Milwaukie mayor frames 'teamwork' as path to affordability, economic growth and parks progress

Mayor Lisa Batty delivered the City of Milwaukie’s State of the City address, saying local leaders and staff are working together to advance housing, economic development and parks despite statewide fiscal constraints.

Batty said the city has recently opened 275 affordable units at Hillside, is seeing a wave of new downtown businesses, and is building momentum that she described as a product of teamwork among elected officials, staff and residents. “We are building something pretty special,” Batty said, framing cooperation as central to recent policy gains.

The mayor presented three central policy goals—affordability (including housing and utility costs), economic development, and parks and green spaces—and credited a more cohesive council and city staff for moving initiatives forward such as the climate action plan and the comprehensive plan. In the speech she also referenced a broader teamwork theme used to explain earlier governance changes and accomplishments.

Batty cautioned that city powers are constrained by state law and shared taxation across overlapping districts, which complicates local budgeting even as costs for providing services rise. She said the council will soon take up utility rate adjustments and that the city must balance minimizing rate increases with maintaining safe, resilient utility systems.

The mayor highlighted several ongoing and future projects—Hillside housing, a storefront and tenant-improvement grant program leveraging about $1.6 million in urban-renewal funds, and regionally significant efforts such as the Milwaukie Bay Park agreements and the Kellogg Dam removal project—and urged continued public engagement and intergovernmental cooperation.

Batty concluded by thanking staff and partners, saying she would remain to answer questions, and reminding residents about community events and an ongoing Metro grant vote open through June 15.