Transparency, Open Government & Citizen Participation

Oregon City: a Leader in Open Government & Transparency

In 2008, the City Commission's Goal number 5 called for an increase in communications with citizens and further facilitation of citizen participation. The goal resulted in an increase in opportunities for citizens to be involved in local government, access documents and information easily and efficiently, and produced greater transparency between the City and its citizens. Today, transparency remains a priority for the City Commission.

In response to the Commission's mandate to increase communications and citizen participation, the City Recorder's Office developed the 2007 to 2011 Strategic Plan for Records Management with a mission to accomplish five specific goals through various objectives. Other departments increased their public outreach on public projects, citizen participation, and access to departmental documents. Good governance demands that City staff provide a response to citizen requests according to state law and City policy. Effective recordkeeping and communication safeguards the citizens' trust in documenting the City business that takes place.

Implementing the Strategic Plan resulted in the use of best practices to sustain our records in the decades to come. Technology connects people, and proactive use of technology to inform the public about government activity has greatly increased; this results in increased accountability of City decision-makers to the public by providing open access to information using various means. Listed on this page are many ways the City increased its transparency since 2008. These objectives continue to provide transparency, security and accessibility to records between the local government and its citizenry. Citizen involvement assures accountability and credibility for internal practices.

External Objectives That Directly Impact Citizens

Departmental Contributions

Mapping / GIS
Mapping. Oregon City is a trend-setter with regard to public access to mapping and GIS data.

Public Works
The Public Works Department (PW) is committed to public outreach for primary projects such as the:

  • Jughandle
  • McLoughlin Boulevard Enhancement Project
  • Linn Avenue Corridor
    • Water rate charter amendment and many others, including:
    • Online and telephone surveys
    • Neighborhood association presentations
    • Dedicated webpages
    • Direct mailings/brochures
    • Press releases
    • Regular project updates at City Commission meetings, Transportation Advisory Committee, and other boards and committees
    • Citizen workgroup studies

PW Operations maintains a tremendous amount of data on major utility facilities, all available to the public upon request. Annual reports of the many operations performed by Public Works are also available upon request: Stormwater; PMUF; Community Rating System Annual Recertification; and others.

Community Development
The Community Development Department provides public outreach for development projects such as the Willamette Falls Legacy Project and several concept plans, including:

  • Citizen steering committees
  • Open houses
  • Press releases
  • Presentations to neighborhood associations
  • Community conversations; site tours; press releases
  • Citizen involvement on the Planning Commission, Historic Review Board, and Natural Resources Committee
  • Use of social media for communication
  • Website development for special projects
  • Land use applications in process are posted online for citizen comment, and the City complies with state laws related to proper notice to the public including mailings and other public communications

Parks & Recreation
The Parks and Recreation Department supports the City Commission's goals through its citizen communications. These efforts include:

  • Supporting the efforts of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee that provides a forum for citizens to address the City about parks and recreation related issues
  • Publication and distribution of the Trail News four times each year - the publication contains city and community news, information, events, facility and program schedules and more, is posted on the City's Website, directly mailed to every mailing address in Oregon City, and provided free at a wide variety of facilities
  • Maintains the City's website on departmental activities and provides regular updates neighborhood associations and to the City Commission at regular meetings
  • Publishes flyers, posters, newsletters and other items regarding programs, special events, facility information (Pioneer Center and Oregon City Swimming Pool), etc.
  • Projects such as new parks and master plans for new or existing facilities include extensive public input and outreach processes

Public Library
The Library Department, currently involved in a proposed expansion project:

  • Provides regular progress reports to the City Commission at meetings and on a dedicated page on the City's website
  • Works closely with the Library Board consisting of several mayor-appointed citizens on Library issues
  • Holds open houses on site design/expansion progress
  • Attends neighborhood association meetings to update citizens of Library issues
  • Sought public opinion using online surveys
  • Sends monthly newsletter to 750 interested persons
  • Utilizes social media to keep the public informed of library programs and issues

Human Resources
The Human Resources Department includes many documents for public viewing on the City's Website, such as:

  • Job postings
  • Position descriptions
  • Collective bargaining agreements
  • Salary schedules
  • Employee information
  • Personnel policies

Other documents that are not exempt from disclosure are available upon request.

Finance
The Finance Department provides the public with online versions of the biennial budget, audited financial statements, and other popular reports. In development of the City's budget documents, Finance adheres to the state's budget law regulations which enhance citizen participation. A budget committee, consisting of the City's elected commission members and five additional citizens, reviews and approves budgets before adoption. Members of the public are invited to apply for a position on the Budget Committee. The City is audited annually by an independent public accounting firm to provide additional assurance that funds are properly accounted for. Audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports can be accessed on the City's Financial Documents page.

Police
The Oregon City Police Department believes that communication to and from our community is extremely important. The department dedicates staff specifically to that function and assigns officers to each City neighborhood association. The role of these liaisons is to attend meetings and answer questions, give useful information about crime trends, and share local police news. Equally important is the liaisons' ability to bring ideas from the neighborhoods back to the rest of the department. The Chief takes part in the Chief's Advisory Committee meetings and holds several Meet Your Police meetings every year. The department utilizes social media, including 2,084 Facebook followers and 1,372 Twitter followers. A newsletter called The Grapevine is published by the department, and will soon publish its annual report.

City Recorder
The City Recorder's Office implemented central records storage for more efficient access to City records (Records Center at City Hall); paper documents were digitized and uploaded to the electronic access system; Resolution Number 09-31 was adopted, authorizing the use of the State's General Records Retention Schedule for cities in Oregon.

Internal Objectives That Indirectly Impact Citizens

  • City policies and procedures were implemented to ensure an efficient delivery of record
  • Staff trained in records management and use of social media tools
  • Record liaisons assigned specific records responsibilities from each department
  • Acquired off-site, climate-controlled storage to meet preservation and security requirements
  • State-authorized records destruction practices implemented
  • Process hundreds of public records requests each year in a timely manner according to state laws and City policies
  • Preliminary plans underway for robust management of City electronic records and further access to the public
  • Implementing the new 2019 to 2023 Strategic Plan for Records and Information Management

To access the documents that drive good governance in Oregon City, please access the Supporting Documents. For further information on the content of this page, contact the City Recorder.