Community Engagement Commission

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2024 – 6:00 P.M. 22710 E. COUNTRY VISTA DRIVE The purpose of the Community Engagement Commission is to serve in an advisory capacity to the mayor and City Council. The Commission’s role is to gather ideas, input, and feedback from community members, and to advise and guide city leadership. • Sign up to provide public comment at the meeting via calling in. • Submit written public comment prior to 4:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. APPROVALS a. Agenda b. Minutes of Aug. 7, 2024, joint workshop with Planning Commission c. Minutes of Aug. 14, 2024, regular meeting 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS 5. CITY HALL UPDATES (David Goehner) a. See handout 6. DISCUSSIONS & BUSINESS a. Comments on Sept. 10 town hall meeting b. Update on Comprehensive Plan public engagement (Summer) c. Update on library’s August design survey (Robin) d. 2024 Community Satisfaction Survey: Draft results and next steps (McAvoy) e. CEC work plan f. Other upcoming opportunities? 7. NEXT MEETING: Oct. 16, 2024, at 6 p.m. a. Requested items for agenda? 8. ADJOURNMENT  JOIN ZOOM MEETING To view the meeting live via Zoom, join the Zoom web meeting at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81440267233?pwd=SkxldUZobnhvbEcyZ1U4YndLcnRJZz09 Meeting ID: 814 4026 7233 PUBLIC COMMENT If you wish to provide oral public comments during the Community Engagement Commission meeting, you may do so in-person at City Hall or virtually via zoom. You may speak in-person at City Hall, or if you wish to speak via zoom, please join the zoom meeting using the meeting information above. Public comments will be invited during the appropriate section of the agenda, at which time you can send a request to speak to our meeting host using the chat function within the zoom meeting. WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS If you wish to provide written public comments for the Community Engagement Commission meeting, please email your comments to tgarcia@libertylakewa.gov by 4:00 p.m. the day of the commission meeting and include all the following information with your comments: 1. The meeting date 2. Your first and last name 3. If you are a Liberty Lake resident 4. The agenda item(s) you are speaking about If providing written comments, the comments received will be acknowledged during the public meeting, but not read. All written comments received by 4:00 p.m. will be provided to commission members in advance of the meeting.  JOINT PLANNING / COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024 HELD VIA ZOOM & IN PERSON AT CITY HALL Planning Commission Members Present: Joe Mann, Tom Sahlberg, Jim Baumker, Dg Garcia, Charlie Jencks, Dale Robbins, Phil Folyer in person. Adjunct Member(s) Present: Gene Heuschel in person. Community Engagement Members Present: Robin Bekkedahl, Bill Norman, Cynthia Gamboni, Arlene Fisher Maurer, Mark Saba in person. Staff Present: Lisa Key, Amy Mullerleile, Lance Mueller, David Goehner and Kathy Cummings Call to Order: Meeting was called to order at 4:01 p.m. Commissioner Mann asked that we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call: A quorum of members was present. Absences: Director Key stated that Planning Commissioner Mullenix had requested to be excused from this meeting as he would be unable to attend. Robin Bekkedahl, Chairperson of the Community Engagement Commission, requested that Aaron Asmus and Summer Darrow, Community Engagement Commission members, be excused due to other obligations. However, Summer Darrow arrived at the meeting at 4:25 p.m. Workshop: Director Key provided context for the preparation of the Draft Public Engagement Plan. It is a working draft that has been prepared by the city’s associate planner, Lance Mueller. It outlines strategies on how the city will engage with the public throughout the comprehensive planning process. She also explained how both the Planning and the Community Engagement Commissions will have significant rolls in gathering feedback from the community and integrating it into the comprehensive plan update. Associate planner, Lance Mueller presented the draft public engagement plan. He discussed the purpose of the plan and the desired outcomes. This plan includes outreach plans to engage various stakeholders, including residents, vulnerable populations, and external agencies. The aim is to reach every resident, with special efforts to include underrepresented groups. Some outreach and engagement methods mentioned were the city’s website, social media, community events and direct outreach through posters, meetings, and collaborations with local organizations. Youth involvement was also suggested possibly through schools or a youth commission. Discussion of how to measure the success of public participation and engagement efforts were had. This included tracking participation levels and ensuring that feedback is representing the entire community. The Planning and the Community Engagement Commissions provided input on the draft engagement plan, discussing the inclusion of various populations, the need for clear communication strategies, and the involvement of commission members in outreach efforts. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 1|2 August 7th, 2024 Based on the feedback, revisions to the public engagement plan will be made, and the updated plan will be presented to the Planning Commission and City Council for adoption as a draft, with the understanding that it will continue to evolve. Also discussed was the need for a logo, slogan and other branding elements to make the plan recognizable and memorable. A subcommittee was formed to work on this. The volunteers were Summer Darrow, Tom Sahlberg, Arlene Fisher Maurer, Joe Mann, Robin Bekkedahl and Cynthia Gamboni. Adjournment of Community Engagement Commission: At 5:30 p.m. Chairperson Robin Bekkedahl motioned to adjourn, seconded by committee member, Mark Saba. Citizen Comments: None Commissioner Comments & Reports: None Planning Commission General Business: The Planning Commission meeting was called back to order at 5:32 p.m. Review of Agenda & Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Jencks motioned to approve the meeting minutes from July 10, 2024, seconded by Commissioner Sahlberg. The motion carried unanimously. Ratification of Findings, Conclusions & Recommendations: Commissioner Sahlberg motioned to ratify the proposed Lighting Code Amendments, seconded by Commissioner Folyer. