Planning Commission refines community survey plan to guide outreach

Planning Manager David Cook presented a recap of the Committee for Citizen Involvement and a draft community survey aimed at gathering priorities from Clatsop County residents. Commissioners provided detailed feedback on question wording, recommended separating water and sewer concerns (to include septic), and suggested removing or clarifying references the public might misinterpret (for example, the role of school-district facilities in county planning).

Staff described likely distribution channels — county website postings, digital outreach, paper copies through special districts, or mailed notices — and noted mailing to all landowners would be costlier. Commissioners recommended that staff work with the public affairs office to rewrite questions to plain-language (targeting a third-grade reading level), add a location or map selection so respondents can identify planning districts, and provide ranking functionality (top three priorities).

The commission asked staff to return in March with a short template for district-level public meetings and suggested using the survey results to inform meeting topics. David Cook said staff would bring a draft outreach plan and a schedule for commissioner participation.

Next steps: staff will revise the survey language and distribution plan, coordinate with public affairs, and present a public-meeting template at a future meeting.