-Topics-
- Work Session
- City Council
-Work Session-
Attendance
Present: Mayor Slack, Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Absent:
National Community Survey results
Results from the National Community Survey in Dallas were given to the City Council. Grace Arneson, a representative from Polco went over results and compared them to the same survey taken in 2023.
Public safety is the highest rated topic with 93% of residents saying they feel safe in their neighborhood and downtown. Feelings of safety stayed high or increased across most categories, though opinions on police services saw a drop from 82% in 2023 to 75% in 2026.
Generally, opinions about the economy are lower now than in 2023 and views on the local government also dipped across categories. However, the opinion that all residents are treated fairly went up a little since 2023.
Follow the money: It cost $21,400 to conduct this survey.
3,000 survey invitations were sent out to households across Dallas. There were 586 responses, which gives a 4% margin of error to the survey results. Arneson said Dallas had a higher response rate than other cities in the national survey.
Council President Briggs pointed to the high rate of people feeling safe and asked if there was more information on why they feel safe. Arneson said there is no direct answer for why people feel safe. Suggested looking at the demographic breakdown of answers to look for trends on this. The city can also do a follow up survey if there are specific questions the Council wants answers to.
Councilor Shein asked what data the survey’s national average is based on. Would the national average include all urban and rural cities? Arneson answered the national average does include any and all cities that participate in the survey. There was also a custom comparison to benchmark Dallas against. That custom sample only includes similarly sized cities in Oregon and Washington. That information is available but was not presented in the survey packet. Shein asked to see that comparison data.
Council President Briggs said the lower views of government felt like a gut punch. Suspected it might be due to increased water rates and other recent actions from the Council. Asked if there was any specific information on why this topic went down since 2023. Arneson said that is hard to answer without community context. There are no answers in the survey but suggested looking at the specific demographic answers to the question. Arneson also suggested gathering what answers surprised the Council the most, and start working on follow up questions to ask residents.
City Manager Latta was also surprised to see answers for local government lower than in 2023. Thinks decisions in Jan 2026, when the survey went out, might have affected the survey results. Noted the economy is a long term project that the city has worked on for years. Latta wasn’t shocked to see a low answer on the economy, but was surprised by how much it dropped since 2023. Thinks communication from the city could be better about what projects are already being done.
Councilor Shein agreed the low opinions of local government hurt. Suggested there might be some spill over of opinions over from high state taxes, and disagreement with the federal government. However, Shein is most bothered by the result saying local government is not honest. Also concerned because that number has dropped since 2023.
Councilor Schilling thinks Facebook activity from disgruntled people likely adds to the negative feelings of local government. Preferred to focus on improving issues that decreased by 20% or greater. Stated projects like water and the Mill Site are all being worked on and hopes people are listening. Encouraged the Council not to get disheartened.
Councilor Shein wondered, if the city is sharing more information, why do residents think they are less honest. Schilling suggested it might be that issues are not being resolved even when the Council explains the problem.
City Manager Latta pointed out that how residents feel is important. Believed people are hearing what the city is doing, but need to hear more of the successes.
Councilor Barrientos pointed out the 80% of residents didn’t respond to the survey and asked why the survey results should be trusted. Arneson confirmed Polco uses survey standards, and does random surveys in the community to get a better sample. Results are also weighted to better match the demographics of the city.
What does a weighted survey result mean? If there are more senior residents in a city, but there was an equal number or responses from seniors and young adults, the survey results would be weighted more towards the senior’s answers. This weight accounts for the higher senior population in the city that didn’t respond. This weight helps to better reflect the population of the city.
Councilor Shein pointed out there was a higher than normal response to the survey in Dallas than other cities. Arneson confirmed on average cities got a 12% response rate, but Dallas had a 21% response rate.
Councilor Barrientos asked if age was a factor in the survey demographics. Arneson confirmed it was, and encouraged Councilors to review the demographic breakdown of the results.
Council President Briggs suggested letting city staff dig into the demographic data. Would like to see comparisons to other similar communities to know if Dallas is more expensive to live in.
