The Sequim City Council has determined that Sequim Speaks, the citizen advisory group that was created to facilitate two-way communication between Sequim citizens and the Sequim City Council, is ready to move forward on its own volition.
“Sequim Speaks has had a dedicated core of members that meet monthly to stay current on city projects, and to bring community feedback to the group to determine if there is consistency on issues to bring before the City Council,” said City of Sequim Mayor Ken Hays. “We strongly encourage the group to continue to go out and get feedback from the public and to provide that input to the City Council. We feel that after more than two years of guidance and administrative support from the city, it is now time for Sequim Speaks to determine their own future for the group.”
The Sequim City Council reached consensus on the new direction at their annual retreat on March 9, 2012.
“We greatly appreciate the participation of many citizens in Sequim Speaks over the past years, and encourage everyone who has been a part of Sequim Speaks to continue to facilitate dialogue within the community,” said Mayor Hays. “We, as a council, are committed to listening and responding to the feedback and concerns of our citizens. The customer satisfaction and parks and recreation surveys, the community participation committee for the downtown plan, the public participation workshops being conducted for SEQUIM 120 the comprehensive plan update, and the hiring of a communications staff person for the city are examples of the City Council’s commitment to outreach for citizen input. We hope that the members of Sequim Speaks will continue to be an active part of that effort. We are placing the ball in their hands, and we hope they will run with it.”
Sequim Speaks was established in 2009 by the Sequim City Council. The resolution forming the group divided the community into four quadrants and members were recruited to represent each of those quadrants for terms of two years.