Beaverton announces new assistant city manager; city manager updates council on North Transmission Line, fee review and nonprofit incubator

City Manager announced the hiring of Elizabeth Coffey as Beaverton’s new assistant city manager and provided several operational updates to the City Council.

Coffey, who joined the city this month from the City of Gresham, “directly reports to the city manager and will oversee human resources, finance, information services, Beaverton Municipal Court and currently the city's response to homelessness,” the city manager said during the council meeting.

The manager also gave a status update on the North Transmission Line project, a 24‑inch seismically resilient transmission main intended to provide redundancy for Beaverton’s potable water supply in the event of a major earthquake or other emergency. Staff reported Segment 1A pipe work is complete; Segment 1B pipe work is underway (day work on SW 117th Avenue between SW Baseline and SW Walker); Segment 1C is underway with a mix of day and night work (SW 100th and 70th avenues between SW Baseline Road and Tualatin Valley Highway). Segment 2 work is proposed to start in late May and will focus on Portland General Electric pole relocations, with work expected to take about six months; Segment 3 design plans are approximately 30% complete and alignment alternatives are under review.

The city manager reminded the council of several upcoming items and programs: a public hearing on a citywide fee review set for April 1 at 6 p.m.; a March 22 community workshop (“Introduction to Compassionate Communication”); and a free confidential mediation/conflict resolution service funded through state grants. The manager also announced a nonprofit incubator program funded by approximately $1 million in state and federal grant funds and local partners, intended to provide education, consultation and a collaborative workspace.

Councilors welcomed Coffey and thanked city staff for the project and program updates.