Providing Input at City Council Meetings and Work Sessions

The City of Corvallis values community engagement and regularly invites public participation on City services and policies. The City recently updated its public participation framework to embrace the principles of the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), with the goal of creating a consistent approach to public participation.

 

PROVIDING INPUT AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND WORK SESSIONS

Community Comments (spoken)

Community Comments is a section on each meeting agenda that serves as an opportunity for the community to provide input on subjects not related to a public hearing before the Council. Community Comments typically takes place toward the beginning of the meeting but may be shifted around as needed to accommodate other business. Up to ten community commenters may register with the City Recorder in advance. The Council also reserves additional spaces for “drop-in” community members who did not register in advance in order to accommodate those who are not familiar with City processes.

Public hearing testimony (spoken)

Public hearing testimony is similar to Community Comments, but the input received is for a public hearing being held by City Council. Public hearings are scheduled as an agenda item during a City Council business meeting and can pertain to a variety of different subjects, such as land use issues, the annual budget, the capital improvement program, special master plans, annexations, etc. The City asks that community members who wish to provide oral public hearing testimony register in advance with the City Recorder. The Council also maintains spaces for “drop-in” testifiers who did not register in advance in order to accommodate those who not familiar with City processes. Public hearing testifiers should state whether they support, oppose, or are neutral towards the subject matter.

Guidelines

Written testimony is highly encouraged. Community members who did not register to speak in advance are heard on a first come, first served basis. Each speaker will have an opportunity to address the Mayor and Council for three minutes. When your time is up, please wrap up and conclude your remarks so that we can provide an equal opportunity to everyone who signed up.

The deadline to register for oral testimony and to submit written comments or materials is 12:00 pm the day of the meeting. Written materials for a specific meeting date must be submitted via email to city.recorder@corvallisoregon.gov or via U.S. mail to City Recorder, P.O. Box 1083, Corvallis, OR 97333-1083 or via the public input form at www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicinput. Register with the City Recorder at the above email address or via telephone at 541-766-6729 ext. 5075 to orally testify via computer, telephone, or in-person.

In-person drop-in commenters or testifiers must sign-up on the corresponding sheet in the back of Council Chambers. Virtual drop-in commenters or testifiers should use the “raise hand” function to indicate that they would like to speak when prompted by the Mayor.

 

OTHER METHODS OF PROVIDING INPUT

Providing comment or testimony at a City Council meeting or work session is just one of the many tools community members can use to provide input. Listed below are some other methods of public engagement with the City:

  • Submit written comments to Council through the Public Input Form, paper comment card, or correspondence via U.S. mail, email, or social media;
  • Contact Councilors individually via phone or email or attend community meetings to speak with them in-person;
  • Contact City Departments or individual staff members using the Staff Directory page on the City website.
  • Submit input through the Report-A-Problem online tool; or
  • Engage with policy advisory groups.

 

HOW TO STAY INFORMED

Listed below are some resources and practices that help community members to stay connected to and informed on City issues:

  • Attend meetings in-person or virtually: Instructions on how to attend and participate published in each meeting’s agenda.
  • City Council meeting materials: Community members can browse agendas to see when topics were discussed, review minutes to see how decisions were made, read packets to understand the related material, and watch videos of past meetings.
  • All City meetings and the City calendar: Review all upcoming City meetings in a list or calendar format.
  • Sign up for City Council e-notifications: Select topics of interest on this page to be notified about current news and upcoming events. Sign up for the “City Council” e-notification list for news about City Council meetings.

 

PUBLIC RECORD DISCLAIMER

Any written materials or oral testimony provided to the City of Corvallis is a public record of the City of Corvallis. The contents may be subject to public disclosure under Oregon Public Records Law and subject to the State of Oregon Records Retention Schedules. (OAR:166.200.0200-405)

 

 

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