you all up here in ten years.

[3:26] With that, we will now open public communications on non-agenda items.

[3:30] Sturgially, please describe to the audience our procedures for public communications.

[3:36] Absolutely.

[3:43] If you are testifying on non-agenda items, now is the time to do so.

[3:48] If you are testifying in person, you can sign up by filling out a blue card in the back

[3:53] of the room and bringing it up to me.

[3:55] If you are testifying on Zoom or by phone, please sign up by using the raise hand function

[4:00] in your reaction or more menu, or by dialing star nine.

[4:05] When it is your turn to testify, I'll call in your name or phone number.

[4:08] For those on Zoom, click accept to be promoted to a panelist.

[4:12] Your Zoom window will close briefly before you rejoin as a panelist, and you can turn on

[4:15] your camera if you'd like.

[4:16] Testimonies limited to three minutes.

[4:18] The timer begins when you begin speaking.

[4:20] There are timers located on the tables, on the wall, and on the digital screen.

[4:26] Please state your name for the record before testifying.

[4:28] you do not need to give your physical address.

[4:31] Council President Peterson, we do have one person who's signed up to testify on non-agenda

[4:35] items, and that is Matt Henderson,

[4:41] so you can come up to any of these four in your

[4:43] time.

[4:44] You begin speaking.

[4:46] Mm-hmm.

[4:47] Good morning.

[4:59] Greetings.

[5:00] Metro Council members.

[5:01] I'm Matt Henderson and I'm a renter at Lloyd Center Mall, and I'm also a lead organizer

[5:07] of the Saveloid Campaign, which is a grassroots initiative

[5:11] to try to save Lloyd Center Mall from closure and demolition.

[5:17] Between the Saveloid Center Mall and Saveloid ice rink petitions,

[5:22] we have over 10,000 signatures.

[5:25] From Portlanders who want to see some meaningful part

[5:28] of Lloyd Center preserved and saved from demolition.

[5:32] Having attended your Tuesday meeting and learned more about the vital work that Metro

[5:38] does and how your values factor into the recently passed resolution 26. 5570.

[5:47] We feel Portland Metro could play a leading role in uplifting Lloyd Center as a community

[5:56] fixture and asset within our city.

[6:00] Your critical capacities as both a convener and funder that continues to center racial equity

[6:08] and climate goals and supports inclusive, broad-based job creation and retention,

[6:14] economic mobility and shared prosperity is in perfect alignment with the current needs of

[6:22] the community with regard to Lloyd Center. Specifically, we became aware that not only is Metro

[6:29] So, interested in the concept of a reuse mall, but the concept was, as far as we could

[6:37] tell, adopted into your strategic plan as a priority.

[6:43] An incredible opportunity exists at Lloyd Center, and it is about to be entirely overwritten

[6:49] by an out-of-state institutional financial monolith with seemingly zero stake in how this

[6:55] mass replan and its wasteful demolition will impact our city and its cultural vitality.

[7:04] We have been calling upon city officials for the past couple of months and have experienced

[7:10] a dismal response with the exception of a few city council members who have supported

[7:15] us shout out Tiffany Koyama Lane. Thank you, Tiffany, for being an early supporter of Save

[7:22] but we also understand there's a lot going on in our city and in the world

[7:27] presently and in fact we are in a recession with no end inside.

[7:34] We'd like to

[7:35] highlight Lloyd Center as a bright beacon of hope in these bleak times and explain

[7:41] its potential to offer innovative solutions to our depressed city. We are here

[7:47] today to ask you to come to the table with our group and to quickly determine

[7:53] whether there is potential and interest to work together to help preserve Lloyd Center's legacy.

[8:00] For the past year, the small has been on an upward swing despite the ownership's every

[8:06] effort to resolve to close it. And we can't stress enough how critical the time window is on this.

[8:14] Can we find a time to meet with Metro at the earliest possible opportunity? Thank you so much for

[8:20] your attention.

[8:27] Yes, that's it. Thank you. Thank you. And I think we had said on Tuesday that we had your contact

[8:32] so you can just make sure you've got your contact in Georgia so we can follow up with staff.

[8:37] Appreciate that. Thank you.

[8:41] Being no one else? No one else? Okay. I will close public testimony on non-agenda items and move on to our

[8:47] next, our first resolution, which is number 26-5567 for the purpose of adopting oversight and accountability measures and

[8:54] agenda priorities for the support of housing services regional policy and oversight committee.

[8:59] Following our work session discussions over the last several weeks, council

[9:02] today consider resolution that provides additional direction to Metro's housing

[9:07] team for implementation of the support of housing service reforms work plan as adopted in December

[9:13] 2025. Deputy President Huang and Councillor Gonzales are the sponsors of this resolution and I will

[9:24] to refer from memories, this resolution is starting stems from conversations in December,

[9:30] where we passed the resolution to create the regional policy and oversight committee

[9:36] and kind of set the initial work plan. This resolution today is an accompaniment that work

[9:42] to continue mapping out the work we hope can be done to create the best regional system possible.

[9:49] We had work sessions on February 24th and March 3rd

[9:53] to incorporate feedback and edits.

[9:55] And I'm going to thank all my colleagues

[9:56] for all your contributions

[9:58] to make this piece of legislation.

[10:00] The final resolution has received review from our staff

[10:05] and OMA, and there's some minor clarifications,

[10:10] but none of which are substantive in nature

[10:12] from our last discussion.

[10:14] I just want to recognize also that we've received formal letters

[10:18] from Multnomah Black men's and Washington counties

[10:21] requesting to delay this resolution vote.

[10:24] Several Councillors have been direct conversation

[10:26] with their county counterparts to hear their concerns,

[10:28] which will lead to an amendment from Councillor Lewis

[10:31] to address some of the concerns

[10:33] in clarifying legislative intents.

[10:35] We also received a letter for support

[10:36] from our partners here together,

[10:40] the Coalition of the King is the Collar,

[10:42] and Portland Metro Chamber,

[10:43] and several folks are here to testify today.

[10:46] So I think this has been an exercise in collaboration

[10:49] and communication, and I think I'll leave it at that for now on Turnipita, Councillor

[10:56] Lewis.

[10:58] Sure.

[10:58] Thank you so much, Councillor.

[11:00] In result of receiving letters from all three counties, but most particularly Black

[11:05] and Miss County, I had the opportunity for a significant meeting with Councillor, excuse

[11:11] me, Commissioner Ben West at Black and Miss yesterday, specifically focused on the language

[11:17] around the RIF and the edits that have been made.

[11:22] So I am bringing today a amendment to the Resolution 265567

[11:28] passing it down here.

[11:29] Just some clarifying language that does not affect the intent

[11:34] of what we were talking about with the RIF.

[11:37] But the amendment affects the second item relating to

[11:41] regional investment fund governance and alignment

[11:43] located on page 3 of the original and we're adding a few words for clarification and we're striking some so it will now read Metro Council direct staff for consultation with county staff to recommend to our

[12:02] our POC, consideration of governance and management models for the regional investment fund

[12:07] to better achieve regional outcomes.

[12:10] We're going to strike, quote, with a goal of transitioning funding decisions and

[12:15] disbursement responsibilities to Metro, and then we will continue.

[12:19] Staff must present the our, present the our POC recommendations on governance and

[12:24] management model frameworks to Metro Council by September 30th, 2026.

[12:29] So that amendment makes it clear that what we're moving forward with with the RIF is metro with the guidance of our park and not metro council acting alone.

[12:41] Colleagues, any questions? This is a language that is in the spirit of what.

[12:45] Right.

[12:47] Clockiness County via Commissioner West believe that they can support it's the clarity

[12:53] that they need.

[12:59] No questions.

[13:00] Oh, I'm sorry.

[13:02] Do you want me to?

[13:03] Oh, please.

[13:04] Yes.

[13:04] I'm sorry, Madam President.

[13:06] Councillor Nolan, did you have a question for Councillor Lewis?

[13:09] Yes, I did, Madam Chair.

[13:10] Thanks.

[13:12] Councillor Lewis, you said that the amendment doesn't change the intent.

[13:19] But I think it does, by the words that you propose to strike.

[13:27] Because striking those words leaves the expectation more ambiguous and subject to interpretation.

[13:40] Is that the intent of the language?

[13:43] The intent of the language is to say this work of bringing the RIF to a regional level

[13:50] is through the R-POC and not solely at the discretion of the Metro Council, so using the

[13:56] R-POC Metro kind of co-governance arrangement that is set up in the previously adopted

[14:04] governance reforms.

[14:09] Any further follow-up?

[14:13] We do have a time to talk more about this after a motion has been made, yeah.

[14:19] So I just want to encourage us to ask clarifying questions now and we can talk about this more

[14:26] when we get to getting a motion on an amendment to the actual resolution.

[14:33] So Councilor Rosable, do you want to ask a question now?

[14:37] Okay, thank you.

[15:00] Do you have any further remarks? No, I motion that we approve the. We need to go to the public comment. That's going to say the amendment. If there's no other questions for Councillor Lois on the amendment, then I would. The folks that we go into public comment. Georgia, would you like to introduce public comment? Absolutely. Also, we do have copies of the amendment here, if anyone would like to see them.

