The Tigard City Council met in an Executive Session called under ORS 192.660(2) (i) for performance review of public officers or employees.

No public comments were received.

Acting City Manager Tritsch shared that Tigard Recreation is celebrating 10 years of serving our community and over the past decade has continued to increase the number of community events and recreation programing. We are also celebrating 25 years as a Tree City USA community, which is a national recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation that honors cities committed to strong urban forestry programs and investment in the care and celebration of trees.

Theatre Director Tori Lee Scoles and Thespian Board President Vera Hardy shared that March is national Theater in Our Schools (TIOS) month and shared some of their accomplishments from the year. The Tigard High School Theater Department is a National Honors Society, a four-time tech champion in Oregon, had two international competitors who won superiors, designed and hosted a haunted house, and held a variety of fundraisers for canned food and feminine hygiene products this year. They recently closed their musical 9 to 5, and the next show will be James and the Giant Peach. They expressed interest in working on connecting with the city more.

Envoy Khosravani reported that it has been a wonderful month at Tigard High School. Seniors are gearing up for graduation, by ordering apparel and registering for the graduation party. All other students are transitioning into course selection and forecasting for the next school year. For athletics, the dance team is at state, the tennis team won their invitational, the lacrosse team had their first tournament yesterday, and track and field will have their first meet this week. The president and vice president for next year have been elected and will join a future council meeting.

Commander Sitton highlighted the increase in dispatch calls and self-initiated calls from February 2025 to February 2026. The increase in both types of calls shows that the officers are responding to dispatch calls and being proactive with self-initiated calls during downtime. Comparing February 2025 to February 2026, even with an increase in calls, response time to calls has decreased. Especially the response time for priority 4 calls, which has decreased by 22.52%. Priority 4 calls are lower priority calls such as animal calls, abandoned vehicles, and cold theft reports.

Mayor Hu shared that he had heard concerns, and he has seen more personal items taking up sidewalk space in front of the Public Works lawn and asked about the challenges city staff are facing while enforcing Time Place and Manner (TPM) regulations. Commander Sitton shared that in general people want to follow the rules and since it is a revolving door of different people on the lawn, there can be a delay in compliance because it takes time to educate new people on the rules. About the sidewalk, he shared that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires 48 inches of unobstructed width for passage and a typical sidewalk is 60 inches, but the sidewalk in front of the lawn is 96 inches wide which allows for half of the sidewalk to be obstructed.

Councilors reported on their city board and committee and regional liaison assignment meetings.

TriMet representatives explained their budget constraints and upcoming changes to services in Tigard. In July 2025, TriMet announced a $300 million annual budget gap. Inflation led to increases in almost all the costs related to running the transit system and their revenue is down. TriMet engaged the community and more than 8,000 people provided feedback that was considered in the changes. Mayor Hu expressed concerns with the changes to Line 45, removing SW 121^st Ave and SW Walnut St.

Parks and Recreation Manager Gruen introduced Ranger Jordan Porter and shared the data they collected from the Park Ranger Program. Tigard piloted the city's first Park Ranger program in the summer of 2025 by bringing on a seasonal employee. The pilot program was in response to concerns received from community members about public safety in Tigard parks and on public trails. Staff observations and public feedback received indicate that the Park Ranger provides a positive presence, helps educate park users about park and trail rules, and serves as a liaison between the Public Works Parks and Recreation division and the Police Department. The pilot Ranger Program was a tremendous success and well received by the public. Council expressed interest in continuing the program, but in consideration of budget constrictions wants to know what the budget tradeoffs would be.

Parks and Recreation Manager Gruen and PRAB Chair Ellen Brown provided an update on the past year's accomplishments for PRAB, shared issues of concern, and asked for direction on concept planning to reimagine the use of the Lasich property as an Urban Agriculture and Natural Resource Education Center. They briefly discussed budget and funding challenges and the need for the upcoming discussion on Parks and Recreation funding. Council expressed interest in continuing to work on the plan for the Lasich property and asked for more information about long term costs.