Council Urges TriMet to Transfer Unserved Wilsonville Locations into SMART Service Area
March 21, 2023 — At the March 20, 2023, meeting of the Wilsonville City Council, the Council approved an intergovernmental agreement and memorandum of understanding with Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet). These agreements would remove unserved City of Wilsonville properties from TriMet’s boundaries and explain the process for petitioning TriMet to withdraw areas within the Wilsonville urban growth boundary in 2026, the next available petition cycle.
In exchange for agreeing to these accommodations, TriMet is requiring $2.738 million in compensation, equivalent to 10 years of revenue it receives from Wilsonville transportation tax ratepayers currently not receiving TriMet service. Adoption by TriMet would allow these areas to be served by South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART), Wilsonville’s award-winning local transit service provider.
To fund this one-time payment to TriMet, the purchase of a three-acre future park property in the Frog Pond West neighborhood, and other unanticipated expenditures, the Council approved a $4.6 million supplemental budget adjustment as is required by local budget law.
The Council took two actions to annex and rezone approximately 9.63 acres at 25540 SW Garden Acres Road. These actions allow Precision Countertops to advance the development of a new corporate headquarters/fabrication facility within the Coffee Creek Industrial Area.
To advance several scheduled Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects otherwise jeopardized by a temporary staff labor shortage, the Council authorized a $500,000 agreement with Water Systems Consulting, Inc. (WSC) to provide engineering assistance. WSC will assist the City’s Engineering Division in administration of CIP projects as assigned.
Additionally, the Council approved an agreement with several Clackamas County cities that – in the event of an emergency – allows the participating cities to share personnel who might be otherwise unable to report to work. Because the skills, experience and duties of municipal employees are transferable, the agreement allows public employees to provide better assistance to the greater community within the emergency command structure.
The Council authorized the City Manager to enter a master license and right-of-way use agreement with New Cingular Wireless PCS that generally allows small wireless facilities to be located within the public right-of-way in exchange for a $12,000 fee. Siting individual small wireless facilities will still require submitting an application to the City.
During Councilor Comments, members of the Council encouraged residents of Charbonneau and the greater Wilsonville area to attend a tolling forum to be hosted by Sen. Aaron Woods and Rep. Courtney Neron at the Charbonneau Country Club on Friday, April 14, at 10 am. Participants will learn the effects of local tolling and have an opportunity to speak directly to Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) representatives.
During the work session held prior to the meeting, the City Attorney sought the Council’s feedback on draft revisions to the City’s prohibited camping code, which identifies the City Hall parking lot as the most optimal location to allow overnight camping. The project identifies also defines the time, place and manner guidelines that overnight campers must follow.
Finance staff provided guidance for the Council on alternative funding mechanisms that the City might consider to fund several planned future Parks and Facilities infrastructure projects that would require up to $110 million to complete. The Council directed staff to gather additional public input to inform the funding priorities.
The next regular meeting of the City Council is to be held on Monday, Apr. 3, at 7 pm; a pre-meeting work session is scheduled at 5 pm.
Community members can watch all City Council meetings on cable (Xfinity Ch. 30, Ziply Ch. 32) or on the City’s YouTube channel: ci.wilsonville.or.us/WilsonvilleTV.
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