[15:29] If you are testifying in person on Resolution 26-5567 now is time to do so, please sign

[15:36] up by filling out a blue card in the back of the room and bringing it up to me.

[15:40] If you are testifying on Zoom or by phone, please sign up by using the raise hand function

[15:43] in the reactions or more menus or by dialing star 9.

[15:47] When it is your turn to testify, I'll call in your name or phone number, but those on Zoom

[15:51] could accept to be promoted to a panelist.

[15:53] Here's a window we'll close briefly before you read you in as a panelist and you can turn

[15:56] on your camera if you'd like. Testimony is limited to three minutes and the timer begins when you

[16:01] begin speaking. Please state your name for the record before testifying. You do not need to give

[16:05] your physical address. And Council President Peterson, we do have some folks who have signed up to

[16:10] testify, as well as to invite a testimony. First person to be called up is Angela Martin.

[16:34] Good

[16:34] I'm going to start by thanking the Council and Metro staff for running a process that

[16:41] genuinely included everyone's voice.

[16:44] The reforms adopted in December and those before you today move as meaningfully closer

[16:49] to a system that can deliver what the public, providers, stakeholders, and people experiencing

[16:56] homelessness actually need.

[16:58] In advance of this hearing, I submitted to Council a sign-on letter co-circulated by

[17:03] here together in Portland Metro Chamber, signed by dozens of partners and members who

[17:08] have been with us throughout this now two-year process.

[17:12] They supported the December reforms and what you're voting on today, including the amendment

[17:16] before you.

[17:17] I'll speak specifically to that in a second.

[17:20] First, I want to speak to what providers have been sharing with me because these are

[17:25] not abstract policy changes, they will have real impact on the work happening on the ground

[17:31] every day. First, continuous improvement, which, to be honest, sounded like a buzz word

[17:37] to me when I first heard it, but the resolution that before you today puts this word into action.

[17:48] I've heard directly from providers who have transformed their operations when given the

[17:53] opportunity and the resources to adopt a continuous improvement process.

[17:58] Some have used continuous improvements to decrease the time from client intake to delivery

[18:03] of services, and others have used it to improve accounting policies that in the old days

[18:09] we're resulting in delayed payments to landlords and now have right-sized their internal process

[18:15] to make those payments on time with a lot less effort.

[18:19] This resolution makes those opportunities available to the entire system.

[18:24] At a moment, when every efficiency matters and every dollar has to go further, this is not a small thing.

[18:32] The next thing I want to speak to is accountability and what actually means if we want the public to trust the system.

[18:39] Public trust in this program depends on one thing.

[18:42] people being able to see that it's working and knowing that everyone responsible for making it work is being held to the same standard.

[18:51] That means accountability cannot stop at the regional level. It has to run all the way through.

[18:58] Metro, the new oversight committee, counties, and providers, everyone in the system, answerable to the same clear set of expectations.

[19:07] On the provider side, one of the most persistent frustrations we hear is that contracting

[19:12] practices vary across the region, organizations delivering identical services working

[19:18] under different expectations and reporting requirements.

[19:22] That's not accountability, that's confusion, and it makes it harder, not easier, to know

[19:27] what's working.

[19:29] We support the new committee moving quickly to establish performance metrics that are meaningful,

[19:35] consistent and fair. The third thing I want to speak to is the regional

[19:39] investment fund, the amendment for you today, and why it matters that we get

[19:44] this right. The regional investment fund was born from a vision that some

[19:49] problems are regional in nature and deserve regional solutions. Now, SHS funding

[19:55] has allowed each county to grow its homeless services system in ways that simply

[19:59] weren't possible before. Clackamas and Washington counties were able to build

[20:03] systems that did not have the resources to develop prior to SHS. Each county has its own

[20:10] population, its own challenges, its own local context, and that flexibility matters.

[20:15] But homelessness doesn't stop at county lines. There are regional problems that require

[20:20] regional responses, and that RIF is the mechanism to make those cross-county investments.

[20:27] We support directing new oversight committee to develop a new governance model and a set of

[20:32] guiding principles for how the fund is invested.

[20:35] I believe the new committee working together can debate and develop a proposal that returns

[20:40] us to that original intent, applying a regional lens where it's needed most.

[20:48] We're at a real reflection point.

[20:50] The reforms before you today give us better tools, a stronger committee, clearer accountability,

[20:55] and a framework for continuous improvement, but tools only work if we use them well.

[21:00] here together and our partners are committed to staying engaged holding ourselves to the same

[21:05] high standard we're asking from the system and helping make sure these reforms deliver.

[21:10] I'll end my remarks there but certainly happy to answer any questions.

[21:18] Thank you.

[21:21] Next we have John Isaacs.

[21:36] Good morning. Metro President Peterson and

[21:38] counselors. My name is John Isaacs and I'm the Executive Director of Public Affairs for the

[21:42] Portland Metro Chamber. I'm a resident of southeast Portland and I prefer he and

[21:47] The Portland Metro Chamber is greater Portland's chamber of commerce and represents the largest

[21:50] most diverse network of businesses in the region.

[21:53] The Alliance advocates at all levels of government to support commerce, community health and

[21:56] the regions overall prosperity.

[21:58] We represent more than 2,300 members from 27 counties, 13 states and virtually all industry

[22:04] sectors.

[22:05] More than 81% of our members are small businesses defined by employers of 10 employees or less.

[22:11] On behalf of our members and partners, I'm here today to express the chamber's strongest,

[22:15] possible support for resolution 265-6567. This resolution for the very first time will require

[22:21] transparent outcomes based success metrics connected to a system that will track and measure

[22:25] performance and a regional corrective action framework that will boost accountability and performance

[22:30] the regional support of home before the regional support of home with services program.

[22:34] I'm going to walk us through some history today, okay? Six years ago the chamber under the leadership

[22:41] Ship of a brand new CEO who had just arrived here from Brooklyn, New York made the extraordinary

[22:44] decision to step up and claim a true leadership role in solving the most pressing crisis in

[22:49] our region, widespread and persistent unsheltered homelessness.

[22:53] We were involved with every step of the negotiated drafting of the SHS measure and the final agreement

[22:57] was reached in the Chamber's conference room.

[23:00] Chamber's CEO and President Andrew Hone agreed to serve as the chief spokesperson of the

[23:04] campaign and even debated some statewide business groups who opposed the measure.

[23:08] We were told then by county leaders that they had a plan, that we knew what the solutions

[23:13] were and all we lacked was the will to provide the generation level of funding necessary

[23:17] to implement these solutions and solve homelessness in the region.

[23:20] The slogan for the campaign was, and homelessness, voters said yes.

[23:25] About two years ago, after it was clear that none of this was true, no plan existed and

[23:30] no clear understanding of the solutions existed.

[23:32] We even began to hear comments suggesting that the measure was never intended to end homelessness and it was never enough money to solve the problem.

[23:40] Combined with flashing red economic indicators that predicted the region was falling into recession,

[23:45] resulting in declining revenues to clients that we are experiencing now,

[23:49] it was clear that the measure that we celebrated as a generational win in 2020 was on a path towards political and organizational collapse.

[23:58] To make matters worse, the public was repeatedly exposed to bitter internal turf wars and

[24:03] finger pointing between local governments across the region.

[24:06] With this crisis coming straight at us, the homeless service provider community represented

[24:10] by here together and the business community represented by the Chamber, Portland Metro Association

[24:15] of Relatures and several other regional business partners chose to put our differences aside,

[24:19] identify areas of agreement and form a coalition to push for a radical change to write the

[24:24] ship before it was too late.

[24:25] It was crystal clear to business and service providers that public disillusionment would continue

[24:30] to grow if we did not act to strengthen regional collaboration, transparency, accountability,

[24:36] and adopt a leisure focus on making unshildered homelessness the top priority.

[24:41] Can I continue?

[24:43] Thank you.

[24:43] I said before this council on October 16, 2024, quote, the status quo is clearly unacceptable

[24:50] and it is incumbent upon us to course correct to save the historic resource.

[24:54] as the funders of this program, the business community's frustration is at a

[24:58] breaking point. We promise voters we would measurably address homelessness and we

[25:02] must make major changes to convince the public we are

[25:05] on track to deliver on that promise. In my testimony, we also called for these specific

[25:10] improvements, strengthen collaborative transparent oversight that includes leaders

[25:14] representing the key stakeholders, oversight that honors the true intent of the

[25:19] original measure and historic regional resource that follows an agreed upon

[25:22] on regional plan with transparent, measurable outcomes.

[25:26] We also call for right size and the tax rates,

[25:28] so it can be sustained over a multi-decade time frame

[25:31] and indexing the qualifying income threshold

[25:34] to inflation.

[25:35] We endorsed a 20-year extension at a 0.25% lower rate.

[25:39] We know what happened with that proposal.

[25:42] This resolution today is completely aligned

[25:44] with these reform priorities

[25:45] and will provide a clear direction

[25:47] to the new governing body

[25:48] that the Metro Council already approved.

