Resident urges basic demographic reporting for neighborhood liaison outreach

At the start of the Feb. 23 meeting, resident Will Green asked the Planning Commission to require basic demographic reporting and documentation of outreach for neighborhood liaison surveys and engagement.

Green, who identified himself as a Summit West resident and former vice chair of the Summit West board and acting chair of the transportation bond oversight committee, said he supports community liaison work but fears results can be unrepresentative when surveys or email stacks lack demographic context. He said officials need to “know who was reached, who responded, and what genuine attempts were made to engage people who don't typically show up.”

Green recommended that, as the city builds a planning commission liaison initiative, staff develop clear guidelines requiring that community input be accompanied by basic demographic reporting and documented outreach efforts so elected officials and staff can evaluate how representative public input is of the neighborhood population.

Commissioners acknowledged the difficulty of balancing thorough, statistically rigorous outreach with accessible community engagement, and several commissioners said there is a role for both light‑touch listening and more formal engagement methods. The comment was taken as part of the visitors section and is in the hearing record.