Councilor Holsapple thought the survey showed people don’t want Dallas to become a bedroom community. Believed the Council is doing things to make Dallas a stand alone city, but doesn’t think the residents see the Council working toward that goal.
Councilor Shein agreed with Holsapple on the negative bedroom community feeling. Asked the city to look into the demographic answers on the survey. City Manager Latta said the city has the additional information to review. The city could also do a follow up survey with the Polco subscribers who live in Dallas (which is about 300 subscribers). Shein would like the Council to see the demographic breakdowns.
Council President Briggs gave kudos from the survey to the Police and Fire & EMS departments for helping people feel safe.
City Manager Latta added there are other positive wins from the survey results like high opinions on safety, parks, and the natural environment. Over 50% of people feel those categories are doing great.
Councilor Shein noted attending the Fire & EMS and Police award ceremonies and appreciated the strong sense of community from both departments, especially from Fire & EMS.
What happened? No official action took place. Information from the survey results were shared and the Council asked questions.
The next survey is planned in 2028 according to the staff report. This collection of survey results will offer the city important information that is tracked over time.
-City Council-
Attendance
Present: Mayor Slack, Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Absent:
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Mixed Use Zoning District
The City Council held a public hearing on a newly proposed mixed-use zone category to be added to the city Development Code. This new mixed-use zone is planned for future development in the new La Creole Node.
Staff Report
Jess Ballew, City Planner for the city of Dallas, presented the staff report to the Council and answered questions.
There are 2 options for the mixed-use zone approval the Council chose from. The difference between the 2 options comes down to whether or not businesses would have direct driveway access on state highways like Ellendale Ave and Kings Valley Highway.
Option 1 does not allow direct driveway access to the state highways. According to the staff report, this will preserve a pedestrian environment on the major roads. Traffic would be focused instead on La Creole Drive, Polk Station Road, and Bovard Avenue. This would be similar to the Barberry and Wyatt Node designs.
Option 2 requires driveway access to the state highways. This would keep traffic out of the future neighborhood areas but increase points of conflict on the state highways.
The Planning Commission previously held a public hearing on this topic and reviewed both options. They are recommending Option 1, but wanted the Council to consider both.
Council President Briggs wanted to clarify, Option 1 has no access to the highways, and options 2 does. Ballew confirmed. Briggs also asked about the building limit of 70,000 sq ft in the mixed-use node. Ballew shared the size is a policy issue that helps drive what kind of development goes in. A super large store like Costco (over 70,000 sq ft) isn’t usually intended for a mixed-use zone. That, however, is a decision left to the Council.
Councilor Fitzgerald asked if Costco is a mixed-use property. Ballew said it is not. Mixed-use would also have a residential use in the building.
Councilor Schilling pointed out that the La Creole Node has mixed-use, commercial, and residential zones inside of it. That makes the entire node a mixed-use node. The commercial zones in the La Creole Node will be for larger grocery stores. There is space for larger uses outside of the specific mixed-use zone.
City Manager Latta confirmed there are several different zone types inside the total La Creole Node area.
Councilor Schilling believed that Option 1 would be a better visual choice. Said Option 2 would turn Ellendale Ave into a Lancaster Drive. Schilling stated preference for Option 1.
Councilor Holsapple agreed with Option 1. The city should preserve traffic flow on the highways. Believed adding driveway points to the highway would be crazy for traffic. Latta agreed with the desire to limit access points on the highways. Commercial traffic would be better to come from of the streets. Latta thought the Planning Commission and staff made a good choice with Option 1.
Council President Briggs asked if the mixed-use zone was only being used in the La Creole Node. City Manager Latta said yes, the standards being considered apply to only the mixed-use zone in the mixed-use node of La Creole. Briggs also stated wanting to limit building heights from 8 stories.
Councilor Fitzgerald agreed and wanted to see a maximum of 2-3 stories. Latta asked if the current limit was 5 stories. Ballew said yes 5 stories but there is a mixed-use bonus to get a taller height.