[25:50] This follows critical action by this council last year on meaningful tax reform.

[25:55] In 2025, the council delivered on its promise to deliver this meaningful reform by indexing the tax to inflation.

[26:02] A standard policy that protects taxpayers from being subject to a tax increase,

[26:05] simply through the rising cost of living or standard cost of living increases in their compensation.

[26:11] This has provided meaningful tax relief to thousands of middle-class residents and will continue to do so.

[26:17] The Chamber cannot be prouder to a collaborated with Angela Martin and a team of our most important

[26:22] homeless service providers in the region to drive these critical reforms forward in collaboration

[26:27] with the leaders on this council.

[26:29] This series of reforms have been adopted since we worked with you to drive a call to action

[26:35] culminating in this accountability resolution today.

[26:39] These are deeply important concrete improvements that have given the SHS measure a political

[26:44] lifeline have already resulted in improved performance that we see the community recognizing

[26:51] in surveys, and it provided tax relief to thousands of taxpayers. Now, with the adoption of

[26:56] this resolution, the fate of the SHS measure with voters will depend entirely on urgent implementation

[27:02] and the results seen by the community. I want to close my testimony with some recognitions.

[27:08] Our former board member Andrew Rowe, whose deep understanding of effective systems,

[27:12] outcomes based service delivery and health policy were recognized by the Chamber Board of Directors

[27:17] when he was approved as our formal representative to President Peterson's Reform Staring Committee

[27:21] and who contributed significantly to this resolution. I want to thank President Peterson

[27:27] who had the foresight and strength and leadership to recognize the breadth of the crisis and took

[27:32] on what was a thankless job in pushing a genuine reform discussion forward. And I want to thank

[27:38] the current incoming Council President Duncan Wong,

[27:41] Councillor Wong-Karlis Gonzalez,

[27:43] Councillor Lewis, and Councillor Ashton Simpson,

[27:46] who dove into these very difficult discussions

[27:48] at different times and supported us in our push for change.

[27:52] Your actions and confidence in your convictions has been

[27:55] one of the most genuine demonstrations of strong leadership.

[27:58] I have had the privilege to have a front row seat too

[27:59] in my career at one of the most critical times

[28:02] and we thank you deeply.

[28:04] For these reasons, the Chamber affirms our ongoing commitment

[28:07] to the success of the support of homeless services measure and the regional program it supports.

[28:12] We strongly encourage you to vote aye, thank you for your time and consideration.

[28:16] Thank you.

[28:18] Thank you.

[28:19] Next we have Alex Fan.

[28:23] Good

[28:30] morning everyone.

[28:32] Thank you, President Peterson and Council members for allowing me to testify today.

[28:37] My name is Alex Fan.

[28:39] I'm a resident of Washington County, small business owner, father, and a huge supporter

[28:44] for homeless providers since 2018.

[28:48] I also want to thank President Peterson for appointing me to the SHS reform work group

[28:53] this last year.

[28:54] It allowed me the opportunity to help shape some of these recommendations today.

[28:59] In our region, as our region continues to struggle with homelessness, we need a homelessness

[29:05] response system that is compassionate, accountable, effective, and worthy of public trust.

[29:11] I support this resolution because it tackles the critical operational gaps and will give

[29:17] the Regional Policy and Oversight Committee the ability to improve how the system works.

[29:23] First, it creates the public performance dashboard with standardized regional metrics

[29:28] so providers, policymakers, and the public are working from the same data.

[29:34] A public-facing dashboard will improve transparency, strengthen trust with taxpayers and voters

[29:40] and help keep everyone focused on outcomes.

[29:44] Second, it advances reforms to the regional investment fund,

[29:48] so that way regional dollars can be managed and deployed more strategically.

[29:53] Streamlining regional investment fund will help get resources where they are needed faster.

[30:00] I mentioned that invests in training, technical assistance, and implementation support, and recognizes

[30:06] that frontline providers are often the best position to identify barriers. We should design a system

[30:13] that listens to that expertise and gives providers the support that they need to improve performance.

[30:20] Finally, it directs the development of a clearer accountability framework with more consistent

[30:25] and expectations, monitoring, and corrective action processes.

[30:30] These are reforms that providers, business leaders, and community stakeholders have been

[30:35] asking for a long, long time.

[30:38] If we're serious about housing everyone, then we need to be just as serious about building

[30:43] a system that can actually deliver.

[30:46] With transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement at its core, I urge you to adopt

[30:52] this resolution.

[30:53] Thank you.

[30:55] Thank you.

[30:57] Next we have Anna Kursinsky and I think that Anna is on the part that I was about

[31:06] to say.

[31:06] Okay.

[31:06] I'm going to go on you now.

[31:17] Thank you.

[31:19] And good morning, Metro Councillors, for the record I'm Anna Kursinsky, Executive Director

[31:24] of Community Warehouse, our Metro Area's Only Furniture Bank.

[31:27] I'm here to support Resolution 5567 in the Regional Policy and Oversight Committee at

[31:33] establishes, this resolution offers a critical opportunity to fix systemic gaps in regional

[31:39] SHS implementation, but only if it creates clear, supported pathways for identifying and funding

[31:45] proven essential regional services. RIF does hold $18 million annually, which is far too much for

[31:52] regional planning alone. We need some of these dollars flowing to regional services that directly

[31:56] stabilize housing. Community warehouses spent four years advocating for a regional SHS contract

[32:02] that would standardize service across all three counties, create efficiency and ensure every

[32:06] SHS qualified household moves into a furnished home. In December 2024, we presented testimony to

[32:12] the TCPV with a letter signed by over 100 housing agencies and advocates urging immediate action.

[32:18] The co-chairs committed to moving it forward immediately and instead progressed in part due to

[32:24] governance reforms and change during that time. More than a year later, here's our situation. We have

[32:29] a successful Washington County SHS contract, three years of proven results with 36 percent

[32:34] more homes furnished, wait times reduced to under one week, and two 20 partner agencies

[32:39] freed from administrative burdens. But we have no contracts with Multnomah and Clackamas

[32:43] and a regional contract hasn't moved forward despite documented need and stakeholder support.

[32:48] We're stuck in limbo while many of our agencies are telling us due to federal and other cuts,

[32:52] they may not be able to get clients, furniture anymore. People experiencing furniture poverty currently,

[32:58] 20% of Americans and nearly everyone coming out of homelessness are less likely to move

[33:03] into and maintain housing. Metro has taken this pause to reconfigure

[33:07] RIF in its governance that is great, but if this year plus long process ends in the same

[33:13] place with funding held back, no clear pathway for proven solutions, and essential services

[33:18] like community where how still unable to access regional contracts, that would be a profound

[33:22] failure.

[33:23] As HHS is our region's opportunity to deliver comprehensive housing solutions, we need

[33:28] the structural flexibility to make it happen.

[33:31] I urge you to ensure this resolution and subsequent R-POC directives create explicit pathways

[33:36] for regional services that serve the entire system, including cross-county supports like

[33:41] furniture provision.

[33:42] Let's move these millions into action that serves our community.

[33:46] Thank you all for your leadership on SHS reform.

[33:49] This is very important, and we are here to partner with you in making this system work

[33:53] better for everyone and shout out to the SAFE Lloyd Center. Thank you. Thank you.

[34:02] Council President Peterson, that concludes the testimony sign-ups for this 10 item.

[34:07] Okay, awesome. Thank you for everybody who came forward. It has been quite a journey to get us

[34:13] to this point and I just want to thank my councillors for taking up the torch and running forward

[34:21] with it after the first round of reforms and digging into the specifics that we need to get going

[34:29] on as soon as possible in order to get results out in the field as soon as possible.

[34:35] So I will, at this point, call for a motion on the resolution itself, number 26-5567.

[34:44] I move to the adoption. No, sorry.

[34:47] I have three people and I have to go to Councillor Gonzales first.

[34:51] Councillor Gonzales moved.

[34:52] Do I have a second?

[34:54] Second.

[34:55] It's been seconded by Councillor Rosenthal.

[34:58] Councillors, we can now have a conversation about the amendment which means, first, does anybody

[35:09] have any questions on the actual resolution itself or comments on it?

[35:14] And the actual resolution before we get to the amendment.

[35:18] What's the appropriate time to make general comments on the, on the, rather make it on the

[35:22] amended risk?

[35:23] It'll be nice to make a motion and have somebody make a motion on the amendment and get

[35:27] a second.

[35:29] Well, then I'll move this amendment as read before to page three, second item regarding the

[35:36] regional investment fund governance and alignment for the record.

[35:40] it's adding after consultation with county staff to recommend to RPOC consideration of governance

[35:48] and management models for the regional investment fund to better achieve regional outcomes.

[35:54] It removes the rest of that line and then it continues staff must present the RPOC recommendations

[36:01] on governance and management model framework symmetric council by September 30th of 2016.

[36:06] Thank you. Do I have a second?

[36:07] Second.

[36:08] Okay.

[36:08] It's been moved and second in Georgia.

[36:09] We please call the roll on the Opposed Amendment.

[36:12] Hello.

[36:13] Should we have conversation first?

[36:14] Do you want a discussion?

[36:16] No.

[36:16] Not on the amendments.

[36:17] Yes.

[36:18] On the amendment.

[36:19] On the amendment.

[36:19] Okay.

[36:20] Councilor Nolan.

[36:22] Thanks, Madam Chair.

[36:27] In the context of the letters we all received from the different counties, who each in their own

[36:34] way to me seem to be expressing a desire and an assertion that they each have separate

[36:45] parts of the SHS program and they want Metro to not interfere with their parts of it.

[36:56] It's my interpretation of the letters we receive from each of the three counties.

[37:04] All of them say it differently, but the message is very similar.

[37:11] That seems contrary to our discussion woven through all of our work sessions since December

[37:18] on this topic.

[37:19] that we are committed to a regional plan that addresses homelessness on a regional perspective.

[37:30] The amendment that's proposed seems to reinforce that there are parts of the SHS program

[37:43] that are county and Metro has to keep its hands off.

[37:49] I don't support that interpretation.

[37:53] I don't support that as policy.

[37:57] And I'm concerned also about whether the amendment,

[38:04] maybe inadvertently in the language that's chosen,

[38:10] gives more sway to the RPOC than was originally intended.

[38:16] For example, the amendment says that staff shall present RPOC recommendation to the Metro Council.

[38:25] It doesn't say that staff can't present other alternatives,

[38:32] but it could be interpreted to imply that.

[38:35] I don't think the Metro Council should be constrained to considering only

[38:45] ideas or proposals that the R-POC brings forward.

[38:48] There could come a time, and in fact I expect there will, where there's a

[38:53] disagreement between our collective perspective on a regional program, and what

[39:01] But members of the county representatives of the counties and perhaps the R-Poc see moving forward.

[39:11] And I don't want to seed our authority or our responsibility to the R-Poc.

[39:19] I welcome if I'm misunderstanding this, if someone could explain that.

[39:24] But unless I get an explanation, I can't support the amendment, although I do support the underlying

[39:30] resolution.

[39:34] Before we move on to Councilor Rosalo, who has

[39:36] this hand up, Councillor Lois, did you want to?

[39:38] Sure, thank you. The underlying resolution still gives our

[39:44] POC a significant amount of authority and balance in the

[39:50] goal areas of where we're going to spend the riff. We have

[39:56] outlined that the riff six goals from the tri-counting planning

[40:01] body should be reviewed by ARPOC and either reaffirmed or edited. And it sounds to me like

[40:09] your concern is not in the subject matter of those six areas and the programming that is

[40:16] supported by them, but instead you are worried that we would want to make funding decisions,

[40:22] not program decisions, separate from ARPOC. And I don't think that was ever the intent. This is

[40:31] the set aside for regional investment and regional frameworks that support all three counties

[40:37] and the work that they do. And it sounds like that's where your fundamental disagreement is,

[40:42] but I will underscore, even the original work still had our POC affirming and directing

[40:52] programmatic spending within the six areas and any additional areas they'd like to add.

[41:01] Okay. Thank you for the clarification on the intent.

[41:04] We've got Councillor Rosenthal, Councillor Gensalitz and Councillor Flaun.

[41:08] Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to say I support this amendment because I read it

[41:12] somewhat differently. I read it as just emphasizing the fact that this is going to be a collaborative

[41:17] process. It's going to be back and forth and that both our

[41:21] park as well as the counties will have voices that we will want to listen to. I do not think

[41:27] think this council in its current or in its future form is going to be less committed

[41:32] to a regional approach.

[41:34] The art is in balancing the regional approach with the needs of individual counties and

[41:40] individual populations.

[41:42] So I think this amendment moves a bit more in that direction, and it shows a little bit

[41:48] more that we want to hear the voices that are going to be raised and that have this consideration.

[41:54] And so I would support this amendment.

[41:58] Thank you. Councilor Giselle.

[42:00] Thanks, President Peterson. I mean, first I want to thank Councillor Lewis for helping

[42:04] to thread the needle here. You know, my perspective, the amendment does meet the intent of

[42:12] the legislation as originally. I know Councillor Wong and I have been working and I'm curious

[42:17] to hear as well his reflections as an author and co-sponsor of this. I think primarily, you

[42:25] I come back to our December legislation, which one created the ARPOC, but also helped to define what that work plan would be with some of the timelines that we have.

[42:36] And then this body of work is building off of that initial legislation, which was again, what is the work plan for ARPOC?

[42:44] So I do think that the language reflecting the relationship between Metro and the ARPOC is important.

[42:51] I think that it clarifies what, I think, our original intent was in terms of that.

[42:57] And, you know, I want to remind the council to that in establishing this new oversight structure,

[43:04] we selected a bit of a concurrence model similar to JPEC, which has a decision-making,

[43:10] sharing power sharing with ARPOC in terms of how the region moves forward.

[43:14] And I think that we're going to need to have that balance.

[43:19] and also we're setting probably the most consequential table for homelessness of this decade, and it's going to be the most urgent space to negotiate and really hash out these things about how this system moves forward because it needs to move forward.

[43:38] So just to kind of land my comments here, I just want to thank Councillor Ruiz for doing

[43:44] the hard work to help create a better reflection and I support the amendment.

[43:49] Thank you. Councillor Farn. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President.

[43:54] When I was drafting this original language, if I had a magic wand, I would love the rift to be

[44:02] back at Metro as per the original intent but unfortunately that's not the situation that we're in

[44:10] and you know had a lot of conversations with our legal department

[44:15] and as well as our partners and I think I know where we need to get to but how we get there now

[44:22] requires some really deep conversation and thinking I think from a riff right now

[44:30] You know, for hearing from our county partners that they're already contractually obligated, and I would better understand what that means to

[44:39] disrupt

[44:41] Potentially existing contracts that are probably going to worth worthy

[44:45] Projects just not regional projects necessarily and what that would mean

[44:49] So I think it's worth having kind of that deep dive and I think that the original intent is still here where it's like

[45:00] The framework back to council to discuss in collaboration. But yeah, we don't have that magic one. Unfortunately, and we have to work through a process and get that by end. So I think I'm okay with this amendment as proposed. Thank you, council. Yeah, thank you. I would like to speak a little bit more in specifics. You know, the meeting I had at Clarkham's County. I was able to learn about the very specific funding investments.

[45:29] that they've made, and obviously are intent of having this conversation start in September

[45:37] at the council level, conclude at the epoch level at the end of summer, is to be ahead

[45:45] of next budget season. So I want to provide a surety that the counties in the budget that

[45:50] we're all embarking on right now, do four months from now, are not changing. So undercoordinated

[45:57] entry, Clackham's County pays for case conferencing staff, they've paid for HMIS migration

[46:05] project, they've paid for a program called Housing for Success which was approved by

[46:09] the Tri-County Planning Body to support limited duration programming to advance household

[46:15] self-sufficiency, and it pays for a small portion of the point-in-time count, those are all extremely

[46:20] worthy items. None of them roll up other than HMIS to some extent to a true regional

[46:27] program. None of them are exactly what we would want to see continued funding, but these

[46:33] things would all be eligible for continued funding. If they met the regional north star,

[46:37] gold star best practices, and we agreed at the ARPOC and metro level that they were worth

[46:43] funding out of the RIF. So that's just one example plus in the context that these four buckets

[46:50] of funding under a coordinated entry are secure for this next budget cycle. So if the counties

[46:56] so chooses. So I think we're being timely in a smart way by asking for this by September.

[47:02] So we are well ahead of the next budget. Thank you. Thank you. Saying no further hands raised.

[47:12] George, will we please call the roll on the amendment?

[47:17] Yes. Councillor Simpson.

[47:20] Hi. Councillor Rosenthal. Hi. Councillor Gonzales.

[47:25] Councilor Lewis?

[47:25] I.

[47:26] Councilor Nolen?

[47:27] No.

[47:28] Councilor Lewis.

[47:30] I.

[47:30] Councilor Wong.

[47:31] I.

[47:32] Councilor President Peterson.

[47:33] Aye.

[47:34] The motion passes.

[47:34] Thank you.

[47:35] Now we'll go on to the actual resolution itself.

[47:39] Resolution 26-5567.

[47:42] Councilors, any further discussion on the resolution?

[47:46] As amended?

[47:48] As amended.

[47:51] Sure.

[47:51] Councilor Rosenthal.

[47:53] Thank you Madam Chair.

[47:55] I'm going to get a little philosophical here.

[47:57] I think we're at a watershed point, and first of all, I want to thank Councilor Swang and

[48:02] Gonzales for their work on coming forward with this structure for the R-POC, and I also

[48:07] want to acknowledge the leadership of President Peterson for keeping the regionalization

[48:12] the need for a regional approach in front of everybody for over the last several months.

[48:17] When we started this process five years ago, we were pretty much babes in the woods.

[48:21] We started with the aspirations and not a lot of knowledge and we've gained a lot of knowledge.

