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Troutdale resident urges city to appoint county liaison after road projects cause disruptions
Summary
At the Troutdale CAC meeting a longtime resident said Multnomah County roadwork in Troutdale has proceeded with little city notice and sometimes left intersections less safe; planning staff said there is no single city liaison and large transportation projects are typically coordinated through Public Works.
A Troutdale resident appealed to the Community Advisory Committee to establish a clear city contact to coordinate county projects after citing multiple local examples where county road work disrupted neighborhoods.
"The county came in and did Troutdale Road and the Buxton over the last year and a half...and it's still not really good enough," Sam Barnett said during public comment, adding that some intersections were torn up for extended periods and, in his view, made crossings more hazardous.
Barnett asked whether the county notifies the city in advance and if there is a designated person who can review or comment on county plans before work begins. "So who's policing the county when they're doing stuff within our city limits?" he asked.
Planning staff responded that there is not a single dedicated liaison for all county projects. "For a lot of these big projects, we're aware of them and I believe we're in the loop, but that's more of a public works thing than it is a planning thing," staff said, explaining that capital transportation projects typically involve Public Works and that planning staff receive notice and opportunity to comment for some development‑related projects.
Committee members recalled earlier traffic surveys and community outreach tied to specific projects and encouraged both improved notification and more proactive city engagement with county teams. One committee member suggested the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office previously had an equity inclusion director who served as a point of contact for interagency coordination; another member offered to route citizens to county sheriff's office representatives for safety concerns.
Staff did not commit to creating a single new liaison position, but said they will continue coordination through Public Works and existing notification processes and that the topic is worth further consideration by the city.
The exchange did not include a formal motion; the concern was recorded and staff acknowledged it as an ongoing coordination challenge.
