Neighborhood engagement effort advances

PALO ALTO — The City Council moved forward Monday with an effort to ramp up the flow of information between the city and its neighborhoods.

With little discussion, the nine- member council voted unanimously to task its Policy and Services Committee with reviewing and making recommendations on seven proposals to reach that goal.

The proposals, which range from holding annual town hall- style meetings to creating an ombudsman program to help resolve issues in neighborhoods, were outlined in a recent colleagues memo from Mayor Karen Holman and councilmen Pat Burt, Greg Schmid and Cory Wolbach.

“Palo Alto is comprised of 37 neighborhoods, each impacted by decisions that are considered or made by city government,” the elected officials wrote.

“Whether the event is led or supported by city planners, public works, utilities, the city manager’s office, outside agencies such as VTA, Caltrans, or even developments in another community, it is incumbent on the city to make best efforts to inform its citizens.”

The memo also proposes placing neighborhood associations on a city webpage, as well as providing them with free use of public facilities, encouraging them to designate a “communications officer” to serve as a liaison with the city and paying for them to attend the United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County conference.

Finally, the city would help neighborhood associations share information about meetings and projects.

“This really is an attempt to get more people more informed directly and more engaged directly,” Holman said in a recent interview.

The effort builds on former mayor Yiaway Yeh’s popular “know your neighbors” program, which provides grants for permits to close streets for block parties or rent public facilities, according to Holman. It also ties in with the council’s 2015 “healthy city, healthy community” priority.

Doria Summa, a member of the College Terrace Residents Association Board of Directors, welcomed the effort.

“I believe the goal of increasing neighborhood participation and interaction between city government and neighborhoods is a laudable goal and that the specific recommendations in the memo represent a great step forward toward reaching these goals,” Summa told the council.