[48:26] I also want to thank all of the, I want to thank the counties and I want to thank all the stakeholders for all the input they provided.

[48:33] Sometimes it's different opinions on different subjects, but I think it's led us to this point where we realize we need a stronger structure to manage the process or to at least provide input to the process to provide input to the council.

[48:46] and I think that this moves forward in that direction.

[48:49] I think we can look forward.

[48:51] I think it's quite a task.

[48:53] I'm a little concerned that we're asking the ARPOC

[48:56] to do a little perhaps more, and I would be cautious.

[49:00] And some of the later, therefore, as we say,

[49:02] that the ARPOC will develop and recommend.

[49:05] And I think that has to be taken

[49:07] with a little bit of a grain of salt.

[49:08] There are not going to be a technical committee

[49:11] that is going to have the ability to do the development.

[49:14] they're going to have to rely on others, such as metro staff, such as various technical

[49:21] expertise, whether it's scientific or whether it's educational on how to do some of these

[49:25] things, such as continuous improvement, such as corrective action plans, programs are going

[49:32] to be a lot of feedback and a lot of input and all of these. So, I think we have set them a hard

[49:38] task. I've had some comments from people saying, this is maybe asking them to do more in a quicker

[49:43] time then they may have the ability to do, but the thing that I've always advocated for

[49:50] is let's move forward with this process and I appreciate this resolution realizing

[49:56] that we have to be adaptive what we are approving now may be changed and if we are successful

[50:04] in continuing the SHS program and finding a way to extend it for another 20 years, I think

[50:11] we're going to realize that we're going to have to be adaptive as we move forward.

[50:15] The problems will change, the needs for solutions will change.

[50:18] So I think we're, like I said at a watershed moment, there's more to come and more decisions to be

[50:25] made, but I think we can work with all of our come. And as I said before, I think we can work with

[50:33] the stakeholders and the counties realizing that there's an art in balancing the regionalization

[50:39] with the needs of the local populations

[50:41] than the local counties.

[50:42] They each have their own structures, their own needs.

[50:44] And we've learned this very clearly.

[50:46] So this is a good start

[50:49] and it's going to be a lot of work for the ARPOC.

[50:54] Thank you, Councilor Pong, it means a dose.

[50:56] Thank you.

[50:58] Yeah, I just wanted to express my deep appreciation

[51:01] to all my colleagues for all your feedback and advice.

[51:05] I think we have a better product

[51:07] and I just want to extend deep appreciations

[51:08] to all our partners. It's been a pleasure to work with you all.

[51:14] You know, we had a lot of back and forth. There was a lot of discussion

[51:17] amongst all the partners with our legal staff, with our housing team.

[51:22] And it really did feel like we had to wrangle a lot. But I think we're kind of coalescing

[51:27] around a shared vision of where we want to get to. I know it's the council rules and thoughts

[51:33] point. It's ambitious. We got a lot to do. But we're not going to shy away from that. And I think

[51:38] we're not leaning in and build the best system that we can. So again, I appreciate it's everyone

[51:44] and this is just a start. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Gonzalez.

[51:49] Yeah, thanks, President Peterson. I want to echo what Councilor Wong just mentioned and I want to

[51:57] specifically give him a lot of credit and praise as well for working with staff and really doing

[52:04] the heavy lifting on synthesis to create this incredible body of work. I feel

[52:12] tremendous gratitude to the stakeholders, folks that came to testify today as

[52:18] well to lend their voice in this and I know for you know some of the letters

[52:23] that we received it feels like we might be moving quickly or you know

[52:30] engagement was not up to par, but I think that this has been two years of very intense work,

[52:38] and the themes that are popping up here are, I think, really battle-tested, clear alignment,

[52:45] clear consensus steps forward with this new oversight committee, and I just feel this tremendous

[52:51] urgency, not just from the folks that are stakeholders with the system, but from voters that

[53:00] I really want us to get our active together, our investments together to serve the souls

[53:08] that are suffering in our streets and in the system.

[53:11] And I think that needs to be on North Star and our mandate.

[53:14] And this new oversight body is going to have a lot of work to do to Council go to Rose

[53:20] and Falls Point.

[53:21] So I know I'm very much looking forward to all of the work and rolling up our sleeves

[53:27] to deliver in our promises.

[53:30] Thank you.

[53:32] Any other comments?

[53:38] Well, this is my last meeting.

[53:40] And I feel like we have moved this reform effort

[53:48] into the best position we could for the next five years.

[53:52] Without the help of everybody in this room,

[53:55] we would not have gotten there.

[53:57] And it was a two-year long discussion.

[54:00] I think it is time to bring it to a close.

[54:03] The sooner we get started on the reforms, the sooner, again, the results on the ground.

[54:09] And I look forward to working with you all on the other side and being able to implement

[54:15] this because it is important for everyone to understand that while we are, we have three

[54:28] counties that have been working very hard to stand up programs, understand how to

[54:33] define the problem, how to define solution sets, we are stronger together, and the

[54:40] only way to get us together is to have definitions that are all the same,

[54:46] performance metrics that are heading us all in the same direction, even if we

[54:49] might find solutions that are different, but get us to the same end point. So I'm

[54:55] I'm really proud of all of the work that everybody has done on this council in this room.

[55:01] And I can't say enough, thank you to all of you.

[55:06] They got us to this point, both the staff and every stakeholder and every person who's

[55:11] provided testimony and every person who's shared their living experience with us.

[55:17] So I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

[55:20] And I will obviously be a yes vote on this measure and this resolution.

[55:26] Thank you for your leadership, Madam President.

[55:28] I hope your friend or friends are all over this.

[55:31] We wouldn't be here without all your work.

[55:33] Thank you.

[55:35] Yes.

[55:37] Councillor Lewis.

[55:38] Aye.

[55:39] Councillor Simpson.

[55:40] Aye.

[55:42] Councillor Wong.

[55:43] Aye.

[55:44] Councillor Gonzalez.

[55:45] Aye.

[55:46] Councillor Rosenthal.

[55:47] Aye.

[55:47] Councillor Nolan.

[55:49] Yes.

[55:50] Councillor President Peterson.

[55:52] Aye.

[55:53] Motion passes.

[55:54] Thank you.

[55:55] Thank you everybody, thank you a round of applause.

[56:04] Well, now we have other business to attend to.

[56:08] Councillor, Councillor Lois needs to attend another meeting.

[56:11] We will see you.

[56:12] I'm off to the Metro Mayor's consortium,

[56:14] and I would normally just to secure quietly,

[56:17] but I need just one moment to thank you, Madam President,

[56:20] for your friendship, for your leadership,

[56:21] your mentorship and the change that you've made here.

[56:24] Thank you.

[56:25] Thank you.

[56:27] All right.

[56:30] We will move on to Resolution No. 26-5573 for the purpose of amending the Metro Affordable

[56:36] Housing Bond Work Plan to delegate authority to negotiate and approve revisions to the

[56:41] local implementation strategies to the chief operating officer.

[56:45] This resolution is

[56:51] related to housing that's time concerning the 2018 Affordable Housing

[56:56] Bond Measure, not the SHS.

[56:58] The structure of the bond relies on strong partnerships with local implementation partners

[57:02] and in order to receive funds, each of our partners develops an implementation strategy.

[57:06] This resolution was intended to ensure that the program can respond nimble to changing

[57:10] conditions while maintaining accountability for outcomes approved by borders.

[57:14] We have with us today, Chris and Dennis, Metro Chief of Staff for the Metro Council.

[57:18] Here with us describe the proposed change of the process for making administrative changes.

[57:23] Welcome.

[57:25] All right, Kerry, do we have more?

[57:29] Sorry. Thank you, Council President Peterson. Again, for the record, my name is Kristen

[57:34] Dennis, chief of staff to the Metro Council. Council, the resolution before you've seen

[57:42] it, and have been briefed by staff, essentially what it does is it creates a system where you

[57:50] all can,

[57:53] where any changes to, where Metro can be more nimble as we find that there are

[58:02] changes that need to occur to the local implementation strategies with our affordable housing partners,

[58:09] it designates, it delegates authority to the COO under specific circumstances that they

[58:14] can make changes, and that it also directs the COO to consult with the Metro Council President

[58:20] and for consistency as well.

[58:23] Happy answering questions.

[58:24] Yeah, any questions for Kristen from the changes?

[58:31] Oh, Councillor Rosenthal.

[58:32] Yeah, when I was reading this and I think I agree

[58:35] with the intent, but I read it and I understand

[58:38] what is not included in the kinds of things

[58:41] that we're having to do with certain kinds of,

[58:43] you know, housing and automation and so forth.

[58:44] But considering we're at the end of the process

[58:48] in other words, we've allocated most of the monies,

[58:51] or in fact it's been committed,

[58:53] and we're in the process of, I think,

[58:54] final constructions.

[58:56] What kind of IGA amendments,

[58:59] I was a little unclear,

[59:00] so what kind of IGA amendments do we actually anticipate?

[59:04] We, I don't have specific information

[59:06] about, with me, currently, about the changes

[59:09] that are going to need to be made.

