Hillsboro and North Plains residents, this is your last chance to comment on the future of the farmlands on the edge of town—in fact, land far outside our City. Watch the Video here is you want a great short summary of all the facts.
As we have all been busy trying to keep our rising utility bills paid and our schools from falling even further below the State averages, outsiders have planned to change our cities forever. There have been NO public hearings here in our City of Hillsboro about the 373 acres Governor Kotek intends to bring into our town. Her staff had a meeting here on October 10th- it wasn’t a hearing because a hearing has rules, and there are legal avenues for any land use process that happens in a hearing here in Oregon. No, Mayor Steve Callaway, State Senator Janeen Sollman, North Plains Mayor Terry Lenahan, and Tina Kotek and her staff planned this all out down in Salem with the passage of Senate Bill 4. This meeting, they had which was a farce in terms of its messaging and facts, was held because they had to. Not because they wanted to. No questions were allowed. No meaningful information about what is happening or who is coming was given. Many mistruths and general policy statements were made, some nice slides were shown, and only about 1/2 of the people who came and signed up to speak were allowed to speak despite everyone sitting for 4 to 5 hours. A litany of preplanned politicians who favored this land expansion and the “jobs” spoke in support. But again, there were no specifics as to what these jobs were or if there are any.
The meeting was so out of balance given the dark backdrop of Intel firing 1,300 employees here in Hillsboro and buying / retiring out another 2.000. It really feels like the group in control of this process is scared to death that things are falling apart and that this big land deal, and those to follow to the West, are needed to right a sinking ship of their of creation.
The cabal making plans around this land expansion is filled with land speculators with options and agreements, secret ones at that, and secretive deals with the City and State over something unknown. This expansion was supposed to be done only if needed for a specific job creating end user. That was always the quid-pro-quo. If Intel or another chip maker made a specific application for the land to come in based on need, then the Governor would have a hearing and consider an expansion. BUT THERE IS NO PROPOSED USER, and she is about to make a decision. Thus, we have a broken promise from Kotek again. And we have been duped again. Like PROJECT AZALEA, the secret company that never came, this is becoming another questionable land expansion shell game.
These people have decided for you as residents of North Plains and Hillsboro that your futures are about to change, such as your Countryside, utility bills, traffic, and tax rates, you name it. The loss of separation between our cities and the jump to connected sprawl is happening now. This decision will cement that. And remember, it was Sollman, Lenahan, and Callaway who wrote the language and lobbied for this to happen and to make sure you were DENIED your land use powers of Appeal, a guarantee to all Oregonians until now.
ACTION NEEDED – BY OCTOBER 30th
All Notes, Testimony, Video, and comments submitted to date can be found here: https://www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/sb4-10/pages/default.aspx
Sign-in Sheet for the Oct. 10 Meeting
Email testimony to the Governor before Wednesday, October 30, at 5pm PT at
Oregon.CHIPS@oregon.gov
VOTERS GUIDE TO SMART GROWTH DECISIONS
In Hillsboro, VOTE FOR JAKE MEAD FOR CITY COUNCIL TO GET US BACK ON TRACK WeNeedMead.Com
In North Plains Vote For The 4 – They will ensure that North Plains Has Smart Growth!
And I will add (as I just studied this to make a statement for the last City Council meeting):
Utilities–Hillsboro Public Work’s (HPW) portion of Sewer and Surface Water Management (SWM)–have ALREADY been approved to INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. Up until JUST NOW (seems TOO coincidental!): CWS, who comanages this has always set the yearly rate increases in July of 4-5.5%. Was 4% this year–on the entire amounts of sewer and SWM.
BUT HPW–now will set their own portion’s rate increases–to take effect in January. Again, supposedly this was a “Public Hearing” at the City Council meeting for these rate increases–but NO city advertising in the many ways, they could have and Hillsboro water for example does–ie on the Utility Bill, Happenings in Hillsboro, Nextdoor… I spent a long time looking to find anything–only would have seen in the City Council Agenda. Oh yes, IF you know how to find (and apparently look on a regular basis) you will see this on the city webpage for “Sanitary Sewer and SWM rate Adjustments” page.
So they will raise Sewer 8% (note twice what CWS felt was needed) = 12% with July increases. Correction with that is 3 Times higher!!!
And SWM 20%!!! = 24%–again with increases already given in July.
Each of these also have a Hillsboro Local Service Fee–which is 100% Hillsboro’s fee (wasn’t historically a part of the Utility Bill–was added sometime earlier this century)–it will be added to these fees. Wasn’t clearly addressed except to say this, but has not been increased yet–so likely will get these same % increases.
This is a 6-year increase plan–highest first 3-4 years, then will be 5%.
At the meeting, I saw the real plan: to approve (of course the City Council approved 100%, wouldn’t even delay the vote a month to have a real public hearing which I asked for) then they will advertise and educate the Public of this change in rate structuring. On the Utility Bill HPW and CWS’s portions will be separated out.
I will be at the next City Council Meeting Tuesday (to follow-up on comments they made — as I already had my “3 minutes” beforehand, so couldn’t respond again–what a lovely system :-(.
Join Me!!
This is embarrassing. A city surrounded on 3 sides by farms where starter homes are $500k. The reason people live under bridges is because rent is too high. Rent is too high from artificial supply shortage from bad planning policy. It’s time to throw out our growth boundary policies.
Ryan is correct.
What about the Urban Growth Boundary? Do we even get a say?
Also, if this is to benefit Intel and provide jobs, why did Intel just lay off over a thousand people?
If mail-in is all that is acceptable, mail-in is what they will have, at least from me.