Community Engagement Commission

CITY OF LIBERTY LAKE Community Engagement Commission Minutes September 21st, 2022– 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER: The meeting of the Community Engagement Commission was called to order on September 21st, 2022 at 6:00 PM. ROLL CALL: Position 1: Robin Bekkedahl Present Position 7: Vacant Position 2: Bill Normal Present Position 8: Heidi Christensen Present Position 3: Jennifer Kosaka Present Position 9: Mark Saba Present Position 4: Summer Darrow Present Communications Specialist David Goehner Present Position 5: Terri Peters Voted Excused Planning & Engineering Technician Megan Abhold Present Position 6: Aaron Asmus Present Administrative Assistant Tait Hunter Present INTRODUCTIONS: Jennifer Kosaka– Commissioner Kosaka is a new addition to the commission, and provided a brief introduction. Bill Norman– Commissioner Norman is a new addition to the commission, and provided a brief introduction. APPROVALS: Commissioner Bekkedahl made the motion to excuse Commissioner Peters, which was seconded by Commis- sioner Saba. The motion carried unanimously. The motion was made to approve the August meeting minutes, with amendments, by Commissioner Saba. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Darrow, and carried unanimously. CITIZEN COMMENTS: No comments were made at this meeting. WORKSHOP: Mission, Goals, and Responsibilities of Community Engagement Commission A) Mission Statement/ Objectives The commissioners, having reviewed the provided draft, made recommendations for edits to the mission state- ment. Commissioner Norman specifically stated that the mission statement should be more concise and of- fered a personally written mission statement for consideration and discussion. Commissioner Asmus echoed the sentiment of brevity and the need for clarity. The commission discussed the best way to go about creating a brief, public friendly mission statement, while still using the draft Commissioner Bekkedahl created for an ob- jective purpose. The commission continued to discuss amendments as they went over the draft. B) Goals 1-3 The commissioners, having reviewed the provided draft, made recommendations and edits for goals 1-3. The commissioners agreed that there was redundant language used that could be cut out. C) Goals 4-6 The commissioner, having reviewed the provided draft, made recommendations and edits for goals 4-6. Again, redundant language was cited as a concern, and the commission agreed that edits could be made for brevity and clarity. WORKSHOP CONTINUED: D) Goals 7-9 Having reviewed the provided draft, the commissioners again cited areas of redundant language and recommended edits based on these discussions. E) Goals 10-12 Having reviewed the provided draft, the commission continued to make edits in favor of brevity and language that could be easily misunderstood. They also recommended edits for clarity. F) Additional Goals Additional goals were tabled until a new draft can be established. G) CEC Member Roles Roles were discussed amongst the commission, specifically their roles within the community and roles adjacent to staff and Council. Commissioner Saba recommended tabling the formal assignment or discussion of roles, as the commission is still new and everyone is still learning. Commissioner Bekkedahl recommended leaving the roles “as is” for now, since the roles will evolve over time. Commissioner Norman motioned to have Commissioners Asmus and Darrow become a sub-committee to establish a draft for commission approval. Commissioner Saba seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. The CEC approved the Mission/ Objective/ Goals and Strategies outline of the second draft. The outline included the categories of 1) Planning; 2) Design and Implementation; 3) Analysis; 4) Collaboration; and 5) Evaluation and Feedback. The draft would include these categories. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Upcoming Engagement Opportunities— David Goehner spoke on upcoming opportunities, including the remaining Farmers Market dates. He spoke regard- ing the discussion had at the most recent Council meeting, wherein it was noted that the commission is still new and establishing themselves, so future engagement will be more significant as time goes on and the commission continues to evolve. More surveys were recommended, such as website interface and information, to better under- stand what the public seeks when going to the City website. The commissioners established who would attend the remaining Farmers Market dates. The commission briefly discussed how to collaborate with Council and City leadership regarding budgetary survey- ing to the public, how they currently gather that information, and how the commission can assist. The commission wants to be able to share back to the community what Council’s feedback on surveys are, and be able to explain to the community what the process is and the “how” and “why” for transparency. An update of some sort to the City website was recommended, as it is easily accessible to the community. Commissioner Saba provided a brief update on the progress of Winter Glow, noting that volunteers are already be- ing lined up to assist with the event. More volunteers are welcome. NEXT UPCOMING MEETING: The next meeting of the Community Engagement Commission will be October 19th, 2022 at 6:00 PM. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Asmus motioned to adjourn the meeting, which was then seconded by Commissioner Darrow. There being no further business, and with unanimous approval, the meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM.