Tualatin council signals consensus to pursue jurisdictional transfer of Southwest 60th Avenue

Tualatin — City staff told the City Council at a July 14 work session that Clackamas County has offered to transfer jurisdiction of a roughly two‑thirds‑mile segment of Southwest 60th Avenue to the City of Tualatin in exchange for $750,000 and that staff recommends negotiating the details of an intergovernmental agreement.

The offer covers the portion of the road between the Nyberg Creek bridge (not included in the transfer) and the ODOT Interstate 205 right‑of‑way (also excluded). Mike McCarthy, Tualatin’s city engineer, said the pavement condition index for the segment is about 83 out of 100 and that the corridor was paved roughly five years ago.

Councilors and staff said the transfer could simplify permitting and reduce duplicated review by two counties during design and construction of the planned 60th Avenue project. "They've offered us $750,000 towards the 60 Fifth Borland project…it's about 2 thirds of a mile long," McCarthy said during his presentation. Councilor Brooks said the proposal "looks like good movement" after a period of discussion about the corridor.

Why it matters: moving jurisdiction to the city would allow Tualatin to manage design reviews and permits under a single set of standards, which staff said could shorten consultant review time and reduce conflicting county requirements on future projects. Clackamas County’s funding would be provided as part of its Strategic Road Investment program and, according to staff, must be used on the 60th Avenue project.

Key details from staff: Clackamas County offered $750,000; the project area is about two‑thirds of a mile; initial phase costs to date are roughly $100,000, with approximately $400,000 of additional design work estimated; local construction cost is currently estimated at about $1.5 million if locally funded, while a federal construction grant the city has applied for would increase the total project budget to about $3 million if awarded. McCarthy told council the city has requested federal funding and would likely learn next year whether that funding is awarded.

On maintenance and liability, staff described existing county practice in which Washington County and Clackamas County split responsibility for a set of roads that cross jurisdictional lines; Washington County currently maintains several cross‑county segments, including the 60th segment in question. McCarthy said Washington County indicated it would continue routine maintenance for its half of the corridor and that Clackamas County expressed willingness to maintain its portion under current practices. Staff emphasized, however, that those verbal commitments are not a long‑term guarantee and wrote in their materials that "future maintenance costs are possible." Councilors pressed staff on that risk during discussion.

The council discussed next steps and the process for a jurisdictional transfer. McCarthy said potential next steps would include Clackamas County authorizing the transfer and city council authorizing the city manager and city attorney to negotiate an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to document scope, maintenance expectations and the funding conditions.

Outcome and next steps: Council members indicated consensus to direct staff to pursue negotiations with Clackamas County; no formal vote was taken at the work session. Staff will return with proposed agreement language and options for council action. If Tualatin accepts the transfer, Clackamas County’s review role on the project would end and Tualatin would handle permitting and standards for the corridor.

The project remains contingent on negotiating formal agreements that address maintenance responsibility, liability and the required use of Clackamas County funds.