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Residents and councilors call for broader public engagement as Yamhill begins new downtown push
Summary
Public comment and council discussion at the July 30 work session focused on low community participation, a need for outreach to new residents, and volunteer recruitment for downtown projects.
Yamhill — Residents and elected officials at a July 30 work session urged the city to broaden outreach and recruit more volunteers to support economic development and downtown projects.
Why it matters: Council members and longtime volunteers said current decision-making and project work rely heavily on a small group of recurring participants; expanding outreach is essential to sustain long-term projects and avoid burnout.
During the session a resident who identified himself as Rocky said the city’s planning and outreach efforts have not engaged most residents: "This is a dead community," he said, adding that the town needs “many people involved” to share labor and fresh ideas. Rocky urged the council to boost participation and warned that a small circle of volunteers was becoming worn out after repeated meetings.
Councilor Patty Perrin said her conversations while distributing flyers produced the same message: "They're not heard. Questions are asked. They never get answers, and they're just done with it." Several new-resident speakers said recent neighborhoods include people who are busy and have not plugged into local government.
Council and committee members proposed several practical steps: use the Yamhill Downtown Association’s outreach efforts (events such as bingo), coordinate with the economic development committee on volunteer recruitment, and publicize that the city has new council members who are more willing to listen. Jenny Morrison said the association is doing door-to-door and event outreach and gathering contact information to engage business owners and residents.
Discussion-only items included why people left businesses downtown in the past (some owners are no longer local), how to present attractive, achievable projects to potential volunteers, and how to ensure new people see quick wins so they will stay involved. The council asked that volunteers record and report progress and that the committee return updates to council on timelines and recruitment.
Ending note: Participants agreed to continue outreach through existing community groups, to make volunteer roles explicit and small, and to bring status updates to the next council meeting.