[59:11] We do know that there have been some requests

[59:12] that have been put forward that have been discussed

[59:16] some of our housing partners in the past, and then moving into the future.

[59:21] And the idea is that we do not want to have any of the capital sacks, but in any sort

[59:27] of danger by any delays based on adjustments in contracting, adjustments in the way the

[59:33] federal rules are being in particular, are being enforced and applied, and that's where most

[59:38] of the challenges are in the uncertainty, so this is a newer level of uncertainty because

[59:43] of the changes of the federal level. And so we just want to make sure there's enough flexibility

[59:47] to make sure that we can deliver on the, on the projects that are already kind of in the pipeline

[59:54] ready to be delivered. So we know what the projects are. So, so primarily you're saying it.

[1:00:00] We don't understand what's going to happen with federal rules, so those could change, and we may have to make adjustments. I mean, I just hope that we're not going to adjust the IGA, so we don't put air conditioning. So we stop putting air conditioning and units and stuff like that. Or we don't meet climate goals, or we don't meet things like that. I understand. Yeah, so great question. And just in just super clear, the direction to the COO is that there's supposed to apply the general values and principles that we've had this entire time, but there might be some technical changes that need to be made.

[1:00:29] to make sure that the funding that's already been allocated for projects continues to move through.

[1:00:37] You know, making sure we have the same number of projects and units that kind of can move through.

[1:00:44] Can you further questions?

[1:00:47] Seeing none, do I have a motion on resolution number 26-5573?

[1:00:52] So moved.

[1:00:53] Thank you. Do I have a second?

[1:00:58] I'll second.

[1:00:59] It's been moved by Councillor Simpson and seconded by Councillor Rosenthal. Any further discussion?

[1:01:07] Seeing none, George, please call the roll.

[1:01:10] Yes, Councillor Rosenthal.

[1:01:12] Aye.

[1:01:13] Councillor Gonzales.

[1:01:16] Councillor Nolan.

[1:01:18] Yes.

[1:01:19] Councillor Simpson.

[1:01:21] Aye.

[1:01:22] Councillor Wong.

[1:01:23] Aye.

[1:01:24] Councillor President Peterson.

[1:01:25] Aye.

[1:01:26] Motion passes.

[1:01:26] Thank you.

[1:01:27] Thank you, Mr. Simpson.

[1:01:29] We'll move on to Resolution No. 26-5582 for the purpose of allocating funds from the

[1:01:34] 2019 Metro Parks and Nature Bond Measure to the Willamette Cove Nature Park.

[1:01:39] I'm going to bring four staff, but just for a note, we do have somebody that can

[1:01:44] testify on this, so I will make room on the agenda when we get to that point, but first

[1:01:50] Next, we had a council briefing, the last Thursday, sorry, council approved the

[1:01:57] Willamette Cove Nature Park Master Plan, actually, to fund construction of the park.

[1:02:02] We will today consider a proposal to allocate funding from the 2019 parks in nature bond

[1:02:06] measure.

[1:02:07] And we are joined by our Deputy Chief Operating Officer Andrew Scott to go over what's

[1:02:12] included in this resolution.

[1:02:14] Thank you.

[1:02:14] Great.

[1:02:15] Good morning, President Peterson.

[1:02:16] and Council, Amanda Scott, Deputy Chief Operating Officer.

[1:02:19] All this open up, we're very excited that Council approved the master plan for

[1:02:23] Alamacov last week, and we're excited to keep making progress on this important community

[1:02:27] asset.

[1:02:29] As you'll recall, and you know, in 2020, Council passed a resolution ensuring that

[1:02:33] Alamacov was eligible for funding from the 2018 Parks and Nature Bond.

[1:02:38] In 2021, Council reserved $10 million of that bond funding for Alamacov.

[1:02:43] the bulk of that funding is being held to cover the environmental cleanup costs. However,

[1:02:47] about $1.1 million of that $10 million had been available and has been available to help develop

[1:02:51] the master plan. At this point in time, we estimate that about $15.6 million more will be needed

[1:02:59] to complete the design, engineering, permitting, and construction of the nature park. The funding

[1:03:04] plan that we've been working on have developed over the last year includes the following sources.

[1:03:09] is the bulk of the funding will come from bond proceeds.

[1:03:12] I think we've briefed most of council recently

[1:03:14] on the available bond interest in premium at this point,

[1:03:18] is roughly $33 million.

[1:03:20] Council has previously established that bond earnings could go

[1:03:23] to two programs, one, protection restore land,

[1:03:26] and two, taking care of metro parks.

[1:03:29] And as I noted earlier,

[1:03:30] Willamette Cove is an eligible project

[1:03:31] for use of those bond proceed funds.

[1:03:34] And then any remaining funding could come

[1:03:36] from the bonds trails program, a portion of this nature park would be eligible for that,

[1:03:41] along with potential grant opportunities.

[1:03:44] Today's resolution directs the COO to ensure there is sufficient funding for

[1:03:48] a LAMACOV by allocating $15.6 million from bond earnings and other allowable bond programs,

[1:03:54] and given our current cost estimates, we believe this will be sufficient to complete the project.

[1:03:58] I'm happy to take any questions.

[1:03:59] We also have John Blasher and our project manager, Jennifer Devonzo as well.

[1:04:05] Thank you, Andrew.

[1:04:07] Council, any questions for staff on the resolution?

[1:04:12] Council Rosenthal.

[1:04:13] Yeah, thank you.

[1:04:15] As you know, I've been very supportive of the Willamette Coat Project.

[1:04:19] And usually, I find myself in an odd position.

[1:04:21] Usually, I complain because there's too many where as is.

[1:04:23] In this case, I look at it and I go, it says that we committed to buy the property, but

[1:04:28] it never, there's no where as it says we actually purchased the property or when we purchased

[1:04:32] it.

[1:04:32] So it's like, that wouldn't have been a bad thing.

[1:04:36] And you know, identify as the 10 million we committed,

[1:04:38] but it doesn't talk about the cleanup

[1:04:40] and completion of the cleanup evaluation

[1:04:42] and identification of what is necessary

[1:04:45] to move forward with a comprehensive plan,

[1:04:47] which was all sort of antecedent.

[1:04:49] So I'm not going to say I would disapprove

[1:04:53] of this resolution as it is,

[1:04:55] but I can think of a bunch of where asses

[1:04:58] that went forward.

[1:04:59] And then my one question is in looking

[1:05:02] at the B at Resolve, if we're allocating 15.6 million from the bond issue, I'm a little

[1:05:10] unclear what the second, the last phrase in the second one says, along with other allowable

[1:05:15] bond programs, does that mean we're not allocating 15.6 or we are allocating up to 15.6 if we don't

[1:05:24] have additional programs to provide funding. You mentioned the trails program. I mean, if

[1:05:31] If we allocate 15.6, does that mean we're just creating whatever other monies we want?

[1:05:35] I'm not sure what that means.

[1:05:38] So we're allocating 15.6 million dollars from the bond, and the language is intended

[1:05:42] to make sure that we can pull it from the appropriate bond programs where it can come from.

[1:05:48] So the bulk of the bond, the bulk of the funding will come from bond proceeds.

[1:05:51] Although I want to be clear, that's a two-step process, so council still needs to allocate

[1:05:55] those bond proceeds, which is an action, parts will be bearing back to you at some point

[1:05:58] in the future.

[1:06:00] those bond proceeds can go into two programs,

[1:06:02] protection, restore, taking care of metro parks.

[1:06:05] Willamicova is eligible for money from taking care of metro parks.

[1:06:08] It's also eligible for stabilization money from protection, restore, and lands.

[1:06:12] And then because there's a regional trail that runs through there,

[1:06:15] a portion of the trails funding from the bond can be used for Willamicova as well.

[1:06:20] So the purpose of that language is just to say,

[1:06:22] we're not, council is not directing us to take it from a particular program.

[1:06:27] they're saying $15.6 million of the 2019 bond needs to be set aside and I want to be clear

[1:06:33] it's not up to it's $15.6 million. If we don't use it all we can come back and allocate

[1:06:38] it for something else but it is $15.6 million to be allocated from appropriate bond programs.

[1:06:44] The way I read it is we wouldn't have been restricted anyhow we could just say we're

[1:06:49] going to get 15 from a allowable bond programs and we would have been easily set.

[1:06:56] But it just had me a little, shall we say, non-plus, but that's okay.

[1:07:03] As for your comment about where as is, I think we had a lot of where as is in last week's

[1:07:07] resolution adopting the nature park.

[1:07:09] And so, I think this one also refers back to that action that Council took.

[1:07:13] So, in the issue of brevity, we weren't sure we needed to repeat all of those again in this

[1:07:18] resolution this week.

[1:07:19] What year did we actually purchase while I met Cove in

[1:07:25] 1996?

[1:07:27] Okay.

[1:07:29] Okay.

[1:07:30] Councillor Neillum.

[1:07:34] Thanks, Madam Chair.

