Neighborhood Associations Council reviews mission, prioritizes outreach after secretary resignation

The Neighborhood Associations Council of Clark County (NAC) discussed updating its mission statement and stepped-up outreach during a regular meeting, after the council noted the recent resignation of its acting temporary secretary and postponed nominations until the next meeting.

Kirk (NAC member), who took attendance and read a statement on behalf of the executive board, said that Bill Klein has resigned as the acting temporary secretary and that the group would solicit volunteers to fill the role at the next meeting. "We would like to solicit volunteers to take his place," Kirk said, adding that because of short notice the council would leave nominations to the next meeting and that he would continue taking notes in the interim.

Members spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing NAC’s mission statement — adopted as part of a bylaws revision in October 2020 — and discussing how to make meetings and outreach more useful to neighborhood associations. Steve (NAC member) read the current mission aloud: "The Neighborhood Associations Council of Clark County, NAC, Washington serves as a nonpartisan and nonpolitical conduit for communication among the neighborhood associations of the county, local government, and other organizations as a means of promoting quality of life for everyone in Clark County." Several members described that wording as serviceable but said the council has not consistently applied it to meetings and outreach.

The executive board’s written statement, read by Kirk, stressed a commitment to reconciliation and accountability as the council works through interpersonal issues. "We are committed to listening, learning, and leading with a posture of reconciliation and accountability," Kirk read from the executive board’s message.

Discussion in the meeting’s roundtable phase identified several recurring neighborhood concerns and potential actions: flooding and debris in Curtain Creek, traffic safety and congestion near 90th Avenue/Patton Parkway with new housing developments, speeders in residential areas, difficulty recruiting neighborhood officers, and methods for broader outreach to residents. Brig (Curtain Creek Neighborhood Association member) described ongoing flooding and accumulation of debris in Curtain Creek and said a neighborhood Facebook page she maintains grew to about 195 followers in six weeks after she began posting weekly updates and photos.

Judy (NAC member) and others described a meeting that drew about 24 people to discuss a local traffic issue; Judy said nearby development could add roughly 200 to 400 additional vehicle trips that concern residents. Members raised examples of outreach and turnout strategies that have worked — social events, inviting multiple community partners (libraries, Lions Club, sheriff’s office), timed presentations, and brief meet-and-greet formats — and agreed to share sample mission statement rewrites and related notes by email ahead of the next meeting.

Merilee (NAC member) told the group that neighborhoods inside Vancouver’s urban growth area (UGA) can apply for Vancouver city neighborhood grants even if they are county associations; she offered to help neighborhoods craft grant applications. Several neighborhood leaders encouraged returning to an annual planning meeting to prioritize which county departments or outside organizations NAC should invite for presentations.

Members also discussed meeting format: several said shorter, more tightly timed presentations and more roundtable time would increase value. Multiple speakers suggested setting strict time limits for guest presentations and saving more time for member-to-member sharing of solutions.

The meeting ended with agreement to email mission-statement samples and roundtable notes to members for review and to revisit the mission and bylaws priorities at the next meeting. Kirk reiterated that nominations for the secretary role would be held until the next meeting and that he would continue to take minutes in the interim.

The meeting included no formal votes or ordinance measures. Members asked that the executive board’s statement and the mission-statement proposals be distributed to all members by email prior to the September meeting for further comment and possible action.