The Clackamas County Commission and Metro Council haven't always seen eye-to-eye in the last few years. From light rail to greenhouse gas reduction, conversations between the county and regional government seem to have been more about disagreements than solutions.
But the tide, it seems, is turning. After a two-hour joint work session at Clackamas County's office complex Tuesday, it was clear the two boards have a lot to work on – together.
In the work session, the commission and council heard presentations about job creation in Clackamas County, and development opportunities in three specific areas: southern Happy Valley, the McLoughlin Boulevard commercial corridor and the industrial area along McLoughlin and the MAX Orange Line north of downtown Milwaukie.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed this meeting," said Clackamas County Commissioner Tootie Smith. "I'm extremely encouraged about working together and moving forward. Most of us came into this with open-mindedness, to see what common ground we have to go forward on. I think we established that today, with staff presentation and identifying certain needs. We established much common ground we can move forward on together."
Job growth is a key focus in Clackamas County, which has not seen the same levels of job creation as the other two counties in the Metro region. But it was clear Tuesday that the commissioners were working intensely on a plan.
"We have a need, we are working hard to clearly identify that need, so we can begin having germane conversations about our employment lands," said Clackamas County Chair John Ludlow. The commission, he said, still needs to work out what to do about Damascus, "and ending our perpetual legal battles over the Stafford area."
The latter might yet come. Metro Council President Tom Hughes said the parties are working on setting up a facilitated discussion, to be joined by Lake Oswego, West Linn and Tualatin surrounding Stafford, to try to find a solution that complies with state law and gives the county 50 years of certainty about where growth will happen.
The boards didn't just show up in a room and cast their differences aside. Clackamas County and Metro have been working for years to redevelop the Willamette Falls Legacy Project in downtown Oregon City. It's provided an icebreaker and a shared goal for both the commission and the council.
"The Willamette Falls project has been terrific for us in terms of building a better team," said Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette, whose district includes most of urban Clackamas County. "The (Willamette Falls) Locks project has helped. We've been focusing on transportation issues. Today we focused on jobs, and we have a lot of common ground there. I think it's important, when we can, to focus on the issues we can agree on, that we can be constructive on."
After the meeting, Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas said the meeting was an important first step in improving relationships between the county and Metro.
"I think it was a great first step. We need to better understand our responsibilities each jurisdiction has," Savas said. "If our meetings are structured in a way that we educate each other, learn things and open each others' eyes, then maybe when those more difficult issues come about, we'll be better prepared."
The meeting went so well that Smith suggested another joint meeting, perhaps at the Metro Regional Center in Portland. Collette also said she'd like to see more of the meetings happen in the future.
"People run for office to build better communities and to improve their communities," Collette said. "We may have different ways of doing it, we may have different goals and priorities, but we're all in it to make better communities."