There was a discussion between Councilors Schilling, Shein, City Manager Latta, and Ballew about the need for commercial space in a multi-family building inside the mixed-use zone. The code refers to a space equivalent to the ground floor of the multi-family building required to be commercial. As long as the space is equal to the same square footage of the ground floor of the multi-family building, it can go anywhere on the property. For example, the commercial space could be in a different building altogether or even be on the top floor of the multi-family building. Councilor Shein noted, no business would want to be on the top floor because they would not get customers.
Council President Briggs asked about the required 10% of recreational area for children in the mixed-use zone. Ballew confirmed that is the standard size for recreational space on a multi-family building.
Councilor Shein added that requirement has always been there for multi-family developments.
Councilor Schilling added that developers could combined their 10% spaces into 1 larger recreational space for the neighborhood. Briggs said 1 large recreational space was preferred over various small areas.
There was some discussion about removing duplicative language that appears across the code. Council President Briggs joked this kind of task was not anticipated when first running for City Council.
Councilor Schilling had some questions about the set back requirements for buildings, and parking garage door openings on mixed-use buildings. The concern was that a large set back of 10 ft would encourage parking on the path into the parking garage. City Manager Latta suggested a maximum limit instead of a minimum limit might fix the concern.
Councilor Fitzgerald asked if there would be families living above a commercial space. Ballew confirmed that is the intended purpose of a mixed-use zone.
Learn more: Read the full proposed code for a new mixed-use zone in the council agenda pg. 11-22.
Public Comment
None.
Discussion
None.
Decision
Councilor Schilling listed several grocery store building sq ft averages to compare with the code. Wants to see the code changed to allow for the larger sized stores in the commercial zone. Currently the proposal allows for 50,000-70,000 sq ft buildings in commercial zones.
- Grocery Store square footage averages (according to Schilling)
- 56,000-60,000 sq ft – Safeway in Dallas
- 150,000 sq ft – Fred Meyer average
- 150,000-250,000 sq ft – Target average
- 80,000-95,000 sq ft – WinCo average
- 35,000-107,000 sq ft- Albertson’s average
- 146,000-147,000 sq ft – Costco average
- 50,000-70,000 sq ft – Currently allowed commercial zone size in the La Creole Node
City Manager Latta asked if there was a standard square footage in commercial zones. Ballew said buildings over 50,000 sq ft need a conditional use permit. That means it’s reviewed on a case by case basis. Latta suggested the Council could cap the maximum instead of the conditional use.
Councilor Schilling said the La Creole Node was made to help keep taxes low. Doesn’t want to limit the size of stores that could bring in big taxes, like Costco. Schilling wants bigger commercial buildings allowed in the commercial zone.
The Council voted to remove section 2.6.050 B4. This removes any limit on building sizes in the commercial zone.
VOTE BREAKDOWN
For: Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Against:
Council President Briggs wanted to restrict the height limits of mixed-use buildings in the La Creole Node. The Council voted to restrict the height of mixed-use buildings from 8 stories to 3.
VOTE BREAKDOWN
For: Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Against:
Councilor Shein wanted to remove the conditional use permit that would allow less commercial space in the mixed-use multi-family buildings. Stating the city’s desire for more commercial space, it didn’t make sense to allow conditional uses for less. The Council voted to remove conditional uses that would allow less commercial space in mixed-use zoned multi-family buildings.
VOTE BREAKDOWN
For: Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Against:
What happened? With 3 changes to the proposed code, the Council voted to approve Option 1. An ordinance will come back to the Council for 2 readings before the final vote to adopt.
VOTE BREAKDOWN
For: Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Against:
Introductions, Recognitions, Proclamations
None.
Public Comment
- Dallas resident
- Presented a petition with 140+ signatures against the development at 430 Main Street
- Believed there could be many negative effects from the development
- Congested traffic and parking
- Main Street is a highway and has no other apartment buildings
- Worried about protecting the Rickreall Creek
- Water, sewer, and garbage use concerns
- Suspected decrease to nearby property values
- Doesn’t think this development fits the town’s values and aesthetics
- Said the large response from the petition requires the Council’s attention
- Asked the Council to revoke the permit for development
- Wants to allow only a gas station with a convenience store or strip mall
The Council addressed this topic in the Mayor and Council Reports section of the meeting.
