Community Council

“Expenses dues 135 office expense 1,664 taxes and licenses 50 website (inkind 7,984) 125 d&o insurance 1,802 bank charges 94 fundraising (inkind 150) 653 outreach (inkind 791) 4,070 study exp (inkind 9,569) 11,021 training 369 non-investment depreciation 249 total 20,232”

“Accounts receivable 60 250 notebook & software 0 1,247 less accumulated depreciation 0 249 total 60 1,248”

“Accounts payable and accrued expenses 2,791 2,127”

“The community council is a regional organization that will enable citizens to study, discuss, and develop recommendations to solve problems and improve our regional community. The region in which the council will operate includes part of southeast washington state and a small part of northeast oregon state, with the city of walla walla, washington representing the largest population center. The council will generate a recurring cycle of discussion, research, consensus, advocacy, and measurement of progress toward community improvement. The council has established a program committee that will annually recommend regional issues for study to the board of directors for selection, approval, and the beginning of action.”

“Completing its sixth year, community councils impact continues to grow through outreach to, and engagement of, citizens in its citizen-driven study/action model for community improvement community councils role is community-buildingbringing people together to learn about their community, identifying common needs, interests and challenges; engaging in problem solving; and acting to make positive change through advocacy. Since 2008, community councils study process has provided the structure to deal with pressing concerns. Public involvement enables the process to be used time and again to meet multiple challenges. Studies and advocacy efforts are engaging our communities with social issues that affect students educational attainment, with enhancing the economic vitality of the region, with reducing gang membership, with improving citizen-government communication, with improving food security, and with enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities. Study process committees: program, study, and implementation program committee the committee, which reviews all of the submitted study topics ideas, winnowed the many issues before them to two potential study topics for the community council boards adoption. The board adopted enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities. The framing question for the topic is: how can we promote, enhance, and develop outdoor recreational opportunities and accessibility to improve the regions quality of life and economic vitality? Study committee: enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities community councils region, from dayton to burbank, and milton-freewater to the snake river, is rich with natural resources and enjoys seasonal weather patterns that support a variety of recreational uses. Local community members as well as visitors may benefit from the far-reaching benefits of strong outdoor recreation options. These include: physical and mental health benefits; a stronger sense of community identity and stewardship; and social, educational, and business opportunities. The committee heard from various experts on the challenges and opportunities of different aspects of outdoor recreation, including environmental, economic, community and individual health. Its work continues into 2015. The committees study report will be released and celebrated in late spring. Study committee: improving food security the study committee met weekly from mid-january to mid-june, celebrating their work and the release of the study report at a luncheon on november 6th. The study committee heard from farmers, food distributors, local food banks, county health departments, those offering services to seniors and the needy, school nutrition programs, churches, salvation army, community action councils, and others. The committee developed recommendations, including: the performance of a statistically sound study to determine the food security needs in the region; the development of milestones, thresholds, and targets to measure the effectiveness of methods in increasing food security; the creation and retention of living wage jobs; and the establishment, promotion and funding of programs that help to strengthen community and neighborhood networks that include cooking and food education classes, meal sharing, community gardening, and gatherings. The complete study report, including all of the recommendations is on our website: www.wwcommunitycouncil.org. Implementation task force: improving food security the task force continues to gather members and to identify community organizations whose missions align with the recommendations from the study. The task force will work with those organization to facilitate their implementation of the recommendations. Implementation task force: improving communication between citizens and government this small but dedicated and energetic task force is in the final year of its work. The task force members have looked at various governmental websites, read budgets and other documents, attended public m”