Bothell council plans recurring "Council in the Community" events; staff to draft schedule and outreach

Bothell City Council members on July 1 expressed support for formalizing a recurring community engagement series—proposed as “Council in the Community”—and asked staff to draft a schedule, format options and promotional plan.

Background and subcommittee work: Council established a small subcommittee earlier in 2025 to design a regular program after the city ran two pilot conversation events in late 2024. Assistant City Manager Becky Range and Communications Manager Mason Lovera briefed the council on the subcommittee’s recommendations: 2–3 council members attend each event, hold events at different community venues (examples: Senior Center, Station 45), vary days and times to broaden access, and pilot the series before committing to a long‑term cadence.

Council input and preferred elements: Members recommended testing formats and locations and emphasized predictable scheduling and clear promotion. Several councilmembers suggested quarterly timing to balance staff bandwidth and community consistency; others proposed a short trial with two events this year to learn logistics. Councilmembers recommended mixing formats—open conversations, “how‑to” sessions on participating in city government, and topic‑driven events when a particular issue draws community interest.

Accessibility and outreach: Staff noted the need to reach residents beyond digital channels and proposed using the city mailer (the Bridge), social media, community organizations and partner networks to promote events. Council asked staff to prepare a run‑of‑show and options for facilitation (light facilitation, community agreements and a flexible format that allows people to drop in and out).

Next steps: Staff will prepare a detailed proposal (including a draft schedule, locations, run‑of‑show and communications plan), target an initial event in the fall or start in Q1 2026, and coordinate promotion through the Bridge, digital channels and community partners. The council signaled support for starting the program and for returning to confirm timing and theme choices; no formal ordinance or budget change was requested at this time.