Council asks for expanded community engagement and language‑access outreach

Councilors asked staff to expand and retool community engagement, with stronger multilingual services and proactive outreach to residents who do not typically engage with city government.

Suggestions included publishing clear welcome packets for new residents that include resources and event information; holding town halls that begin with an educational presentation before opening to public comment; using the city’s communications channels (monthly e‑newsletter, social media and targeted emails) to conduct annual check‑ins with businesses; and piloting community navigators to reach under‑engaged populations.

Language access surfaced repeatedly: councilors asked for a multilingual outreach and communications plan—already a stated strategic priority—and for translation services and tech tools to be more broadly available at community touchpoints. Staff noted they are exploring options to fund interpreter services and to integrate translated materials into outreach and permitting workflows.

Council directed staff to bring specific proposals for a welcome packet, language‑access implementation options, and methods to measure outreach effectiveness (for example, counts of businesses contacted or translated materials distributed).

What’s next: staff will compile proposed language‑access tools, a draft welcome packet and recommended pilots (community navigators, town‑hall formats) for council consideration.