Next month, Metro Council will consider the adoption of an innovative new public engagement review process, designed to ensure that Metro’s public involvement is effective, reaches diverse audiences and harnesses emerging best practices.
The Metro Council will consider the ordinance for adoption on May 10 and 17.
Metro staff has engaged community stakeholders, including local government public involvement staff, former MCCI members and the International Association of Public Participation Cascade Chapter to create a multi-track public engagement review process.
The new process includes a semi-annual meeting of professional public involvement peers, an annual stakeholder summit and the establishment of a new standing public committee, the Public Engagement Review Committee.
The peer group convenes public engagement staff and professionals from across the Portland metropolitan region to share and learn about best practices and new tools, share information, and pool professional knowledge in the region.
Tara Sulzen, Outreach Coordinator with 1000 Friends of Oregon, is excited about the opportunity to pool public engagement expertise in the region.
"We look forward to working with other stakeholders to ensure that Metro can engage and inform the public effectively, while adapting to changing communications and public involvement practices," Sulzen said.
The stakeholder summit will be open to the public and bring together stakeholders representing diverse aspects of the region to evaluate Metro public engagement practices from the previous year, share local community information and advise on priorities and engagement strategies for upcoming policy initiatives.
The nine-member Public Engagement Review Committee will meet twice a year to help guide Metro’s public engagement efforts throughout the year. The composition of the committee will include representation from public involvement staff from Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties, community organizations and at-large members of the public.
An annual public survey and subsequent annual report will supplement these activities and provide opportunity to evaluate Metro’s public involvement efforts.
Several Metro advisory committees will review and comment on the new process in the coming months. The Metro Policy Advisory Committee will review and provide input on the final draft of the public engagement proposal on April 11. The Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation will consider the proposal during its April 12 meeting.
The new public engagement review process has been under development since the Metro Committee for Citizen Involvement was suspended in 2010 because of declining participation that limited its effectiveness and ability to represent the region.
The Metro Committee for Citizen Involvement was established in 1991 by the Metro Charter and was most recently conceived as a 20-member committee charged with oversight of the agency’s public involvement efforts. However, in recent years interest and attendance has suffered.
Metro, the regional government, crosses city limits and county lines to build a resilient economy, keep nature close by and respond to a changing climate. Representing a diverse population of 1.5 million people in 25 cities and three counties, Metro's directly elected council gives voters a voice in decisions about how the region grows and communities prosper.