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Council debates scope of Community Connectors program: immediate services versus long-term civic engagement
Summary
City staff presented an updated Community Connectors model and NLC technical assistance; councilors debated whether the program should prioritize immediate linkage to social services and information for hard-to-reach residents or also pursue long-term, two-way civic engagement and resident empowerment. Staff noted initial ARPA-funded seed money and possible carryover to FY27.
City staff presented an updated Community Connectors concept to the Takoma Park City Council and sought council direction on the initiative’s scope and near-term next steps.
Ryan (staff lead) explained the program’s origins (ARPA support and an initial FY23 concept that proposed a lead navigator and part-time navigators) and described alternative delivery models tested in other cities, including organization-network approaches and individual community navigators. He said the National League of Cities’ Community Engagement Academy will provide technical assistance and training as the city refines the model.
Staff emphasized two possible emphases for the initiative: (1) a short-term, service-oriented focus to reach hard-to-reach residents with information and direct links to social services (food, utilities, case referrals, translations, and localized outreach) and (2) a longer-term aim to create two-way engagement that brings resident voices into planning and decision-making so residents become collaborators in civic life.
Council members debated priorities and language for the program’s scope. Several councilors pressed for explicit inclusion of "information" in the stated objective. Council member Gilbert recommended revised wording for the central goal: “assist residents in identifying and accessing information, resources, and social services.” Council member DeBala and others emphasized that building trust by meeting immediate needs (food, utility assistance, access to services) is a precondition for longer-term civic engagement, while some members urged that the program should be explicit about seeking two-way engagement as a downstream objective.
Staff provided program details: the initial concept was supported with a $350,000 ARPA allocation (the transcript records an earlier ARPA total discussed by staff of $17,400,000 for related allocations), and staff proposed carrying over $150,000 in general funds from FY26 to FY27 if needed to sustain planning and pilot activities. The NLC process timeline envisions a needs-assessment and strategy work plan with a potential implementation plan to present to council in spring (March–April). Staff cautioned that the city currently lacks staffing capacity to serve as a full case-management operation and recommended a hybrid approach that leverages trusted nonprofit partners, tenant associations, tenant leaders and landlords, and community organizations already working with the city.
City Manager Desperto and Deputy City Manager Eubanks noted that council can choose whether to treat the effort as a short-term pilot or to commit to ongoing funding in the general fund; both the manager and staff said they expect to raise the topic during upcoming budget discussions and that the ARPA allocation was intended to jump-start the program’s infrastructure.
Council asked staff to revise the program language to capture immediate information distribution and resource linkage while also preserving the long-term goal of increased civic participation; staff will return with revised language and a proposed schedule for additional check-ins during the NLC technical assistance process.
