Hillsboro Announces State Of The City Event, List Of 2018 Goals

HILLSBORO, OR — In advance of the 2018 State of the City event at the Hillsboro Civic Center Jan. 30, the city council shared its list of Guiding Principals and Priorities for the coming year.

From seeking ways to develop more affordable housing and ending homelessness to establishing Hillsboro as a "Tree City USA" and continuing the revitalization of the downtown area, the council has listed some ambitious — yet mostly doable — goals for 2018; and the council asks residents to join them in rising to the challenge of accomplishing those goals.

For Mayor Steve Callaway's second State of the City address, themed "Rise to the Challenge," he asks the entire Hillsboro community to band together to make the city the best place to live in the metro region. As one of the faster growing and more industry-focused cities in the Portland area, Hillsboro's leaders have worked to ensure infrastructure and livability will keep pace.

"For all of Hillsboro's successes and our path toward prosperity, we have challenges; challenges that can be addressed only when we work together," Callaway said in a statement released Thursday. "The fact that so many people enjoy living in Hillsboro — and so many others would like to join us here — creates a new series of challenges."

With the development of the south Hillsboro community, the renaming of city streets to fit a more cohesive grid, and the Willamette Water Supply coming along as scheduled, it's clear city staff is taking seriously the reality that Hillsboro is in fact growing quickly — and not likely to stop anytime soon.

Hillsboro's growth to more than 100,000 residents and daily influx of workers to Intel, Nike, and other tech companies, like FEI and Genentech, reveal a city nearly pushed to capacity. And traffic throughout the city — specifically on Southeast 10th Avenue and most of the Tualatin Valley Highway, as well as Southeast 185th Avenue — show a desperate need for road development; and the city's rapidly spreading homelessness problem is not something anyone in Hillsboro can afford to ignore or look away from.

"Housing affordability. Homelessness. Traffic. Even being civil and respectful toward each other can be a bit of a challenge at times," Callaway said. "I believe it's important to talk to each other — and to listen to each other as well."

Tasked with choosing from myriad goals, the Hillsboro City Council "unanimously adopted priorities that include timely topics such as transportation, cultural inclusion and engagement, housing affordability and homelessness, and support for entrepreneurs," according to city spokesman Patrick Preston.

The priorities and goals selected at the council's annual summit are listed below:

• Support community mobility by continuing to improve our transportation system;
• Work with community partners to increase public transportation access and service options;
• Support cultural inclusion and expanded engagement with diverse community members;
• Create partnerships to encourage and support the development of more market rate and affordable housing;
• Continue working with community partners to resolve homelessness;
• Support the development of entrepreneurs in Hillsboro;
• Expand workforce training opportunities that benefit all residents;
• Continue to plan ahead and position the city 50 years out for future success;
• Support the planning and development of the Crescent Park Greenway;
• Initiate exploration of receiving a Tree City USA designation;
• Support the continued success of the Hillsboro Airport and the city's partnership with the Port of Portland;
• Lead and promote sustainability initiatives, including energy-saving practices and renewable energy; and
• Emphasize the continued revitalization of downtown Hillsboro;

(Click here for more details on the council's listed priorities.)

"The council's selected priorities for 2018 are not ranked or ordered by importance and are not an exhaustive list of all City of Hillsboro priorities," Preston clarified. "The selected priorities are ongoing and can be created and completed within a one-to-two-year period with specific budget implications for the coming fiscal year; or, they may be long-range projects and programs that benefit from strong city council participation and support."

Priorities on the list were drawn from several plans already created by city staff and volunteer committee members, such as the Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan — which envisions a future Hillsboro as "a diverse, sustainable city known for success in blending urban lifestyle, a world-class local economy, agricultural heritage, and a welcoming, family-friendly community for an outstanding quality of life."

In renewing council guiding principals from previous years, the 2018 council has decided the city will this year continue to:

• Remain the full-opportunity, full-service city that serves all of our diverse community members in areas including, but not limited to, public safety, job creation, arts and recreation, libraries, school support, housing supply, and transportation;
• Maintain community support for our public safety personnel and the vital services they deliver;
• Continue the city's tradition of exceptional stewardship and accountability for city assets, including maintaining appropriate fiscal reserves and funding long-term asset maintenance programs;
• Maintain Hillsboro's leadership role as a business-friendly city committed to strategic economic development that grows prosperity in the community, the region, and the state;
• Operate with transparency and openness in engaging the community on decision making;
• Promote Hillsboro's unique identity while ensuring we grow and develop with consideration of our community's agricultural roots and history;
• Continue to plan ahead and position the city 50 years out for future success; and
• Support and show pride for high-quality education in Hillsboro — from preschool through high school, and higher education.

"At the end of the day, each of us makes an individual decision about how we view our community, what we contribute, and how we work together to make Hillsboro a better place," Callaway said. "We have the option of sitting back and criticizing what we don’t like. But I prefer we invest our time and energy in getting involved, taking an honest look at our challenges, and then working toward solutions — together."

Learn more at the Hillsboro State of the City event at the Hillsboro Civic Center, 150 E. Main St., beginning at 5 p.m. Jan. 30.

Image via City of Hillsboro