By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – Should Port Angeles create a Neighborhood Association Program? City Councilman Brendan Meyer thinks so, and the council discussed it at length on Tuesday (March 19) at their regular meeting.

Meyer made his case for what he thinks would be the benefits of a Neighborhood Program.

“When we bought our first house in Durham, North Carolina, a neighborhood association that I became part of. And what that neighborhood association did was, they met monthly to talk about the issues happening in their neighborhood, and there was a lot better informed people. And they understood what was going on. I think over time, neighborhood associations will help bring neighborhoods together. So, I think this will help tear down some of those walls that we put up in our community.”

Setting up a Neighborhood Program does not come without cost. City Manager Nathan West told the council that it would likely require hiring at least a half-time employee to facilitate, and funding for a Neighborhood Association Program is not currently included in the 2024 Budget. On the other hand, West confirmed that the City does already have defined neighborhoods in the Comprehensive Plan.

Not everyone on the council sounded warm to the idea. Councilor Navarra Carr had some serious concerns about equity and the access to resources between our poorer neighborhoods and the more affluent parts of town. There is also the issue of the program requiring funding.

“And if you’re talking about dedicating extra funding to a program, I’m just going to say, I’d like to see it go to our fire department and our EMS and 911 services, so that we can have better emergency services. That, I think, would really, in the long run better serve our community.”

Councilor Latrisha Suggs conflated the concept with Homeowner’s Associations, which she would be against, and Meyer said what he was proposing was something very different. He believes the program would primarily be a way for neighbors to disseminate information and get to know each other better.

Mayor Kate Dexter is cautious about creating any new programs that require new funding.

“One of my concerns is the fact that there probably is a budget implication, and we don’t currently have any money in the budget for this. And I definitely agree with Navarra that if we magically found money, while I think this is important, I would love to spend it on the Fire Department.”

In the end, they agreed, except for Councilor Suggs, to direct staff to schedule a work session on subject within 100 days, and they formed a subcommittee tasked with bringing back guidelines on developing a Neighborhood Association plan prior to that work session. The three council members appointed to the subcommittee were Brendan Meyer, Drew Schwab, and Amy Miller.