-Topics-
-Work Session-
Collaborative project with Dallas School District
A joint work session with the Dallas School District Board of Directors (The Board) and the City Council will look to Dallas’ future. The goal is to start working on plans to be able to “gather sufficient data to inform future decisions, explore mutual projects to mitigate enrollment declines and increase the population of young families in Dallas.” (work session agenda, pg 2)
Did you know? Oregon funding for K-12 schooling is based on enrollment. When student numbers go down, the school gets less funding.
Shrinking enrollment numbers present a concern for the district. The decline can also negatively affect the city and surrounding community. Together, The Board and Council will discuss working on ideas to attract young families and people to help both the district and city.
The staff report notes that Dallas’ population is increasing, but the growth is mainly by people over the age of 65 (work session agenda, pg 3). While this puts the county in a stable population category now and in the future, there is a risk of moving into a decline status (work session agenda, pg 9).
One project proposed will be to work with the University of Oregon Sustainable Cities Institute’s Sustainable City Year Program as a “cost-effective ‘consultant’” (work session agenda, pg 3).
Follow the money: A consultant could cost $25,000. This would be split evenly between the city and district.
What will happen? The Council will meet with the Dallas School District Board of Directors to discuss working together to gather data on declining enrollment numbers. No official action is likely to take place in this meeting.
-City Council-
Introductions, Recognitions, Proclamations
None planned.
Public Comment
This is your time to speak to your City Council, and Mayor. Each person has up to 3 minutes to speak.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda is used to pass procedural items. If any Councilor has a question or wants to discuss something, they can pull the item to discuss.
What’s on the consent agenda?
- Approve the June 15, 2026 Work Session Minutes – pg. 3
- Approve the June 15, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes – pg. 4-5
Mayor and Council Reports
This is a time for Councilors and the Mayor to give any reports.
City Manager report
Improvements to Jasper and Ellendale Intersection
The City Council will take a second look at improvements to the intersection at NW Jasper Street and W Ellendale Avenue.
The need for improvements at this intersection comes as a result of a Traffic Impact Analysis study. The study was completed because of the nearby Tokola Properties development on James Howe Road.
Originally, the city recommended Option 1 which called for the removal of on-street parking along the south side of W. Ellendale Ave., between Levens St. and Jasper St. This option matched the city’s Transportation System Plan.
The Council decided to pause on action in their March 2026 meeting in order to hear from residents who might lose parking on Ellendale. It was decided to have the Council’s Public Works Standing Committee review the topic more.
After receiving some public comment, the Public Works Committee approved Option 2 in their June meeting for recommendation to the Council.
Option 2 would include “rapid flashing beacons at the intersection of Jasper Street and Ellendale Avenue, marked vehicle turn lanes on Ellendale at the same intersection, and retaining the bicycle lanes and other street markings as existing on Ellendale west of the intersection.” (council agenda, pg 6)
- Follow the money:
- $123,703 – Estimated project cost paid by ADA Ramp Program and Streets SDCs
- $6,500 – Restriping paid for by the developer
The intersection project will be paid for by the ADA Ramp Program and Streets System Development Charges (SDC). Due to the approval and conditions of the James Howe development, $6,500 of road striping will be paid for by Tokola.
What will happen? The Council will consider and vote on an intersection improvement option for Jasper St. and W. Ellendale Ave.
City Charter Ad Hoc Committee Appointments
Applications from residents for the City Charter Committee are in. Next, the Council will appoint 4 residents and 3 Councilors to the committee that will review and recommend possible changes to the Dallas City Charter.
Did you know? The City Charter details how the city is governed. Think of it like Dallas’ Constitution.
This City Charter Committee will review the current charter, work on possible changes, and engage with city residents for feedback. They will submit any recommendations to the Council for approval. Lastly, any changes to the City Charter would have to be approved by voters on an election ballot.
- City Charter changes already suggested to discuss:
- Increasing the Mayor term from 2 to 4 years
- Restrict who can be elected to office to only US citizens
- Youth engagement:
- Lowering the age requirement to be an elected official
- Lowering age for citywide elections to under 18
- Review the vacancy in office clause
- Council quorum minimums
- City manager residency requirement
- Change number of City Councilors
- Restrict elected officials from working for the city
- Mayor to appoint committee chairs
- Removing bonding requirement for City Manager
- Supervision for council-hired positions
- Remote meeting participation
Potential topics of discussion (June 1, 2026 council agenda, pg. 8)
There are 4 positions on the committee for residents, and 4 residents applied. Each provided educational backgrounds, prior service experience, and voter registration status (among other details).
Learn more: You can review all 4 applications in the council agenda, pg. 13-20.
- Residents who applied for the City Charter Committee
- Tyler Lonsford
- Rotary Board of Directors
- Sofia Lozano Venegas
- Dallas Downtown Association Board Member
- Eric Vaughan
- Eden Gleann HOA Board President
- Ken Woods
- Former Dallas Mayor and City Councilor
- Tyler Lonsford
What will happen? The Council will appoint residents and Councilors to the City Charter Committee. Any proposed changes to the City Charter would come back to the Council for approval in the future before going on an election ballot.
-More Information-
Learn more: View the entire work session agenda and city council agenda for a lot more information.
Attend the meeting: Come attend the City Council meeting in person on Monday, July 6th, 2026. Work Session starts at 6:00 pm and City Council starts at 7:00 pm at City Hall in downtown Dallas, Oregon. You are free to come and leave whenever during the meeting.
Livestream: You can watch the livestream on the City’s YouTube page.
Speak to your City Council: Everyone is welcome to speak for 3 minutes towards the beginning of the meeting during Public Comment.
Congratulations! You just summarized 35 pages. Have you ever thought about being the Mayor, or on City Council? If so, now is the time to get your paperwork going.
Do you want to run for City Council?
“Candidates running for Dallas Mayor and City Councilor can now pick up Candidate Information Packets at Dallas City Hall. This packet has all the information you need to run for Mayor or one of four City Councilor positions in the November 2026 General Election.
Councilors serve four-year terms and the Mayor serves a two-year term. Candidates must be a registered voter of the State of Oregon and have been a legal resident of Dallas continuously during the twelve months immediately preceding the election.
The first day candidates can file paperwork to run for office is Wednesday, June 3, 2026, with all completed paperwork due no later than Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
For more information, contact Kim Herring, City Recorder, at 503.831.3502 or [email protected]”
June 3, 2026 News release from the City of Dallas Oregon