- President of Friends of the Dallas Aquatic Center
- Gretchen, the Pool Supervisor, was accepted to the Oregon Recreation and Parks Association Leadership Academy
- Should bring great new ideas to the Aquatic Center
- The couple who donated the therapy spa lift several years ago have both passed away
- Their will left money to the Aquatic Center
- $82,500.60 – gifted from the couple’s will
- The Library also received a gift in the same amount
- Several local non-profits also benefited from this couple’s will
- FDAC will consider options and decide what projects are the most important for the pool
- $82,500.60 – gifted from the couple’s will
- This brings the total given to the city for the Aquatic Center to over $110,000 this year
- Their will left money to the Aquatic Center
- Gretchen, the Pool Supervisor, was accepted to the Oregon Recreation and Parks Association Leadership Academy
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 May 4, 2026 Work Session Minutes (council agenda pg. 23)
- Approve the May 4, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes (council agenda pg. 24-25)
- April 2026 Financial Report (council agenda pg. 26-58)
What happened? This passed unanimously.
Mayor and Council Reports
Councilor Holsapple reported about future construction work on the Independence Bridge crossing the Willamette River into Salem. This is a Marion County bridge and project. Scheduled to be done at the same time as the work on the Center Street Bridge on Highway 22. Hoped Marion County will do the bridge in Independence first, before starting on the Center Street Bridge.
Council President Briggs asked if this will affect ambulance service. Holsapple answered yes, and the both Marion and Polk County, and Salem are concerned. April Wallace, Fire & EMS chief added there is communication between parties about that issue.
Council President Briggs asked if the 430 Main Street project was 44 housing units. City Manager Latta shared the development at 430 Main St. was an outright permitted project, however the property owner is not moving forward with those plans now. The petition mentioned in public comment was on the old development plans. The city is expecting revised plans soon. The new plans will likely still have a gas station, convenience store, and residential units, but it will be smaller than previously proposed. The residential building would likely come in a 2nd phase of development.
Councilor Schilling pointed to the resident’s suggestion that residential development be focused in the Barberry and Wyatt Nodes. Schilling confirmed that is already in the plan for those Nodes.
Council President Briggs asked to verify if the Council has the ability to revoke a permit. Latta confirmed that is not something the Council can do. A permit could only be pulled if there was a building code violation. The development concern is a land use decision not a building permit decision.
Councilor Schilling, also referring to the residents comment about 430 Main St, added the State of Oregon has set the requirements on parking standards.
City Manager report
None.
ORDINANCES
No. 1923 – Open Burn Registration
The city is looking to learn more about open burning inside the city limits. To get more information, a 2 year open burning registration pilot program was proposed to the City Council. The information collected from this program would help determine if any future regulations on open burning are needed.
The program would require people to register with the city if they plan to open burn in city limits. There is no enforcement with this program, only the collection of information. Open burning does not include recreational fires, barbecues, or agricultural burning.
The Council’s Public Safety standing committee recommended the program to the Council for approval in their April 27, 2026 meeting.
This ordinance also has an emergency clause on it. The clause allows the ordinance to take effect immediately if adopted after the 2nd reading. The cause for emergency is due to the fire season approaching, according to the staff report.
Councilor Fitzgerald asked how the city knows what is being burned by residents. Confused why there is no enforcement with this program. Stated this program felt like a power grab from the city. City Manager Latta shared the city gets calls every year from neighbors who see smoke and are concerned. This registration program can help deter some of those calls. If the location generating concerned calls was a registered open burn, the city wouldn’t need to send a Fire department staff to go check on the smoke.
Latta shared Monmouth has a full open burning ban and doesn’t expect the city to go that far.
Councilor Schilling pointed out certain types of burns don’t need to be registered, like small untreated logs, or a BBQ.
Council President Briggs asked to confirm there are no registration costs or fines from enforcement. City Manager Latta confirmed there is no enforcement.
