Here’s a preview for the Tuesday, November 17, 2020 Gresham City Council meeting. Among other items, this week’s discussion will have an impact on Gresham’s transportation investment priorities in the next few years.
The council will be considering the following items on Tuesday morning:
- Two Appointments to the Finance Committee: Claire Lider and Janice Baker. The Finance Committee advises the Council on matters relating to financial management practices and policies designed to improve performance and accountability in City Government. This group facilitates community involvement by offering a venue where innovative ideas can be discussed to improve service outcomes, and increase return on tax dollar spending. The appointment is for a three-year term. There are seven members on this committee. Claire Lider is a new appointment. Janice Baker has served two terms and is seeking to be reappointed for a third term. Given our city’s $13 million dollar shortfall this committee will be critical in coming out of this financial crisis created by two decades of inaction to solve this problem.
- Transportation Network Company Policy: This policy regulates ride sharing services such as Lyft and Uber. Currently, Gresham doesn’t have any policies regulating these services. This proposed policy would adopt a policy similar to Portland’s that includes setting standards for vehicle safety and driver conduct. The program would collect a .50 cent charge per ride, require specific insurance, zero-tolerance drug and non-discrimination policies, possibility for customers to request wheelchair accessible vehicles, and conduct review of drivers. This would go into effect on December 20, 2020.
- Contract Approval for $75,000 to Organizational Cultural Competence Assessment and Training for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program services. This is already in the approved budget, and this group was recommended by the staff and city manager after reviewing 11 applications. This group is expected to guide City leaders along DEI principles, concepts, and terms. The other part of the work is to assess our current efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and recommend how we can create a more comprehensive plan to attract more diverse staff, create a culture of inclusion, and serve communities of color and underserved populations. This work in phase one will inform future program design and implementation.
- We will also be providing guidance to some Capital Improvement Transportation Investment Priorities for 2021-2022. It is important to hear from the community where they think investments need to be made to create transportation systems that impact safety, congestion, mobility, economic development, operational sustainability, climate, and equity. This is a policy discussion. The purpose of this section is to provide staff direction as they create their 2021-2022 plans and budgets.
How You Can Have An Impact:
- Make sure to send your thoughts or sign up to give public comment by 10:00 am Monday morning for a Tuesday meeting. Sign up or send comments by email to Susanjoy Wright at City Hall.
- You’ll always find City Council agendas and meeting materials on the Gresham website.
- If, like me, you care about seeing community voices and transparency in government, please sign up for my Gresham News and Action Alerts. I’ll keep you up to date with what’s happening at City Hall, and on opportunities for input on issues that impact all of us.