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Troutdale citizen advisory committee seeks clearer charter, plans outreach before major planning work
Summary
The Citizens Advisory Committee presented a draft charter that formalizes annual reviews, neighborhood outreach and earlier involvement in major land-use policy work; the council offered clarifying questions and the CAC will adopt the charter internally.
The Troutdale Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) presented a two-page draft charter to the City Council on Jan. 28 that would formalize the committee’s role in early-stage outreach on major planning efforts and require an annual review of public-engagement activities.
The CAC’s draft, shown to council by Dakota Meyer, the city’s associate planner, and CAC members, would consolidate the committee’s duties into a single document and add proactive tasks including periodic coordination with other citizen committees, outreach to neighborhood groups and an annual report back to council.
The draft seeks to position the CAC as a “middle body” between neighborhoods and city staff so citizen input can influence policy early, before formal planning applications reach the Planning Commission. “We really wanted to take a look into what exactly a CAC should be doing,” said Twyla Harrington, a CAC member.
Why it matters: The committee’s work matters because statewide land-use rules require a citizen involvement program; Troutdale’s CAC is identified in the city’s comprehensive plan as a primary element of that program. Council and staff said clarifying the CAC’s scope would help maintain continuity when membership changes.
Details and council questions: Dakota Meyer told council that Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goal 1 requires a citizen involvement program and that the CAC already receives certain planning-related referrals. CAC members said the committee wants to focus first on building lines of communication with neighborhood associations and other local groups, and on preparing for the upcoming comprehensive plan update.
Council members asked for examples of work that would come to the CAC. Meyer and CAC members said larger, early-stage matters — such as code updates or corridor design guidance funded through grants — are examples of items they want to review ahead of Planning Commission hearings. “By the time notices go out saying there’s an application, it’s too late for that,” Meyer said.
Public input and corrections: During public comment, Paul Wilcox noted a technical correction: the charter’s membership section in Exhibit A listed two-year terms, while current municipal code specifies three-year terms. Wilcox asked the CAC to correct the exhibit to match TMC 2.20.050; the committee acknowledged the correction.
Next steps: CAC members said they intend to adopt the draft as their guiding charter at an upcoming CAC meeting and will return to council with any changes. City staff said the CAC’s recommendations will remain advisory; code or ordinance changes would follow the normal Planning Commission and council public-hearing process if needed.
Ending: Council members praised the CAC’s initiative and encouraged the committee to continue outreach. The CAC will finalize its charter internally and continue to coordinate with staff on the comprehensive plan and other forthcoming projects.
