Community Council

“Board of directors are elected at the annual meeting of the corporation. Directors serve three-year terms, on a rotating basis, with no more than one-third of the directors' terms expiring at any one time. Members vote on the board of directors. The nominating committee made recommendations to the membership for the new board positions, and nominations are accepted from the floor.”

“Board members and officers provided copy of 990 with an opportunity to ask questions.”

“Annually the conflicts of interest statements are reviewed by the executive director for appropriate action.”

“The board obtains information on local salaries for non-profit organizations in the community prior to hiring the executive director.”

“Prior year form 990s, form 1023 and organizing documents are available upon request by telephone 509-540-6720 or at the office of community council at its office located in the drumheller building at 5 w. Alder, walla walla, wa 99362.”

“Community council fosters a trusted gathering place where people engage in dialogue, inquiry and advocacy to build a vibrant region for everyone. Community council is a nonpartisan, nongovernmental, diverse and inclusive organization committed to open dialogue, solid research, consensus-building and effective advocacy, enabling the highest quality of life for everyone throughout the region. Community council is governed by a board of directors that seeks to ensure the integrity of the process. The board has no agenda, bias or ownership. The process is structured to ensure a safe setting for any and every resident to participate in any or all of the following: determining which community issues to take on. Expressing personal conviction on selected issues. Listening to all input from other residents. Seeking accurate information about the issues through solid research. Gathering input from experts in the field. Seeking solutions by reaching a consensus. Advocating recommendations to appropriate decision-making entities.”

“Program committee in 2018, we facilitated a program committee, made up of community members, who were tasked with identifying the most pressing issues facing our region. Based on a series of in-depth conversations and research, the committee determined that affordable housing is a paramount concern in our region. Engaging community members in the process of selecting a study topic is rewarding because they take a hard look at our regions biggest challenges, and lay the foundation for community involvement right at the beginning of the process. Study committee: affordable housing opportunities the affordable housing study committee began meeting weekly in late september and will complete its work in early april. The affordable housing study report and recommendations will be released at our annual luncheon in june. Advocacy for the implementation of those recommendations will follow. The study committee seeks to answer the question, how can our region meet the need for safe and affordable housing? To answer that question, the study committee considers the need for affordable housing in the region, the broader dynamics of economic growth that impact wages and housing costs, the production of housing locally, and barriers that people face when trying to access safe and affordable housing. For the first several months the study committee meets weekly to learn from resource speakers, such as planners, service providers, developers, lenders, and government agencies. Subsequent weeks are spent drafting the study report, developing conclusions, and crafting recommendations for positive change. In our continued effort to increase our ability to include diverse populations in our process, for the first time this year we offered spanish translation and interpretation, and childcare at our study committee meetings. Education as a path to economic growth the implementation task force (itf) began its third year of advocacy in 2018 and will complete its work in the fall of this year. The itf continues to focus on a number of key recommendations, including the creation of a regional educational attainment alliance. This effort seeks to engage education, business, non-profit, government, and community leaders throughout the region in the development of a coalition that will align educational goals and amplify effective programs for greater impact. The successful implementation of this recommendation will result in a lasting alliance of leaders and working groups that will steward broad educational goals, such as equity, access, and attainment. This subcommittee has conducted extensive research of successful models, established a partnership with united way, who will act as the backbone organization for the alliance, and met with educational leaders to invite their participation all of whom are ready to engage. The implementation task force continues to advocate for a number of other important recommendations, including the expansion of early learning opportunities, the building of stronger relationships between educational institutions and the arts economy, and expansion of opportunities for trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive training. Enhancing outdoor recreational opportunities in early november, we celebrated the work of community members three years of advocacy efforts in support of the recommendations that emerged from the enhancing outdoor recreational opportunities study. The community had a lot to celebrate, especially with the completion of the blue mountain region trails plan the plan is a blueprint for a regional non-motorized transportation and trails network designed to enhance outdoor recreation, improve health and wellness, and stimulate economic development. By bringing together over 30 planners, resource managers, government officials and other partners across multiple jurisdictions, this advocacy effort has built the foundation for a permanent resource that will be an asset for generations to come. You can re”