[1:07:39] I want to just briefly recall that this resolution in front of us certainly

[1:07:49] started in 1996 when Metro, long before any of us sat in the chairs we sit in, purchased

[1:07:57] the property. But more recently, my immediate predecessor really made a push to get this

[1:08:10] need and opportunity on the Metro Council's agenda. And I appreciate that that wouldn't have

[1:08:28] Sam Chase, who was in District 5, which he represented, and now I represent.

[1:08:39] And the coming

[1:08:45] together of technical, and political, and neighborhood, and civic, and tribal

[1:08:53] consultation and history was complex and I just want to publicly appreciate the work

[1:09:06] that Sam did and that you, Madam President, did as well to make sure that this happened.

[1:09:13] And I'm delighted that we have an opportunity to pass this before you leave us for your

[1:09:19] next adventure.

[1:09:20] Thank you.

[1:09:20] Thank you, Councillor. Any other comments?

[1:09:27] I just want to say, again, thank you on this

[1:09:30] as well. The opportunity that the bond has left us to be able to push this forward. But

[1:09:38] before I go any further, I would like to open it up for public testimony and then we can have

[1:09:46] of a motion and move forward from there.

[1:09:50] So, George, I'll leave please.

[1:09:51] Oh, yes, I can have it too.

[1:09:53] Give them a go to see if you'd run.

[1:09:55] Okay, if you're testifying in person

[1:09:57] on resolution number 26-5582, now it's the time to do so.

[1:10:02] If you're in person, please sign up.

[1:10:03] By pulling out a blue card,

[1:10:04] you're bringing it up to me.

[1:10:06] If you're testifying on Zoom,

[1:10:07] or by phone please sign up

[1:10:08] using the raise hand function

[1:10:09] in the reactions or more menus,

[1:10:11] or by delaying start nine.

[1:10:12] But it is your target testifier,

[1:10:13] call your name or pro number.

[1:10:15] For those on Zoom, click accept to be promoted

[1:10:16] to a panelist. Here's a window we'll close briefly before you rejoin as a panelist and you can

[1:10:21] turn on your camera if you'd like. Testimonies limited to three minutes in the time or begins when

[1:10:25] you begin speaking. Please state your name for the record for testifying. You not need to give your

[1:10:29] physical address. And Council President Peterson, we do have one person who has signed up to testify

[1:10:34] in advance and that is John Charles.

[1:10:38] Is it afternoon? No, good morning.

[1:10:41] Okay.

[1:10:44] Nice to see you.

[1:10:50] Thank you.

[1:10:50] Councilor President, members of the Council, my name is John Charles, Cascade Policy Institute,

[1:10:58] and I'd like to offer a few comments about this funding package today before you vote

[1:11:01] on it.

[1:11:03] Just for a reminder that in December of 2000, EPA identified Portland Harbor as a super-fund

[1:11:08] site.

[1:11:09] Indeed, he established remedial action for hazardous waste cleanup of the cove uplands.

[1:11:15] So that really turns the COVID into a liability, it's not an asset anymore.

[1:11:22] You're going to create substantial long-term risks for you that I don't think have been fully vetted.

[1:11:30] The resolution before you authorizes 15.6 million from the 2019 bond,

[1:11:35] but there's no mention of how to pay for the operations and maintenance plus.

[1:11:40] And the staff report from last week stated, development of a nature park will also include

[1:11:47] clarifying the long-term operations and maintenance costs.

[1:11:51] Current revenues do not cover ONM costs across the entire park system.

[1:11:57] So additional operations and maintenance revenue demands will strain the system.

[1:12:04] This is not a new problem.

[1:12:06] Metro Auditor Suzanne Flynn noted in her audit of April 2012,

[1:12:12] quote, more clarity is needed to strategically plan what maintenance will be done,

[1:12:19] who will do it, and how it will be funded.

[1:12:25] I believe this problem of how you're going to pay for that should be addressed now

[1:12:28] before you commit at least 15, 6.6 million.

[1:12:35] Other risks identified in the master plan,

[1:12:37] long-term monitoring for in-water cleanup

[1:12:39] will be conducted in perpetuity.

[1:12:42] That's a long time.

[1:12:44] Upland remediation will require a cap inspection

[1:12:47] and maintenance plan and a community outreach plan.

[1:12:52] Where will that money come from?

[1:12:55] Remedial actions occurred in 2015 and 2016

[1:12:58] when soils with the highest risks to human health of dioxins and furians were removed from the

[1:13:04] upland area. Excerrated areas were subsequently replanted with native vegetation, but according to

[1:13:11] the master plan, despite these actions, contamination remains throughout the site and within the river,

[1:13:17] continuing to pose risks to human health and the environment. At the time of writing, the cleanup

[1:13:22] plans are still being developed, the final conditions of the site after

[1:13:27] remediation remain uncertain and therefore the master plan will need to be

[1:13:32] applied flexibly in order to respond to these unknown conditions.

[1:13:39] Question for the council, what if costs increase substantially from all of the

[1:13:44] uncertainty and unknowns which they tend to do in superfund remediation?

[1:13:50] projects. The proposed budget includes no contingency for construction. Finally, the current

[1:13:56] site includes 1,682 trees larger than 1.5 inches in diameter and 80 percent are native,

[1:14:04] which is great. But the radiation will require removal of all trees on the site. So there won't

[1:14:10] be any nature in the nature park for at least 30 years and the COVID-19 itself is not even a natural

[1:14:16] feature as the master plan notes, the co-Os, its existence to cite alterations made in

[1:14:22] the industrial era, most notably the building of the BNSF Abutment and Associated Regime.

[1:14:28] So to summarize, this is a man-made water feature with industrial contamination that may or

[1:14:34] may not get cleaned up adequately, with 27 acres of land that will soon be stripped of

[1:14:39] all of that station.

[1:15:00] Some ways are getting around the problem of O&M costs, including a possible jurisdictional transfer. I just wonder if you've considered transferring say to Portland, which has a levee that has a rate 14 times bigger than yours, or maybe transferring it to a consortium of Native American tribal nations. Mr. President, you wrap up. As fiduciaries, you could be held personally liable of things to go sideways. So I suggest that there's no rush to judgment on this.

[1:15:29] In this today, you've already had three years, and you might want to do some further due diligence on these risks before you make what will be probably just a down payment of $15.6 million for this toxic waste site, thanks.

[1:15:44] Thank you.

[1:15:46] Thank you. Council President Peterson, we don't have anyone else who has signed up to testify.

[1:15:50] by. Thank you. With that, I'll close public testimony on this item on this resolution.

[1:15:57] And come back to the council for a motion on the resolution.

[1:16:02] President Peterson, if it's okay, I would like to make a motion to approve this resolution.

[1:16:10] And I guess a formality or some kind of ceremonial thing. I would love to dedicate it to you.

[1:16:16] And I know this has been a huge priority that you've worked on threading the needles with

[1:16:22] so many partners to help reclaim this area and give it back to community, so I appreciate

[1:16:27] you.

[1:16:28] So I motion to approve the resolution.

[1:16:30] Thank you.

[1:16:30] I have a second.

[1:16:33] Second.

[1:16:35] Thank you.

[1:16:35] It's been moved by Councillor Gonzales and seconded by Councillor Simpson, any further discussion.

[1:16:46] Okay.

[1:16:47] Well then I will have a closing comment.

[1:16:49] I just want to thank not the entire team at parks for getting us to this point for our

[1:16:58] deputy COO and our COO and our entire legal team because this is a very complex project

[1:17:04] as Mr. Charles pointed out.

[1:17:06] It has a complicated history and does contain risks, but I think this council is completely

[1:17:14] aware of and understands the risks moving forward. And one of those risks is that we had made

[1:17:20] commitments to this community and had not followed through on it in some time. And we are closing

[1:17:26] that gap and bringing this home so that we can open this area safely up to the community that has

[1:17:33] already been using it in an unsafe manner, no matter how many signs we put up. So I would

[1:17:40] I am glad to get it to this point, and I will be so excited to be there at the ribbon

[1:17:45] cutting in a few years when we can get to that point because, of course, it will take

[1:17:52] quite a bit of effort to get ready.

[1:17:56] The prep for the site is—I was going to say humongous, I haven't used the word humongous

[1:18:00] in a very long time—must be a Midwest term.

[1:18:05] But it's large and daunting, but getting this kind of commitment will certainly move us

[1:18:12] forward in the right direction.

[1:18:14] And, you know, I think we're done planning to plan on this site.

[1:18:19] I think it's time to actually start moving so that we can enjoy it now,

[1:18:24] not 20, 30 years in the future and leave it to somebody else.

[1:18:28] So, with that, Dredgely, please call the roll.

[1:18:33] Yes.

[1:18:34] Councillor Simpson.

[1:18:36] Aye.

[1:18:38] Councillor Nolan.

[1:18:40] Yes.

[1:18:41] Councillor Wong.

[1:18:43] Aye.

[1:18:43] Councillor Rosenthal.

[1:18:45] Yes.

[1:18:45] Councillor Gonzales.

[1:18:46] Aye.

[1:18:47] Councillor President Peterson.

[1:18:49] Aye.

[1:18:49] The motion passes.

[1:18:50] Thank you.

