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Scappoose council reviews committee roles, favors ad hoc and staff-led options ahead of January goal-setting
Summary
At a Nov. 4 Scappoose City Council work session, members reviewed questionnaire responses on the city’s committees and discussed using ad hoc, staff, or community-partner models (rather than wholesale removal). Councilors agreed to revisit committee structure during the upcoming goal-setting process.
Scappoose — At a Nov. 4 work session, council members and city staff reviewed consolidated responses to an 11-question survey about the city’s advisory and staff committees and debated whether to rely on standing committees, short-term ad hoc groups, staff-led committees or community partners to advance city goals.
The session, introduced by a presenter for staff, framed the exercise as a high-level review: councilors were asked to imagine starting from scratch and decide whether current committees — many formed to support specific projects such as a parks master plan — would still be needed now. The presenter said the goal was not to eliminate committees but to align committee structure with the council’s priorities and staff capacity.
Why it matters: committee structure affects how quickly projects move from discussion to action, who provides technical expertise, and how the city meets public-meeting-law requirements. Several council members and staff said public-meeting constraints can make council-appointed committees less action-oriented and…
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