Mulino considers forming hamlet
0 Comments Published by Pioneer Staff on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 9:06 PM.
By David Howell
Molalla Pioneer
A leading East Coast university has selected a Clackamas County program focused on giving rural residents a greater say over public services as one of the best government innovations of the year.
And the pioneering program could soon debut in Mulino.
The county Complete Communities’ Hamlet and Village Program has been named a semifinalist for the Innovations in American Government Awards and is eligible to win a $100,000 grant.
The program aims to link citizens in unincorporated parts of the sprawling urban-rural county with important public services, to express issues of concern, to prioritize activities and to coordinate community-based events.
“These two governance options give citizens an increased level of local expression, control and self-governance in decisions that affect their lives,” according to the county’s adopted ordinance.
The Hamlet and Village Program is among the “2007 Top 50 Government Innovations” named by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Eighteen finalists will be announced on May 2 and, ultimately, seven programs will each receive $100,000 grants.
The county program has established Beavercreek and Stafford as hamlets, while Mulino is in the final stage of formation. The village formed so far is the Villages at Mount Hood, which includes Welches, Brightwood, Zig Zag, Wemme and Rhododendron.
Mulino-area residents and business people are invited to attend a meeting set for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at Mulino Elementary School, 26660 S. Highway 213.
The upcoming meeting is the latest stage in the hamlet-forming process, following three meetings at the Mulino Oregon Pilot Clubhouse.
Attendees at the elementary school will be informed about the purpose of a hamlet and proposed activities, bylaws and boundaries.
They will also be able to nominate candidates to serve on the proposed hamlet’s board of directors. People who wish to be candidates can submit applications to Suzanne Roberts at sroberts@coganowens.com.
(Proof of residency, or business or property ownership is required to vote on the hamlet formation.)
In order for a hamlet to be formed, at least 10 percent of the citizens living within the proposed hamlet boundary or 100 citizens, whichever is the lesser number, must sign a petition. A village petition requires the support of at least 15 percent of the local population or 150 citizens.
The proposed hamlet - the preliminary boundary is the Mulino Community Planning Organization’s coverage area - would advise the three-member Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. The formation of a hamlet or a village does not affect an existing Community Planning Organization, the county reports.
Stafford residents who attended a March 19 in Tualatin voted 344-30 to form a hamlet and 341-27 to approve its bylaws. The hamlet boundary and bylaws can be viewed at www.staffordhamlet.org.
Beavercreek citizens approved forming a hamlet after two town hall meetings last June. The hamlet boundary and bylaws can be viewed at www.beavercreekbulletin.org.
The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners has final approval of each hamlet’s board of directors, bylaws and governance structures.
Hamlets are not recognized by state law, so a board of directors can only advise the county on recommended projects, such as roads, infrastructure and safety issues, and has no power, authority or funding to act.
The program has been coordinated by Cogan Owens Cogan, which was contracted by the county.
“The Clackamas County Hamlet and Village Program is grassroots democracy in action,” said county board chairwoman Martha Schrader. “Citizens are able to effectively respond to their community’s needs and interests. The program offers residents in unincorporated areas of the county a means for more say in decisions that affect their lives.”
However, residents of Boring previously voted not to form a hamlet.
The top 50 programs - representing government agencies at the federal, state, county and city levels - were selected for their novelty and creativity, effectiveness at addressing significant issues and their potential to be replicated by other jurisdictions, according to a Harvard University news release.
Chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants, they represent government’s best efforts across a variety of policy areas, ranging from education to the environment, criminal justice to health care and management to community development.
“The programs represent the very best of public management,” said Harvard’s Ash Institute director Gowher Rizvi. “We are honored to highlight innovative practices that produce renewed confidence in public service.”
The hamlets and villages program will be part of the county’s fifth Complete Communities Congress, which is set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Oregon City High School’s Jackson Campus, 1306 12th St.
To learn more about the county’s hamlets and villages program, visit www.co.clackamas.or.us/community.
For more information, call Clackamas County’s Christine Roth at 503-742-5920 or Cogan Owens Cogan’s Kirstin Greene at 503-225-0192.