[1:18:50] I forgot a whole bunch of other people that were also included in this work.

[1:18:54] work and I just wanted to do a shout out to and I'm not going to remember all names.

[1:18:59] So I'm going to look for some help here, but also Paul Simon, who worked on this project

[1:19:04] and he had a team at folks that I am not recalling off the top of my head and I hate to put

[1:19:10] you all on the spot, but that really helped accelerate and work with our parks team and

[1:19:16] the community to get it to this place where we could make this kind of commitment.

[1:19:20] for an Allison on the Olympic co-team as well as John's entire team, John Blaster's entire team

[1:19:32] of parks that's been supporting that work. We also have quite a few communications and public

[1:19:38] engagement folks who have been doing the really hard work of getting out out there holding community

[1:19:43] events, tabling and just really educating the community about the dangers and the necessity to clean

[1:19:49] the parcel up, and also just, you know, including community and deciding, you know, how we can move

[1:19:58] forward together. And I think the team has done an incredible job of integrating kind of all the

[1:20:05] different complexities and presenting something that balances the risks and the opportunities that we

[1:20:11] have out there. So, I know I'm probably forgetting some folks too, but the Parks and Nature team is

[1:20:19] really has really come so just know we're very appreciative of being able to get to this point that

[1:20:26] all right uh we have no other business before socio communication thank you um just a

[1:20:34] review um council consulate knows this uh but our future vision project is going to be moving into

[1:20:43] a public engagement phase and part of that public engagement is going to be a community wide survey

[1:20:50] So I would ask counselors and also staff to be thinking about where we can distribute, we're

[1:20:57] going to have materials, we're going to have, you know, barcodes that people can scan

[1:21:03] to take it.

[1:21:03] This is something that we want as much involvement as possible.

[1:21:07] We want as many people in our community to take the survey as we can possibly get.

[1:21:12] So that's coming, let that let that marinate.

[1:21:15] And then when we are officially launching that survey, we'll circle back with you and figure out how we can partner to get the survey links and the survey materials to folks in your community and your districts.

[1:21:30] Awesome. It's exciting. Thank you.

[1:21:34] Councilors, any communication?

[1:21:36] Councilor Rosenthal?

[1:21:38] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:21:39] First of all, I just want to, regarding the alignment code, I think we also should

[1:21:42] thank the tribal partners before being actively involved in this process.

[1:21:47] And taking it seriously and realizing that they have very serious concerns regarding the

[1:21:53] fate of the alignment river and its usage.

[1:21:56] And then I want to channel Councilor Lewis, since she's not here, attended the women of

[1:22:02] influence lunch in yesterday. It was, again, a very large presentation, a large number

[1:22:09] of people, very successful, very enthusiastic. I must, from my standpoint, I learned a lot.

[1:22:15] There's a lot more people doing, a lot more women doing, a lot more important things than

[1:22:19] I had realized in my narrow little little confines out there in the country.

[1:22:30] And so I've

[1:22:31] well as our entire P5 and the OCC and expo staff were there.

[1:22:36] So we were well represented and I think we all tried it.

[1:22:42] Thank you.

[1:22:43] Any other comments, announcements?

[1:22:47] Should I take a second?

[1:22:51] Okay.

[1:22:52] Well, it's been shared.

[1:22:54] I think a few folks have touched on this,

[1:22:56] but presently since this is your last meeting,

[1:22:58] as Metro Council President and the thank yous have been flowing all week but

[1:23:06] again just want to say thank you. We're going to miss you. You're going to do an

[1:23:09] amazing job in Lake Aswego. I very grateful you're going to stay in the region with

[1:23:14] us. A lot of big problems for us to keep tackling but hats off to you and

[1:23:20] your incredible track record here at Metro and thank you. Thank you.

[1:23:30] Thank you Madam President. I just wanted to extend my gratitude and thank you to your

[1:23:38] time and service to our region. I can remember being a fresh new Councillor on the Council

[1:23:44] and you've been touring and giving me a few pointers here and there but ultimately I think

[1:23:51] you're going to leave a legacy that one can be proud of and I'm looking forward to working

[1:23:55] with you out in Lake O when I'm with all the city manager folks. So good luck to you.

[1:24:01] Thank you.

[1:24:04] Councillor Nolan.

[1:24:08] Thanks Madam President.

[1:24:12] I'd like to echo the gratitude and admiration that others have expressed and the sincere

[1:24:22] good wishes in your new endeavors. I'd like to recall also that you have not always taken

[1:24:33] a common path and as one scientist to another I'm sure you and I have shared experiences

[1:24:42] throughout our training and careers of being the only woman in the room or being asked

[1:24:51] why we're in a room that historically had only contained men.

[1:24:59] Your bold,

[1:25:04] your compassionate,

[1:25:07] you bring an ability to look at things from angles that

[1:25:13] might not be commonplace.

[1:25:17] And I know that those skills and perspectives will serve you well with like us we go and wherever your professional career leads you.

[1:25:30] Good luck. Good journey.

[1:25:35] Thank you.

[1:25:38] I just want to take a moment and talk a little bit about that as I prepare to go into

[1:25:48] this next chapter of my life, I want to pause and say a heartfelt thank you to all the

[1:25:53] people who make Metro work.

[1:25:56] This has been a great council to work with.

[1:25:59] It's actually rare to have a council this close and pulling mostly in the same direction.

[1:26:08] And when we aren't, we find a way to make it work even through, even if there's some

[1:26:17] waves, right?

[1:26:18] And I'm really proud of how we've handled tough situations.

[1:26:23] questions. This is the second time I've worked at Metro in my career, spending my early

[1:26:29] career here as an intern and a travel-demand forecaster and transportation planning under

[1:26:35] the old council and an elected COO form of government. It was a very formative experience

[1:26:41] to watch your electeds not get along at that time because roles and responsibilities weren't

[1:26:47] clear and so it's been nice to be here in this new and improved version and it made me want to come

[1:26:55] back and be part of it. Serving as Metro Council President has been a great honor,

[1:27:01] not because of the title but because of everyone that I have worked with here at Metro.

[1:27:08] Every day I saw the care, the rigor, the creativity and the persistence that you have brought to serving

[1:27:12] the region. Metro's reputation for professionalism and public purpose exists because of you,

[1:27:19] not just us. As I look back, my memories are not really a passing legislation except for maybe

[1:27:25] today, which was actually monumental and I don't think planned. But of setting up for an event

[1:27:33] with staff at the Convention Center, checking the gas lines at the State John's landfill,

[1:27:38] painting stripes for the driving movies at the Expo Center, cleaning grills at

[1:27:43] Blue Lake Park and picking up trash with red during COVID. That's what makes

[1:27:49] Metro Special. I've also served next to the some of the best elected officials in

[1:27:54] the region. I can't tell you how again how much I appreciate your perspectives

[1:28:00] and what you've taught me because it's been a two-way street. I have learned so

[1:28:05] much.

[1:28:08] And we put together a great team in our staff. It's been a pleasure to serve with both

[1:28:16] you, Melissa and Carrie. I have again learned so much from both of you and how to be the best

[1:28:25] elected official I could be and figure out with you how to get the shit done, right?

[1:28:34] So I'm really, really happy about all the things we've accomplished and we don't need

[1:28:39] to go through all of that, but the success of Metro is not driven by anyone elected official

[1:28:44] in this position. It is driven by the planners, the operators, the scientists, the analysts,

[1:28:49] the communicators, the rangers, the technicians, the administrators, the zookeepers, the volunteers

[1:28:53] and the leaders who believe that regional government can and should work and make life better for our

[1:28:59] people in this region. As I leave my hope is that you continue to trust your expertise,

[1:29:04] support one another and stay grounded in the purpose of Metro, which brought you to public

[1:29:08] service in the first place, and continue to remain flexible, and how to achieve our goals

[1:29:14] and bring all the region with you. As my mentor said, make sure you're always looking behind you

[1:29:19] to make sure somebody's following. I think we can kind of get ahead of ourselves with great ideas,

[1:29:26] But we quickly figure out how to build a coalition behind us to make it happen.

[1:29:33] And that is a testament to everybody in this room.

[1:29:36] And as Sarah Gonzalez has been saying, it's our superpower.

[1:29:40] So thank you for your partnership. You're honesty, your resilience and your commitment to the region.

[1:29:44] I will always be proud to have worked alongside you.

[1:29:47] And I will be cheering much more on and probably calling for a grant in the near future.

[1:29:53] But that, thank you, and we are adjourned asking a further discussion.

[1:30:00] I'll just close with the tattoo on my back. A.L.A.L. is a law for a priest. She flies with her own wings, which refers to local government, not the feminine that most people think, but it has a great dual interpretation, in my opinion. The best place to lead is at the local level, where you can actually work with the people and move dirt, get it done, and see the results. So thank you. I love it.

[1:30:29] For that, seeing no further discussion, we are adjourned in your next regular meeting

[1:30:34] a schedule for March 17th, 2025 at 10.30 a.m. Have a great day.

Council meeting on 2026-03-12 10:30 AM

Agenda

Transcript