Council approves blood donor month proclamation, declines Yogathon proclamation pending more information

The Tualatin City Council on Jan. 13 approved a proclamation recognizing blood donor month at the request of Bloodworks Northwest and declined a request for a Health for Humanity Yogathon proclamation, saying the Yogathon request looked like an event announcement rather than a recurring civic proclamation.

Staff presented the two requests: one from Bloodworks Northwest asking the city to proclaim a month recognizing blood donation and a second from an organization listed in the packet as "Health for Humanity Yogathon" (the packet also contained a sample application that misidentified the city in its text). Councilors expressed broad support for the Bloodworks Northwest proclamation; several members said promoting blood donation is important for community preparedness and public health. The council approved the Bloodworks request.

On the Yogathon request councilors questioned whether a proclamation was an appropriate form of recognition for a single event, raised concerns about unclear application language (the sample application referenced another city), and asked for more information about the organization and event. Councilors proposed making the Yogathon an announcement item or inviting the organizer to present during a council meeting so members could better understand the group's activities before issuing a proclamation. Staff agreed to contact the organizer and offer them the opportunity to speak at a council meeting under citizen comments.

Actions recorded in the meeting show Bloodworks Northwest's proclamation approved; the Yogathon proclamation request was declined pending further information and an offer to invite the organizer to present to the council.