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Resident warns neighborhood associations are going dormant; council explores outreach
Summary
A public commenter told the West Linn City Council retreat that multiple neighborhood associations are on the verge of dormancy and urged a low‑cost education campaign; council members and staff agreed to pursue coordinated outreach and a neighborhood presidents meeting to identify support needs.
A member of the public told the council at its annual goal‑setting retreat that several neighborhood associations (NAs) have gone dormant and that one or two more could lapse in the coming month, leaving much of the city without local representation. The commenter urged a public education campaign—short videos, better signage and clearer explanation of NA benefits—to raise awareness and rebuild participation.
Council members responded that the concern matched staff observations and community feedback. Council President Bob Garner said the council values the NAs and that staff and liaisons should “take time to show up and listen” to presidents’ needs. Councilors suggested a neighborhood‑association open house and a joint meeting with NA presidents to surface practical barriers such as meeting schedules, email access and unclear mission statements. Neighborhood‑presidents representative CJ Cole told the council the groups want partnership rather than direction: “We want to collaborate and be supported, not be assigned extra work.”
Staff proposed a near‑term set of steps: (1) convene the presidents’ group for an initial discussion, (2) offer targeted communications (brief explainer videos or postcards) and (3) ask advisory boards and council liaisons to identify small, actionable projects to reengage residents. Finance and communications staff said they would bundle the council’s legislative priorities and outreach items into a brief packet for neighborhood distribution. Council members also proposed that the city include a short, statistically meaningful survey of residents’ interest in neighborhood association participation before moving ahead with policy changes.
Councilors and staff agreed to return a draft outreach plan and a schedule for a presidents’ meeting at the next work session so the council can assign follow‑up tasks and, where appropriate, budget support for capacity‑building.
