Item B: Neighborhood Services Update

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neighborhood work group, a periodic forum for management-level staff and neighborhood leaders to discuss neighborhood involvement in design and implementation of City plans and programs, and ad- hoc teams that would address priority issues identified by the City and Neighborhood Leaders Council. The following is a brief update on significant work items of the NEI Committee: ? 2009 Neighborhood Summit – The March Summit attracted more than 200 attendees, including staff from all departments, elected officials, representatives from all active neighborhood associations, boards and commissions, University of Oregon (UO), Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), Lane Transit District (LTD) and 27 non-profit groups. The summit provided opportunities for networking and information sharing and promoted community partnerships between neighborhood and other community groups. ? Neighborhood Communications – The committee and Neighborhood Services staff have been working on a number of initiatives to enhance communication between neighborhoods and their members and between neighborhoods and the City. E-newsletters – Telecom grant funding is supporting development of electronic newsletters o that would supplement existing hard copy publications. Individuals, including non-resident property owners who currently do not receive mailings, will be able to subscribe to any number of newsletters they wish to receive. The NEI Committee has reviewed the policies related to funding and publication oversight of o neighborhood newsletters and recommends changes that would enhance neighborhood association outreach efforts, support meeting of council output goals, reduce conflicts regarding newsletter oversight, and reinforce guidelines aimed at ensuring balance and fairness in neighborhood publications. Key elements include increasing funds for event- related expenses, broadening use of funds to include public information and outreach beyond print publications (website design/development, banners/signs, childcare and translation services at meetings, etc.), clarifying expectations on identifying opinion pieces and providing balanced content and establishing components that all newsletters must include (list of officers, process for submitting content, contact information, bylines, etc.). City-to-Neighborhood Communication – Neighborhood Services is making a concerted o effort to coordinate sharing of information from other programs of the City with neighborhoods. One example is the web-based weekly leader packet. Each week, staff gathers information from the City’s Public Information Team and notifies all neighborhood association board members via email, providing a link to the Neighborhood Services webpage. Examples of the information available include council, board and commission agendas and meeting notices, neighborhood newsletters/postcards, media releases, and opportunities for participation and involvement. The Neighborly News, a City news digest, is an important component of the packet and provides information in an easy to read, organized format (see Attachment B). Neighborhood Services Assessment Implementation An Implementation Team composed of City staff, neighborhood representatives and a representative from the UO met earlier this year to review the findings of JLA Public Involvement’s final report of the Neighborhood Services Assessment and make recommendations on implementation. Below are some of the more significant recommendations with an update on their status. A work plan for all of the assessment recommendations is provided as Attachment C. ? Establish a neighborhood liaison program - Liaison programs have staff dedicated to individual neighborhood associations to attend meetings, serve as a resource for neighborhood groups, and Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M091118\S091118B.doc