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Folyer motioned to ratify the proposed amendment for Fueling Stations as an Accessory Use, seconded by Commissioner Dobbins. The motion passed unanimously. Secretary’s Report: Director Key noted that the City Staff is currently working on a draft of Public Participation Plan for the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update. City Staff would like to workshop the draft with the Planning Commission in August and possibly hold a joint meeting with the Community Engagement Commission for this portion of the Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Jencks inquired on whether Frontera has made application for a building permit yet and Director Key stated that they have not but that the city is anticipating the SEPA checklist to be submitted for the 21st Amendment to Binding Site Plan 96-50 first so that traffic concurrency can be addressed. There have been several reviews and revisions requested of the trip generation and distribution letter that is required to accompany the SEPA checklist. Adjournment: Commissioner Jencks motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Garcia. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 5:44 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 2|2 August 7th, 2024  CITY OF LIBERTY LAKE Community Engagement Commission Minutes Aug. 14, 2024 – 6:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting of the Community Engagement Commission was called to order on Aug. 14, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Position 1: Robin Bekkedahl Present Position 7: Vacant Position 2: Bill Norman Present Position 8: Aaron Asmus Present Position 3: Vacant Position 9: Mark Saba Present Position 4: Summer Darrow Present Communications specialist David Goehner Present Position 5: Cynthia Gamboni Excused Position 6: Arlene Fisher Maurer Excused APPROVALS: Commissioner Saba moved to excuse commissioners Fisher Maurer and Gamboni, which was seconded by Commissioner Darrow. The motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Saba moved and Commissioner Norman seconded to accept the meeting’s agenda, which was approved unanimously. Commissioner Saba moved to accept the meeting minutes from July 17, 2024, and Commissioner Asmus seconded. The motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were public comments. CITY HALL UPDATES: David Goehner introduced the City Hall Update that had been mailed out earlier in the week. DISCUSSIONS & BUSINESS: A – Barefoot in the Park: Commissioner Saba provided an overview of the recent event, noting that attendance was down from last year, 427 wristbands for inflatables were distributed from the city’s table, and that 69 vehicles participated in the car show. Commissioner Bekkedahl reported about the distribution of SCOPE’s bike helmets. Commissioner Darrow spoke about the Post-It note suggestions about additions to the park. B – Public engagement for Library design and construction project: Commissioner Bekkedahl provided an update on the weekly public questions being promoted by the library staff. Commissioner Asmus suggested the library promote the current online survey through the library’s database of patron e-mail addresses. C – City Council’s Sept. 10 town hall on transparency act: Commissioners Norman and Darrow reported on updates on preparations and promotions for the upcoming town hall event, and volunteered to represent the commission at its table during the opening hour. D – Group discussion on Aug. 7 workshop with Planning Commission on city’s Comprehensive Plan: Commissioners shared their general takeaways from the recent joint workshop. E – Ideas for increasing CEC presence at community events: Commissioners discussed general possibilities for being involved in future city events, including partnering on events with other commissions, and during the summer food truck nights at Rocky Hill Park. Commissioners considered the possibility of having a presence at the Sept. 14 Cops, Cars and Cruisers event, and asked staff to find out if material about the Comprehensive Plan would be ready soon enough by that time. F – 2025 projects calendar and 2025 budget: Commissioners expressed positive comments on the currently proposed calendar and budget. Commissioner Asmus volunteered to develop a chart. G – Draft of 2024 Annual Report: Commissioner Asmus moved and Commissioner Norman seconded to approve the draft of the CEC’s 2024 Annual Report, which will be submitted to the city administrator at the end of August. H – Other upcoming opportunities: No suggestions were offered. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. The next regular meeting will be held on Sept. 18, 2024.  City Hall Updates for Community Engagement Commission 9-16-2024 1. Online public engagements: • Attendee survey for last Saturday’s Cops, Cars and Cruisers event is now posted, linked through both the city’s Facebook site and at the top of the city’s homepage. Survey will remain up through this coming weekend. • Library staff’s public survey throughout August to generate public input on helping guide space and service allocations in its new upcoming library had responses from 515 people (some directly through Zencity survey, some through paper surveys that were added into Zencity calculations). • Online forum on 2025 city budget is continuing, including “Talkback Tuesdays” comments. A budget simulator feature will be added soon, allowing residents to offer suggestions on allocations in major category areas of the budget. A recently updated timeline on the 2025 city budget process can be found on the forum’s main landing page. • Online engagement site is now also including descriptions and timelines of upcoming city construction projects (i.e. larger-scale road repairs), with opportunity for public to make comments or ask questions for each project. This landing page is currently promoted at the top of the city’s home page, and is directly located at: https://libertylake-wa.civilspace.io/en. 2. Nextdoor: • During the past few weeks, a “City of Liberty Lake” page was added to the Nextdoor social networking site. Nextdoor allows for posting of messages that can be seen just within specific neighborhoods, and it has more stringent standards than other popular sites regarding what types of content can be posted. Information from Nextdoor says the city of Liberty Lake has “3,910 members” and “2,655 claimed households” (households with at least one verified member). 3. Upcoming events: • Washington State Dept. of Veteran Affairs is presenting a first-time Suicide Prevention Month 5K Walk this Saturday, Sept. 21, starting outside Liberty Creek Elementary School at 8 a.m. The City Council and mayor adopted a proclamation earlier this month recognizing September as National Suicide Prevention Month in the city. • The final date of the 2024 season for the Farmers Market will be Oct. 12. • Winter Glow Spectacular is recruiting volunteers to set up and take down the lights at Orchard Park. See the “Winter Glow Spectacular” Facebook site for contact information. 4. City Podcast: • “Cops, Cars and Cruisers” episode with John Bujosa in early September made a quick dash to become the all-time 3rd most-listened-to episode of the podcast series in just 2 weeks. • Upcoming: School safety episode with Officer Dave Howard (posting end of September) and overview of 2024 Community Satisfaction Survey with Mark McAvoy (October). --David Goehner