Residents and groups assail North Plains city manager over UGB, audits and food bank; manager denies misuse of funds

Dozens of residents and civic groups spoke at the May 18 North Plains City Council meeting, accusing City Manager Bill Reid of steering urban growth boundary (UGB) expansion work despite a prior referendum and of failing to complete required audits — and several urged the council not to renew Reid’s contract.

The public-comment period opened with Johanna Hunt describing a new North Plains Volunteer Network and moved quickly into dozens of speakers focusing on planning and accountability. Shelley Teraoka alleged Reid “was hired to advance an urban growth boundary (UGB) expansion that voters rejected in 2023” and criticized staff conduct around the food bank parking dispute. Lora Dexheimer, representing the North Plains Food Bank, presented petitions totaling 175 signatures from volunteers and clients and a 209-signature petition from Strong Towns urging the council not to renew Reid’s contract, saying food bank volunteers and patrons had been harassed through parking enforcement actions.

Other speakers raised related concerns: Linda Galas-Merten (Strong Towns North Plains) said the FY 2022 audit would show numerous internal-control deficiencies and alleged Reid increased his contract spending authority by $25,000 without council approval; John Platt warned that failing to complete audits could create fiduciary-liability risks for city leaders; and Patti Perrin objected to plans for a large industrial expansion she said would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions for infrastructure and harm farmland.

In response during his City Manager report, Bill Reid disputed key claims raised in public comment. Reid said the Transportation Growth Management (TGM) contract with consultant 3J Consulting is approximately $285,000 and is fully state and federally funded — "not one penny of city funds," he said — and that the city's only contribution is in-kind support such as meeting space and staff coordination. "I'm not pushing the UGB expansion. I'm managing the process on behalf of this part of our agreement," Reid said, rejecting assertions that he was advocating expansion contrary to council or voter direction.

Reid also addressed the food bank controversy, saying the staff-supported loading-zone decision was made after legal consultation and that he had deliberately stepped back to allow staff and the city attorney to manage enforcement steps. He invited the food bank or its director to file a formal complaint so an investigation could occur, adding, "I would love my name to be cleared." Mayor Aaron Dumbrow said he would consult the city attorney regarding rules on abusive or harassing comments after public remarks alleging staff harassment.

The crowd’s remarks and the council’s later discussion underscored continuing community division over land-use direction, urban renewal and municipal transparency. Several speakers asked the council to rescind prior ordinances (cited as Ordinances 484, 489 and 490 in public remarks) and to demand audited accounting of planning-related expenditures; in turn, councilors asked staff to secure in-person briefings from the contracted audit and accounting firms to provide timelines and deliverables.

What’s next: Council members agreed Merina & Company and a representative from Umpqua Valley Financial should appear in person at a future meeting with clear timelines and deliverables. A joint Planning Commission and council work session on the TGM/concept-planning process is scheduled for June 10.