At Tuesday’s 12/1/2020 Gresham City of Council meeting we will be discussing and voting on issues that need more input from the community. Following the list of items is how you can weigh in!

Appointments:
- Lana Stillwell is being nominated to serve as the City of Gresham’s member to the Port of Portland’s 17-person Citizen Noise Advisory Board for a three year term, ending on November 30, 2023. This committee’s purpose is to work on noise concerns as a part of the airport’s 20-year master plan. Any city or county with noise problems use this committee as the official forum to forward concerns.
- Mark Moore, Marisa Swenson, and Steve Lewis are nominated to serve on the Historic Resources Subcommittee to fulfill the remainder of three year terms that have been vacated. This seven person committee has the responsibility to advise City Council and the Planning Commission on matters relating to the city inventory of historic landmarks and the preservation of historic and cultural resources. The committee also develops programs and public education relating to cultural and historic properties.
Funding and Policy:
- Vote to Award $75,175 to private business – sole source purchase of one CUES lateral launch camera system. This would be paid from fiscal year 2020-2021 wastewater funds. CUES, Inc is a manufacturer of Closed-Circuit Television Video (CCTV) inspection equipment and asset management software. In the next year, local street reconstruction projects will cover 892 lateral sewer lines that are susceptible to problems requiring mediation. With a lateral launch camera system, the Department of Environmental Services’ wastewater operations teams can provide more cost-effective and thorough conditions assessments of lateral lines, supplemental more accurate asset management tracking, and reduce costly repairs.What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Enactment Reading: Transportation Network Company (TNCs) Policy. TNCs use a digital network or smartphone app to connect passengers to drivers providing rearranged rides, typically in a car owned by the driver. The proposed policy mirrors the City of Portland’s and include items such as fees, insurance and operation requirements, driver conduct and car safety, car conditions, anti-discrimination, and accessibility guarantees. The policy also outlines an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Portland to help administer this program. Although these policies are a step in the right direction, I think some seem prohibitive to drivers. We should also make sure fees are not passed onto the drivers.If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
- State of the Gresham Fire Department Facilities. City Council will be provided a report about our fire stations, initially established in 1987. Since then many of our calls and services have increased by 400%, yet our staffing levels have remained the same or even decreased and our facilities have not kept up with this growth. Additionally, when our stations were built they did not take into account women, mothers, gender non-conforming, or differently abled firefighters. Staffing increases as well as upgrades in cancer reduction, earthquake resiliency, and welcoming and inclusive facilities for all firefighters regardless of their gender, gender identity or expression are necessary.
- Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Presentation. The City Council will be provided with a presentation on the proposal created by Gresham Fire and Emergency Services in conjunction with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The model is developed to improve health outcomes for 911 callers with non-emergent or low acuity medical responses. While patient focused, benefits include more cost-efficient response to low acuity medical needs, improved emergency unity availability, and an over improvement of the regional emergency response system. I am glad we are innovating on ways to provide adequate service effectively and efficiently. As we move to add more services we need to ensure our existing fire staffing and facilities are adequately funded too.
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.