Molalla Pioneer
A leading East Coast university has selected a Clackamas County program focused on giving rural residents a greater say over public services as one of the best government innovations of the year.
And the pioneering program could soon debut in Mulino.
The county Complete Communities’ Hamlet and Village Program has been named a semifinalist for the Innovations in American Government Awards and is eligible to win a $100,000 grant.
The program aims to link citizens in unincorporated parts of the sprawling urban-rural county with important public services, to express issues of concern, to prioritize activities and to coordinate community-based events.
“These two governance options give citizens an increased level of local expression, control and self-governance in decisions that affect their lives,” according to the county’s adopted ordinance.
The Hamlet and Village Program is among the “2007 Top 50 Government Innovations” named by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Eighteen finalists will be announced on May 2 and, ultimately, seven programs will each receive $100,000 grants.
The county program has established Beavercreek and Stafford as hamlets, while Mulino is in the final stage of formation. The village formed so far is the Villages at Mount Hood, which includes Welches, Brightwood, Zig Zag, Wemme and Rhododendron.
Mulino-area residents and business people are invited to attend a meeting set for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at Mulino Elementary School, 26660 S. Highway 213.
The upcoming meeting is the latest stage in the hamlet-forming process, following three meetings at the Mulino Oregon Pilot Clubhouse.
Attendees at the elementary school will be informed about the purpose of a hamlet and proposed activities, bylaws and boundaries.
They will also be able to nominate candidates to serve on the proposed hamlet’s board of directors. People who wish to be candidates can submit applications to Suzanne Roberts at sroberts@coganowens.com.
(Proof of residency, or business or property ownership is required to vote on the hamlet formation.)
In order for a hamlet to be formed, at least 10 percent of the citizens living within the proposed hamlet boundary or 100 citizens, whichever is the lesser number, must sign a petition. A village petition requires the support of at least 15 percent of the local population or 150 citizens.
The proposed hamlet - the preliminary boundary is the Mulino Community Planning Organization’s coverage area - would advise the three-member Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. The formation of a hamlet or a village does not affect an existing Community Planning Organization, the county reports.
Stafford residents who attended a March 19 in Tualatin voted 344-30 to form a hamlet and 341-27 to approve its bylaws. The hamlet boundary and bylaws can be viewed at www.staffordhamlet.org.
Beavercreek citizens approved forming a hamlet after two town hall meetings last June. The hamlet boundary and bylaws can be viewed at www.beavercreekbulletin.org.
The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners has final approval of each hamlet’s board of directors, bylaws and governance structures.
Hamlets are not recognized by state law, so a board of directors can only advise the county on recommended projects, such as roads, infrastructure and safety issues, and has no power, authority or funding to act.
The program has been coordinated by Cogan Owens Cogan, which was contracted by the county.
“The Clackamas County Hamlet and Village Program is grassroots democracy in action,” said county board chairwoman Martha Schrader. “Citizens are able to effectively respond to their community’s needs and interests. The program offers residents in unincorporated areas of the county a means for more say in decisions that affect their lives.”
However, residents of Boring previously voted not to form a hamlet.
The top 50 programs - representing government agencies at the federal, state, county and city levels - were selected for their novelty and creativity, effectiveness at addressing significant issues and their potential to be replicated by other jurisdictions, according to a Harvard University news release.
Chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants, they represent government’s best efforts across a variety of policy areas, ranging from education to the environment, criminal justice to health care and management to community development.
“The programs represent the very best of public management,” said Harvard’s Ash Institute director Gowher Rizvi. “We are honored to highlight innovative practices that produce renewed confidence in public service.”
The hamlets and villages program will be part of the county’s fifth Complete Communities Congress, which is set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Oregon City High School’s Jackson Campus, 1306 12th St.
To learn more about the county’s hamlets and villages program, visit www.co.clackamas.or.us/community.
For more information, call Clackamas County’s Christine Roth at 503-742-5920 or Cogan Owens Cogan’s Kirstin Greene at 503-225-0192.
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