Agenda Item - 2024-07-16 - Number 10.2 - Written Public Comment - Chris Durkee 10.2
From: Chris Durkee
To: Council Distribution
Cc: Frederique-Palisades Neighborhood Association Chair Lavios
Subject: City Council meeting 7/16/24,Agenda item 10-2,resolution 24-28
Date: Tuesday,July 16,2024 4:11:16 PM
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Dear Mayor Buck and City Councilors,
First, thank you for your service to our beautiful town.
My comments today are my own, not on behalf of a neighborhood association.
Regarding agenda item 10-2, resolution 24-28, "A Resolution of the City Council of
the City of Lake Oswego Submitting a Measure to the Voters at the November 5,
2024 General Election to Allow a Road Safety Project at the Intersection of Stafford
Road and Childs Road.
1. I strongly support the Stafford Road Improvement Project proposed by Clackamas
County - this is an important project for improving safety along Stafford, Childs and
Johnson Roads.
2. I'm not opposed to a ballot measure for voters to decide if the City Charter should
be amended to allow 0.4 acres of Stevens Meadows be used for this project.
3. I am concerned with the process and language being proposed to accomplish the
above.
a. Process: I attended the June 27th Mayor's Roundtable meeting regarding this
issue and understood that a goal of the July 16 City Council meeting was to draft the
actual measure description and charter amendment language - so that voters would
clearly understand what they're voting on. The use of a portion of Stevens Meadows
for this project, and amending chapter 10 of the city charter are both highly charged
issues, and it's critical that the process to draft the measure's language is transparent
- and includes citizen involvement Before the November election.
Yet, the staff report on page 2 states that, "If the voters approve the measure, the
Charter Amendment must be drafted after the election, and neither the ballot title nor
the explanatory statement will include proposed amendment language." So - it
appears we're asking voters to vote on an important issue without fully telling them
what they're actually voting on. This is not right, and reminds me of the US
Representative's comment, "We have to pass this bill to see what's in it". The
calendar deadlines outlined in the staff report should allow for drafting this language
before the election, and include citizen input in the process.
b. Language: Resolution 24-28's title (attachment 1 of staff report) is "A Resolution
10.2
of the City Council of the City of Lake Oswego Submitting a Measure to the Voters at
the November 5, 2024 General Election to Allow a Road Safety Project at the
Intersection of Stafford Road and Childs Road". This is not accurate and conceals
the fact that the real issue is not to approve a road safety project, but is to amend
chapter 10 of the City Charter to allow an otherwise unauthorized use of a Nature
Preserve for a traffic safety improvement project. Voters aren't voting on the Stafford
Road Improvement Project, they're voting on a specific charter amendment that
impacts a portion of a Nature Preserve. The City Attorney's preliminary draft of the
amendment to the Charter's Chapter 10, section 43, "The City of Lake Oswego shall
be allowed to permit Clackamas County to utilize up to 0.4 acres of Stevens
Meadows Park for the limited purposes of constructing road improvements and
driveway realignment." is much more accurate.
4. I anticipate that many voters who vote in favor of a much needed "road safety
project" may be upset when they find out they were actually voting for an amendment
to the hotly contested "parks initiative" (Chapter 10 of City Charter).
Let's let voters know what they are actually voting for. Let's do the hard work now
(before the election) and draft the measure's title, description and charter amendment
accurately and honestly so voters are property informed.
Sincerely,
Chris Durkee
2356 Glen Haven Road
Lake Oswego