Mayoral Report—2005

Multiple Exciting & Innovative Public Involvement Opportunities!

This special issue of Your City is dedicated to outlining and explaining the many exciting and unique multiple public involvement opportunities for citizens in Beaverton. We strive to be thoughtful and innovative in providing meaningful ways for our citizens to participate in the formation, management and execution of your City government. I think you’ll find the broad range and many styles for citizen involvement invite people to comment, participate and help craft the decisions that steer our future as a City.

The issue is divided into five areas of explanation and focus. The five areas include Recreational and Entertaining Activities, Volunteer Opportunities, Community Action/Involvement, Community Decision Making and Innovative Opportunities. Upon reviewing each area, many that have been crafted during my tenure as your Mayor, I was quite excited that our citizen opportunities have grown and diversified in so many ways. Our City has changed immensely in the last thirteen years and it appears the many ways we engage our citizens and also have two–way conversations has also grown and modified significantly.

Among our most significant changes has been the introduction of e–mail and other expanded electronic communications. Our City Web site, http://www.beavertonoregon.gov, is a nationally recognized outstanding source of instant information and a great communication tool. You can e–mail each of your six elected officials and each City employee, watch City Council meetings via video streaming, pay bills and traffic tickets, obtain certain permits, file Code Enforcement complaints and reserve library books–all online. You can voice mail each of your six elected officials, each City employee and leave a message on the Mayor’s 24–hour Hotline. We have a 24–hour Traffic Hot Line, Abandoned Auto Hotline and Aggressive Driving Hotline—all so that citizens can deal with critical quality of life issues when they happen. We have just announced the activation of a new City radio station 1610 AM that broadcasts interesting and important citizen information daily and focused emergency notification during disasters.

We provide many opportunities for families to engage other neighbors and build a stronger community through multiple citywide events. They include the annual Picnics in the Park, Flicks by the Fountain, Holiday Open House, Tree Lighting, National Night Out to Help Fight Crime and Beaverton’s Celebration Parade (formerly known as the SummerFest Parade). Beaverton is a stronger community for the many opportunities people have to interact and participate in events close to home.

Volunteer opportunities can include stints for the Police Department, City Library, Dispute Resolution (Mediation) Center, Arts Commission, Senior citizen activities, Annual Yard Clean–up events and the more formal appointments to the various Boards & Commissions. The City’s 13 Neighborhood Association Committees (NACs) are automatically open to all citizens and can provide residents an excellent local neighborhood focus opportunity. The NACs have newsletters that are available through regular mail and E–distribution. Ad Hoc volunteer opportunities also become available periodically.

Beaverton is an exciting place to live, work and play. Enjoy reading this issue about the opportunities offered by your City government, its services and ways to help forge our future.

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