Multnomah County Citizen Involvement Committee Information for Prospective Members

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves."
Thomas Jefferson, 1821

CIC Home

Introduction

CIC Principles

Information for Prospective CIC Members

CIC's mission:
The Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC) will involve, educate, empower and integrate the people of Multnomah County into all aspects of policy - and decision-making within county governments. The CIC does not involve itself in the merits of issues, but rather with the merits of the processes which shape the issues.

The CIC is a fifteen member citizen volunteer committee. Three members come from each of our four commission districts, nominated by citizens participation organizations, neighborhood association, neighborhood district coalitions, or community groups. Three additional members are chosen at-large, representing various civic boards and grassroots non-profit groups in the county. Membership is diverse in all respects.

Responsibilities and Commitment of CIC Members:
The CIC meets from 6:30 to 8:00 on the third Thursday of the month. CIC members are responsible for attending these meetings. They also serve on one or more subcommittees or engage in other CIC related business during the month. This usually amounts to another hour of time. In addition, members may be asked to provide their input via phone or email.

CIC Staffing:
Staff support is provided by the Office of Citizen Involvement whose purpose is to support the CIC's work. The OCI staff are county employees hired by the Committee. The OCI has two staff by county ordinance (currently staffing is at 1.5 FTE due to the county's financial condition). In the past, the OCI has had up to three staff including the coordinator for the CBAC program.

CIC activities:
In 2004, the CIC is engaged in an assessment of citizen participation in the county. This has included interviewing citizens who are currently participating in county committees, staff that work with citizens and members of the community. The goal is to identify ways to improve two-way communication between the county and citizens. The committee may establish new citizen involvement programs, modify existing programs, identify areas for further research and make recommendations to the county's elected officials based on this assessment.

In addition, the CIC:

Coordinates the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC) process;
Gives the annual Gladys McCoy Award for outstanding community service;
Organizes an annual volunteer appreciation and awards ceremony for all county departments;
conducts public forums;
nominates individuals to county boards and commission;
produces and distributes both regular and special publications [ CONDUIT Newsletter, Facilities Siting Handbook ];
participates in local and regional citizen involvement activities, such as, the Metro Committee for Citizen Involvement (MCCI);

CIC Authority under the Multnomah County Charter
The Citizens Involvement Committee (CIC) of Multnomah County, Oregon was created by a vote of the people in 1984. The County Charter establishes:

the Office of Citizen Involvement to develop and maintain citizen involvement programs and procedures designed to facilitate direct communication between citizens and the board of county commissioners;
a citizens' committee with sufficient funds for operation of the office and the committee and;
the authority of the committee to hire and fire its own staff.

01-20-2004

Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC)
501 SE Hawthorne Avenue #192, Portland, OR 97214
TEL (503) 988-3450 FAX (503) 988-5674