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Council hears first reading of $20,000 community-survey plan; city asked to contribute $2,500
Summary
A local coalition called Freight of Forward asked the council to commit roughly one-fifth of the cost to analyze a community survey; council treated the request as first reading and did not vote.
Ephrata ' The council received a first reading on a funding request from Freight of Forward, a coalition of local government entities that seeks to analyze results from a recent community survey and develop actionable recommendations.
Matt, a council member involved with the coalition, told the council the group was previously known as Revitalize the Freighter and that the proposed full study and five-year plan would cost about $20,000. Freight of Forward asked Ephrata to contribute roughly one-fifth of the analysis cost; the request to the city at this stage was for about $2,500 as an initial contribution.
"That's, was previously known as Revitalize the Freighter," Matt said, describing the group's origin and purpose. He said the group aims to improve coordination among public entities including the PUD, school district, hospital district, county and city and to produce a collaborative vision for the area's future.
Council members asked about private-sector involvement and whether the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses had been engaged; presenters said the chamber had been invited and that organizers want to broaden participation and cross-tabulate survey responses by demographics. The council did not take a vote; staff characterized the presentation as a first proposal and indicated the matter would return for formal action at a future meeting after further questions and possible additional information.
Council members noted previous city and chamber surveys and questioned whether new analysis would produce different results; presenters said the Freight of Forward survey used more open-ended questions and would likely require professional analysis to extract actionable results.
The council did not approve funding at this meeting. Staff said the item was presented to give council members a chance to ask questions before formal consideration.
