The city of Tualatin is looking for a wide, diverse team of volunteers for a temporary planning committee being formed to draft the blueprint for a new Tualatin Equity Committee that will focus on strengthening relationships with the community and lowering barriers to public participation in government.
“The more the merrier,” said Tualatin Community Engagement Coordinator Betsy Rodriguez Ruef, who’s leading the effort. “We’re encouraging anyone interested to apply, in particular members of the BIPOC Community.”
This ad-hoc planning group, which is expected to meet for six two-hour sessions beginning this spring, will use existing data about the community and review City Council initiatives to determine the size, scope and meeting format of the new Equity Committee, and deliver its recommendation to City Council later this year.
“I’m pretty excited to be launching this,” Mayor Frank Bubenik said, adding ideas for the Equity Committee are already in the hopper waiting for its formation.
“One of the things we’re going to be tasking this group with is drafting a Land Acknowledgement,” he said.
Tualatin is on the land of the Atfalati, also known as the Tualatin Kalapuya or Wapato Lake Indians, who originally lived in about two-dozen villages in the Willamette Valley, throughout most of Washington and Yamhill Counties.
The city already has a draft land acknowledgement statement submitted by community members ready for review.
Planning committee applications are open until March 11, and being accepted by any way that works for you.
“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for members of the community to apply,” Ruef said. Adding, “You can submit video, audio, you can take a picture of the application and submit it that way, a singing telegram, however you want to do it is good.”
For more information visit www.tualatinoregon.gov/citycouncil/equity-committee-planning-group.
For questions or to apply directly contact Betsy Rodriquez Ruef: email bruef@tualatin.gov; call or text 971-645-1723
Paper application can me turned in at the Tualatin Library, 18878 SW Martinazzi Ave.
