Planning Commission

AGENDA Meeting Location: Sloat Room, Atrium Building Phone: 541-682-5481 99 West 10th Avenue www.eugene-or.gov/pc Eugene, OR 97401 The Eugene Planning Commission welcomes your interest in these agenda items. Feel free to come and go as you please at any of the meetings. This meeting location is wheelchair- accessible. For the hearing impaired, FM assistive-listening devices are available, or an interpreter can be provided with 48-hour notice prior to the meeting. Spanish-language interpretation will also be provided with 48-hour notice. To arrange for these services, contact the Planning Division at 541-682-5675. MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019 – REGULAR MEETING (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) A. Healthy Democracy Presentation Lead City Staff: Terri Harding, 541-682-5635, terri.l.harding@ci.eugene.or.us Sophie McGinley, 541-682-5476, SMcginley@eugene-or.gov Commissioners: Steven Baker; John Barofsky; Ken Beeson; Tiffany Edwards (Chair); Lisa Fragala (Vice Chair); Chris Ramey; Kristen Taylor  AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY December 16, 2019 To: Eugene Planning Commission From: Sophie McGinley and Terri Harding, Planning Staff Subject: Healthy Democracy Presentation INTRODUCTION The City of Eugene values inclusive public engagement and is always looking for ways to improve our efforts. Planning projects can affect the entire community, but traditional engagement efforts face challenges in reaching certain parts of the community, including lower income people, renters, and people of color. This structure has created disproportionate representation in the planning process and has resulted in exclusion of some people and groups that are directly impacted by plans and policies. This presentation is an opportunity for the Planning Commission to learn about Healthy Democracy and new opportunities to grow the effectiveness of equitable engagement in our planning work. BACKGROUND Healthy Democracy is a nonpartisan nonprofit that designs and coordinates innovative deliberative democracy programs. Their purpose is to involve community members that are representative of the community and compensate them for their time engaging in learning about and making recommendations on public policy issues. The creation of an advisory group designed to reflect the broad needs and interests of the community provides perspectives that otherwise would not be included in project implementation. “Citizen Juries convene panels of everyday people, who are randomly selected and representative, to help elected officials tackle tough policy questions. Following a highly structured process, each panel conducts research, interviews experts and staff, deliberates on policy alternatives, and recommends a course of action to decision-makers. Because the panel is a microcosm of the public – in terms of age, ethnicity, political party, gender, and other factors – its resulting report comes with an inherent legitimacy that sets it apart from conventional citizen committees.” a The purpose of the presentation is to: • Acknowledge groups and demographics that are not currently represented in the public outreach process. • Highlight opportunities for expanded public outreach using citizen juries in the planning process. a www. healthydemocracy.org 1  • Review past examples and outcomes of citizen juries in other communities. • Identify projects that could pilot a citizen jury approach, such as implementation of House Bill 2001. ACTION REQUESTED No Action Requested. This is an informational item only. The Commission is encouraged to ask questions about the citizen jury model and how it might be implemented in Eugene. NEXT STEPS Staff are developing a project approach to implementing House Bill 2001. Once a proposal is ready, we will bring it to the Commission for review and discuss in more detail how to plan for equitable community engagement. Partners in the City Manager’s Office and Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement are collaborating with Planning in this effort. ATTACHMENTS None FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Sophie McGinley, Assistant Planner Telephone: (541) 682-5476 Staff E-Mail: smcginley@eugene-or.gov Staff Contact: Terri Harding, Principal Planner Telephone: (541) 682-5635 Staff Email: tharding@eugene-or.gov 2