Office of the Mayor

City of Seattle

Edward B. Murray, Mayor

Executive Order 2016-06: An Executive Order establishing public engagement and outreach principles and directing the Department of Neighborhoods to lead a citywide effort that results in the timely implementation by all City departments of equitable outreach and engagement practices that reaffirm the City's commitment to inclusive participation.

WHEREAS, I, Edward B. Murray, Mayor of Seattle, reaffirm my commitment to advance the effective deployment of equitable and inclusive community engagement strategies across all City Departments; and

WHEREAS, a focus on equity is essential to any community involvement process in order to build relationships and improve outcomes, especially for under-represented and under-served communities, including, but not limited to, renters, immigrants and refugees, communities of color, people experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ, low-income households, youth and seniors; and

WHEREAS, successfully engaging community members in decision-making processes increases the likelihood of public support and better outcomes; and

WHEREAS, in 2008, Mayor Greg Nickels took steps to implement more inclusive community engagement practices across the City when he issued Executive Order 05-08, which directed City departments to perform public outreach and engagement in a consistent, Citywide manner reflective of Seattle's racial and cultural diversity; and

WHEREAS, eight years later, significant need for more equitable and accessible community engagement processes persists within the Department of Neighborhoods and across other City departments; and

WHEREAS, the City is currently divided into 13 neighborhood District Council districts, each with a District Council comprised of local residents, business owners, nonprofit representatives and other area stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, the eight Neighborhood District Coordinators employed by the Department of Neighborhoods provide significant staff support to the 13 District Councils; and

WHEREAS, Resolution 27709 created the District Council system and associated City Neighborhood Council in 1987 to promote and support public involvement at the neighborhood level, and the framework of that representative system has not been updated for over 20 years; and

WHEREAS, Resolution 27709 stated the Department of Neighborhoods would administer the Neighborhood Matching Fund program in consultation with the City Neighborhood Council, and that District Councils and the City Neighborhood Council would rate and rank eligible applications for Neighborhood Matching Fund allocations; and

WHEREAS, a 2009 report issued by the City Auditor (a) observed a lack of clarity around City objectives for the District Council system, (b) identified a need to establish distinct conditions and levels of City support for District Councils, and (c) recommended the City avoid characterizing District Councils as representative bodies reflective of the communities they serve; and

WHEREAS, the City of Seattle, as a steward of public funds, has a responsibility to direct its limited outreach staff and other public engagement resources to programs and activities that are inclusive, effective and encourage participation by a broad range of community members; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Neighborhoods has a responsibility to ensure that the Neighborhood Matching Fund and other community grant programs are administered in a fair, inclusive and equitable manner; and

WHEREAS, as the composition of Seattle's population continues to change, the City needs to continually revisit and expand its public engagement efforts in order to ensure growing demographic groups are represented in City decision-making processes and barriers that discourage people from participating are eliminated; and

WHEREAS, the public involvement programs and practices advanced by City departments should reflect Seattle's commitment to the Race and Social Justice Initiative, which focuses on ending structural racism and race-based inequities both within City government and across the community; and

WHEREAS, as part of the City's 2016 Adopted Budget, the City Council requested the Department of Neighborhoods develop a plan to provide more equitable community engagement, with a particular focus on the District Council system and the Neighborhood District Coordinator program; and

WHEREAS, all City departments should apply outreach practices that are culturally sensitive, responsive and acknowledge and address barriers to participation; and

WHEREAS, it is within my authority as the Chief Executive of the City of Seattle to manage, direct and restrict the expenditure of funds appropriated annually through the budget adopted by the Seattle City Council;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDWARD B. MURRAY, Mayor of Seattle, hereby reaffirm the City's commitment to implementing inclusive and equitable outreach and engagement practices that serve all people in Seattle by initiating the creation of a new public involvement framework and ordering the following actions:

1. By August 15, 2016, the Department of Neighborhoods shall initiate and lead an effort that directs all City departments to develop community involvement plans that make information and opportunities for participation more accessible to the public by implementing practices consistent with the following principles:

Improve and expand inclusive outreach and engagement, as well as the creation of more equitable representative systems that are more reflective of, and accessible to, communities throughout the City of Seattle.

Create well-designed, responsive and culturally-relevant public involvement plans.

Build community capacity for meaningful participation and authentic outreach and engagement.

Provide a wide range of opportunities for obtaining information and involvement in decision-making processes.

Achieve greater equity with meaningful involvement of under-served and under-represented communities.

Effectively and efficiently manage the use of all resources, including community members' time.

2. Effective immediately, the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods shall reallocate and/or deploy resources, including staff, within the department to (a) prioritize the application of the community outreach and engagement principles described under 1, above, and (b) enable the department to effectively provide ongoing consulting services and advice to City departments developing new community outreach and engagement plans and strategies.

3. On or before September 26, 2016, the Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Office for Civil Rights and City Budget Office shall develop a proposed City Council resolution with mayoral concurrence that memorializes the community outreach and engagement principles described and developed under 1, above. Upon passage by the City Council, the resolution shall supersede Resolution 27709 and other, previous, related resolutions, with the intent of terminating the City's existing official ties to District Councils and the City Neighborhood Council.

4. On or before September 26, 2016, the Department of Neighborhoods shall prepare an ordinance articulating a new citywide framework and strategic plan for community engagement, including the creation of a Seattle Community Involvement Commission. The ordinance shall also amend Chapter 3.35 (Department of Neighborhoods) of the Seattle Municipal Code, and any other relevant code sections, to be consistent with the resolution prepared to supersede Resolution 27709.

5. Effective immediately, the Department of Neighborhoods shall work with Seattle Information Technology to explore, identify and develop an array of tools that broaden public access points for digital engagement. A plan outlining the framework is due to the Mayor's Office by March 1, 2017.

Inquiries by City departments and offices regarding this Executive Order should be directed to Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim at (206) 684-4000.Dated this 13th day of July, 2016

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Edward B. Murray

Mayor, City of Seattle