Resident Holly James urges reinstating an Office of Neighborhoods with staff and budget

Holly James testified at the Charter Review Committee’s second public hearing, urging the committee to use the charter-review process to restore a staffed Office of Neighborhoods with dedicated authority and budget. “I’m here to shed light on the value of having dedicated staff with authority and budget to support volunteers within each of the 18 neighborhood[s],” James said.

James traced the office’s value to prior negotiations, saying neighborhood staff helped secure green buffers and a recreation center during land-swap talks involving Providence Hospital and Everett Community College. She said the office once provided two-way communication between volunteers and elected officials and trained volunteers to handle neighborhood issues, and that removing the position diminished neighborhood capacity.

Participants pressed James for specifics about what a reconstituted office should do; she listed annual neighborhood plans and budgets, procedures and goals, interdepartmental agreements, systems for resolving disputes between neighbors and the city, and recommendations on land-use proposals. On sustainability, she said modest neighborhood mini-grants — “like the mini grants of 1,000 dollars” — could help groups rent meeting space and sustain volunteer efforts.

James offered to help assemble a formal proposal and said she has access to legal counsel and teams that have worked on similar charter or ordinance changes. Committee members said staff will present the committee’s recommendations to the city council and that council staff and members may adjust the committee’s proposals before any final ballot placement.

The hearing segment closed with participants discussing outreach, including holding an additional public hearing in North Everett so more residents could attend in person.