CC Minutes - 11/23/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Papé said that it was prudent to name a responsible party or position for the action items. In referring to Action Item 7, Institute annual neighborhood summits with Neighborhood Associations’ boards and City elected & appointed officials, he asked what a neighborhood summit would entail. Mr. Corey replied it would be defined in the manner determined by the council. He added that opportunities such as “get togethers,” of which neighborhood services currently avail themselves, may not rise to the level of an actual summit and that following a summit, the council could determine to move the Neighborhood Initiative forward in some manner, discontinue it , or continue it as was. He added that Beth Bridges, the Neighborhood Services Manager, raised the concept of instituting some form of NLC training on “public input.” Mr. Papé opined that this action item should be incorporated into Action Item 5, Provide training on collaboration tools and leadership development/coating so that associations become forums to bring together divergent views for problem solving. Mayor Piercy recalled that she received a request from the NLC to hold a summit that would provide an opportunity to share information with City staff and elected officials. Mr. Pryor pointed out that while some neighborhoods have active associations, some do not and those inactive associations need a mechanism to contribute. He favored an investigation of various ways to gain the involvement of neighborhoods that do not enjoy an active association. Mr. Pryor opined that an annual neighborhood summit would be an opportunity to include all members of a neighborhood. With regard to surveys, Mr. Pryor opined that it was critical to statistically measure the pulse of a community along with the other components to ascertain if effective tracking was taking place. He concluded that action items 16 through 19 could be considered lower priorities; however he added that Action Item 19, Train staff to be ambassadors for service delivery in neighborhoods, would be an excellent tool to ensure that staff effectively represents the City when out in the community; additionally, it would be an excellent use of City resources. Ms. Bettman commented that some of the action items have very specific/directional provisions and others were very general in nature. She suggested that the objectives include two umbrella values; namely, empower neighborhood organizations and preserve and enhance residential property values. Mr. Corey questioned if the action plan the council wished to adopt would focus toward existing neighborhood associations or other stakeholders not necessarily represented by such associations. Ms. Bettman referred to Action Item 1, Recruit for participation via demographics profiles to ensure additional “silent” stakeholders, and opined that such an item was a policy decision. Mr. Corey explained that the language was crafted in that manner in order to respond to the council’s desire that more individuals become involved in the process. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Urban Services Manager Richie Weinman explained that using demographic profiles to recruit seniors, youth, and diversity groups would result in a group that reflects the community in a truer sense. City Manager Taylor added that a broader representative pool of applicants for boards and commissions was the intent of staff with regard to this language. Ms. Bettman then spoke to Action Item 5 and opined that staff’s role was to assist neighborhood associations and leaders achieve the skills necessary to build their organizations. 3 MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 23, 2005 Page Work Session