Councilor Jantz asked to confirm if registration is voluntary. Latta confirmed and said if the city got a neighbors concerned call and went out to check on the smoke the city could ask the resident to register on site. Jantz saw the intent, but worried the city would only get data on people who already follow the rules to begin with.
Councilor Jantz asked if a neighbor called about smoke, how does the city know if it’s an open burn or real fire. City Manager Latta said they have to send someone to go check. With this program they could check online registration first, and might avoid the need to go check on site.
Jantz noted the fire season is almost here which bans open burns. Latta confirmed and noted the program would begin in the fall when open burning season starts again.
Councilor Fitzgerald asked who goes out to check on calls about smoke. Latta said a Fire department staff goes to check.
Council President Briggs asked to confirm that the City Council will get the data from the program and make any future decisions. Latta confirmed.
Councilor Spivey asked how many open burn fires are too many. City Manager Latta said the concern is not with the number of burns.
Councilor Shein and Fitzgerald had a short discussion about if there is a problem, and how the program can help determine if a problem exists.
Councilor Spivey asked how many open burns in the past have required an active fire response. April Wallace, Chief of Fire & EMS, responded around 8. Also mentioned a fire that was started by a developer from neglected piles that got out of control.
Wallace said the city doesn’t know if there are open burn issues, but the city gets a lot of complaints from residents. This program is intended to help educate those who are open burning. Getting data will also help identify if there are any issues to be addressed. The city wants to know people are open burning responsibly.
Councilor Fitzgerald wondered if someone registers, how would the city know they are burning responsibly. Wallace said they can spot check people who are registered. Fitzgerald asked if the Fire department has the time for that. Wallace said they can make it. This can prevent the need to respond to all smoke calls from concerned neighbors. Explained this program is to get more data to understand what’s currently happening.
Councilor Spivey asked if the potential number of registered open burns on a weekend might affect fire staffing. Wallace didn’t think so. The Fire department already gets 2-3 calls per day asking for burn information.
Councilor Jantz asked if the open burn information is on the city website. Wallace said no but it is being worked on.
Council President Briggs asked about burning weeds on a property. Wallace said it’s not smart to burn weeds next to your home or fence. That would be a good chance for educational information to encourage responsible burning.
Councilor Shein believed there is no downside to vote for this program.
Councilor Barrientos wanted to look at the program’s potential long term future. Thinks the Council can assume good intentions from the Fire department. However, fears a slippery slope of a volunteer program turning into a forced program and then adding fees and fines. Wanted the Council to ask a lot of questions. Concerned this program could get out of hand.
Councilor Shein explained the City Council would have to make any changes to the program. Those worries expressed are not automatic results.
What happened? The Council passed the 1st reading of the ordinance to start a 2 year open burning registration pilot program. The 2nd reading is scheduled for June 1, 2026.
No. 1922 – Ownership and maintenance of mid-block sidewalks
The City Council passed the 2nd reading and voted to adopt the ordinance on mid-block sidewalks. The changes to city code 3.500, 3.505 and 3.510 will clarify what a mid-block sidewalk is, and set ownership of the sidewalks.
According to the ordinance, a mid-block sidewalk is “a sidewalk built in a public right of way between two or more properties that is not adjacent to a street.” (council agenda, pg. 63) An example of mid-block sidewalks are paths that connect the Rickreall Creek Trail to a street’s sidewalk.
This ordinance will set the City of Dallas as owner of these mid-block sidewalks. With that ownership, the city will be responsible for any maintenance costs and liability issues.
Learn more: See all of the proposed changes in the council agenda, pg. 63-65.
The Public Works Committee (a standing committee of the Council), discussed these changes in their April 27, 2026 meeting and voted to recommend them to the City Council.
What happened? The Council passed the 2nd reading for the mid-block sidewalk ownership ordinance and voted to adopt it. The code change will become effective on June 17, 2026.
