Title
Consider Recommendations Related to City Council Appointed Advisory Bodies
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Consider recommendations related to City Council appointed advisory bodies and determine if staff should return to Community Livability and Public Safety (CLPS) Committee with the next iteration of recommendations or move directly to a discussion with the full City Council at a Study session.
Report
Issue:
Whether consider recommendations related to City Council appointed advisory bodies and determine if staff should return to Community Livability and Public Safety (CLPS) Committee with the next iteration of recommendations or move directly to a discussion with the full City Council at a study session.
Staff Contact:
Stacey Ray, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office, 360.753.8046
Presenter(s):
Genevieve Canceko Chan, Consultant
Stacey Ray, Assistant City Manager
Background and Analysis:
On May 14, 2025, the Community Livability and Public Safety Committee (CLPS) discussed the effectiveness of Council appointed advisory bodies in meeting the communication and community engagement goals for which they were created. Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan provided the Committee with a comprehensive review of the current advisory body system and discussed opportunities to enhance the City’s community engagement with the goal of ensuring equitable, inclusive, productive and impactful public engagement. At the conclusion of the discussion, CLPS directed staff to continue the evaluation process, and to bring back recommendations for consideration by the Committee.
In September 2025, the City contracted with Genevieve Canceko Chan to continue the work initiated by Assistant City Manager Sullivan, including completing a comprehensive review of the City’s current public engagement and advisory body systems to identify opportunities to improve. Genevieve built upon the work previously presented to CLPS in May, supplementing it with additional stakeholder meetings, and further identifying systemic issues, barriers to participation, and common challenges for both staff and community participants. She also contacted other cities that had recently or were currently engaged in similar evaluations of their advisory bodies and met with council-appointed advisory body staff liaisons twice to share and receive feedback on draft recommendations.
The purpose of this agenda item is for CLPS to receive a briefing on further research findings and recommendations for improvements to the current council-appointed advisory body system, structure and processes. The recommendations coalesce around two general themes: improvements to the current system, and a scenario that reenvisions a multi-faceted and multidisciplinary approach to community engagement and advisory bodies.
Staff will seek input from CLPS on if committee members want to see further refinement of one of the two options, or a combination of both. Staff will also be seeking guidance from CLPS on whether or not to return to the Committee with a next iteration of a recommendation or move directly to a discussion with the full City Council at a study session.
Before returning to either CLPS or moving forward to a study session, staff would integrate input or direction from Committee members, do further stakeholder engagement, including with advisory body members, and add detail to how the recommendations might be implemented.
Climate Analysis:
There are no anticipated significant climate impacts from this work.
Equity Analysis:
Public engagement that is equitable and inclusive of diverse community member perspectives is foundational to building trust in government, formulating effective policies, and developing programs that best meet community needs and priorities. The assessment of the current advisory body system is intended to identify barriers to participation and explore additional engagement strategies to allow for more diverse perspectives to be represented in Council and staff decision-making.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The Olympia community has a high interest in participating in local government decision making. Advisory bodies have historically provided opportunities for more direct Council engagement with the community around policy decisions and Council decision-making. Over the last several years, however, staff and Council have explored and experienced success in using a variety of other ways in which to engage community members, broadening the voices and perspectives represented in planning efforts and community conversations.
Financial Impact:
The City contracted with Genevieve Canceko Chan to complete an evaluation process for Council-appointed advisory bodies that had been started by former Strategic Communications Director Kellie Purse Braseth and continued by Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan. Genevieve’s scope of work includes crafting recommendations on improving the advisory body system, including addressing the recruitment and appointment process, work planning, and Council and advisory body member satisfaction. The contract is valued at $23,875.
Evaluating advisory bodies contributes to maintaining a sustainable annual budget, as the City Council appropriates a significant amount of both staff and non-personnel resources annually to support Council-appointed bodies. One example of non-personnel resources that support advisory bodies includes stipends for members, which in 2025 totaled $11,425.
Options:
1. Forward to the City Council a recommendation for discussion.
2. Forward to the City Council a recommendation for discussion with direction from the Community Livability and Public Safety Committee.
3. Bring back to the Community Livability and Public Safety Committee a refined recommendation with direction from Committee members.
Attachments:
None