Citizens Advisory Committee plans First Friday outreach, narrows survey questions for public tabling

Members of the Troutdale Citizens Advisory Committee used their Sept. 3 meeting to finalize outreach tactics for a First Friday tabling event scheduled two days later. The CAC focused on short, conversational questions and distributed roles for staffing the table and circulating among attendees.

The committee agreed to narrow the list of possible questions to three concise prompts to minimize burden on respondents: an opener about what people like or what keeps them in Troutdale, a question about where they get information about the city (for example, social media, neighbors or Nextdoor), and a question about a concern they have living in Troutdale. Committee members also agreed to record whether each respondent is a Troutdale resident.

Erica Palmer and staff said they will bring printed question sheets, clipboards and a map for sticker‑based location data; they will also have QR codes for the city project pages. Several committee members volunteered to staff the table. Staff noted that internet access at the tabling site may be limited and that printed materials will be necessary.

CAC members suggested additional outreach channels: apartment complex managers, homeowner associations, park bulletin boards, dog‑waste bin flyers, library postings, neighborhood Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and the city newsletter (Champion). Staff said the active projects page on the city website now lists major projects and links to project pages, and that staff will update the public works page and social posts to reflect the outreach materials.

Committee members also recommended tracking barriers to participation (childcare, timing, transportation), adding bilingual materials, and developing a follow‑up plan to report back to respondents how their input will be used. Staff will include input gathered at First Friday in ongoing outreach planning.