VOTE BREAKDOWN
For: Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Against:
RESOLUTIONS
No. 3567 – application for a Grant for the construction of the Rickreall Creek Trailhead at Fir Villa Avenue
The Council voted to apply for a grant to build the next trailhead on the Rickreall Creek Trail at Fir Villa Road. This trailhead will connect the eastern portion of the trail to sidewalks on Fir Villa Rd. According to the staff report, this will increase access to communities in the Barberry Node.
Jennifer Ward, Public Works Director, said this is a 1/4 mile section of the trail. It will connect the east side of Fir Villa Rd. to the completed trail section that goes to the Dallas Golf Course. That golf course section was completed a few years ago. This trail connection to Fir Villa Rd. has a steep elevation change that needed extra design and engineering work.
This will be a capital project in the 2026-2027 budget. Ward said the application for the grant is large and required a lot of work. Tyler Ferrari, Economic Development Specialist, worked on the grant. Ferrari said the project fits within the grant requirements and the application is ready to go. It will be submitted later this week, if approved.
The city will apply for the Local Government Grant Program which comes from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. This grant is used to build and rehabilitate parks and recreation amenities across the state.
- Follow the money:
- $344,143 – Total project estimate
- $206,485.80 – Total requested amount from the grant
- $137,657.20 – Remaining amount covered by Park System Development Charges (SDC)
- $344,143 – Total project estimate
Councilor Shein asked, if all goes to plan, when would the grant results be known. Ward expects to hear around Aug or Sep 2026. If the city was awarded the grant, construction would begin in Spring 2027.
Council President Briggs acknowledged it took a while to figure out where this trailhead was located. Suggested a map would help in the future. Asked why this portion of the trail is being done before the Hawthorne Ave. to Fir Villa Rd. connection. Ward shared the trail section east of Hawthorne Ave. will be a developer driven project. This trailhead project will connect the trail east of Fir Villa Rd., go up Fir Villa to Academy Street, and into John C. Bernard Park. The developer’s trail section from Hawthorne Ave. will connect to Bernard Park as well.
Ward explained ideally the trail would follow along the Rickreall Creek the entire way from Hawthorne Ave. to Fir Villa Rd. There isn’t land currently available to make that connection, so the Academy St. connection will be used until land along the creek is available.
Councilor Schilling agreed that identifying this location in the agenda was confusing. Hawthorne Ave. is usually thought of as a north south road, but it turns east after Barberry Ave. Schilling also stated for the record, the designer on this trailhead project working for the engineering firm is Schilling’s daughter. Didn’t expect any conflict of interest on this topic.
Council President Briggs asked if the developer is paying for their section of the trail. Ward said there have been different types of agreements with developers on the trail. Some donate land, while the city builds the trail. Councilor Schilling confirmed that is a standard practice.
Councilor Barrientos asked if this trail section is in a flood zone. Ward answered yes and since it is next to the creek flooding is an issue. Trails are allowed to be in flood plains and floodways.
Councilor Fitzgerald asked to confirm the trail from Fir Villa Rd. to the golf course is built, just not connected to the street. Ward confirmed. Explained though it is a short section of the trail, the elevation change is the main cost for this project.
Councilor Schilling noted all the easy parts of the trail are done. The remaining portions of the trail are complicated and therefore expensive. Ward confirmed that is why the trail is built in sections. Easy and cheap parts are already done. When grant money becomes available the city should use it. This will help city’s SDC funds go further.
Learn more: Read the full proposal and see the construction bid from Locke Engineers in the council agenda, pg. 66-72.
What happened? The Council voted to approve the application for a grant to build a trailhead for the Rickreall Creek Trail on Fir Villa Rd. The grant will be awarded around Aug or Sep 2026. If awarded to the city, the construction is estimated to begin in the Spring of 2027.
Ward also acknowledged there was a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 8, 2026 for the new ADA swing in Dallas City Park.
VOTE BREAKDOWN
For: Council President Briggs, Councilors Barrientos, Blosser, Fitzgerald, Holsapple, Jantz , Schilling, Shein, and Spivey
Against:
-More Information-
- Work session full agenda
- Work session YouTube video archive
- City Council full agenda
- City Council YouTube video archive
