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Councilor urges quick formation of town-center advisory task force; mayor says staff will present process in July or August
Summary
Councilor Cunningham urged the Wilsonville City Council to form a resident advisory task force and hold a town hall to address the town-center plan within specified timelines. Mayor O'Neil said staff will present a structured outreach and budget plan in July or August to ensure a meaningful process.
Councilor Claire Cunningham urged the Wilsonville City Council on Monday to take immediate steps to form an advisory task force and schedule a town hall to gather community input on the town-center plan, saying residents have lost confidence after prior advisory votes.
"Within the next 30 days, we establish a clear timeline for creating the task force with defined goals for residents, staff, and council representation," Councilor Cunningham said during councilor concerns, adding she wanted an initial town hall held "within 60 days to gather community input on the town center plan."
Cunningham said the proposal responded to a broader erosion of public trust and to last year’s advisory vote (Measure 3605) that rejected urban-renewal financing for the town center. She said the council’s failure to follow up has created community restlessness and that the council must be accountable to campaign promises and voter expectations.
Mayor O'Neil responded that staff has been preparing a communication and outreach plan and that creating a meaningful process requires staff work to define goals, steps, and budgets. "Once we get something that we think is ready for council to say yes, no, tweak, or proceed, we're not there yet. I'm thinking probably July or August we'll get there," O'Neil said.
Mayor O'Neil emphasized the need for a structured process, including front-end polling and outreach, so a town hall can produce informed dialogue rather than unstructured comment. He said some elements of the plan have budget implications and that staff must prepare a proposal councilors can agree on.
Why it matters: Councilor Cunningham framed the task force and town hall as steps to restore public confidence and better understand why voters rejected the urban-renewal advisory measure a year earlier. The council did not formalize Cunningham’s proposal as a motion, and no vote was taken Monday; the mayor directed staff to prepare a proposal for council review this summer.
Next steps: Mayor O'Neil and staff said they will present a communications and outreach plan to the council in July or August and will include timeline and budget estimates for any task force or town-hall work.
Ending: Cunningham’s timeline request remains a council priority request rather than an adopted directive; the council will consider staff’s proposed process when it returns with a plan this summer.
