Ensuring health and safety
In order to protect staff and communities across the region, Metro is not hosting indoor, in-person community engagement events at this time. Following Oregon Health Authority guidance, outdoor activities are very limited and must complete and seek approval through Metro’s risk assessment process. If you would like to submit an outdoor event for consideration, email [email protected] to start the process.
Virtual community engagement
Virtual community engagement using audio and video conferencing tools offers the safest option for community engagement under COVID-19 conditions. To reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, community engagement activities should be planned with the following considerations:
- Contact the information services help desk at [email protected] for help planning a virtual engagement process.
- Consider accessibility needs when choosing a videoconferencing platform. Be prepared to use any audio and visual accessibility features that are included in the chosen virtual engagement platform.
- Comply with State of Oregon House Bill 4212 on recording public meetings and providing public access to the recordings. Note, because of their short-term retention, recordings are not an acceptable substitute for meeting minutes.
- Contact the records and information management program at [email protected] for guidance on Oregon HB 4212, meeting management best practices, and all other applicable records management policies and procedures
Resources
Meeting records best practices (MetroNet link)
House Bill 4212 on conducting public meetings using telephone or video conferencing technology or through other electronic or virtual means
In-person community engagement
In-person community engagement events and activities are limited to those in which project objectives or feedback cannot successfully be conducted in a virtual or online format, or other format that does not require persons to meet or gather in person. In-person events may be approved on a case-by-case basis using Metro’s risk assessment process.
To submit an event for consideration, email [email protected] to start the process.
All non-Metro participants in a community engagement event taking place at a Metro facility or on Metro property are required to sign a COVID-19 release and waiver, available from the risk assessment team.
Risk assessment process
All Metro community engagement plans proposing in-person activities must go through a risk assessment process including approval by the COO before proceeding with an event.
To allow adequate time for the successful completion and approval of the risk assessment application, the process should be initiated as soon as an in-person community engagement activity is identified as a component of a program’s community engagement plan, and at least four weeks in advance.
All non-Metro participants of a community engagement event taking place at a Metro facility or on Metro property are required to sign a COVID-19 release and waiver, available from the risk assessment team.
Contact the risk assessment team at [email protected] for guidance.
Resources
When to complete a risk assessment process (MetroNet link)
Resources from the region
Clackamas County
Multnomah County
Washington County