Mayor's Corner - Thank You to Our Volunteers

In recent months, I have sent out a call for volunteers for our boards, commissions, and committees and the LFP community has responded! It has been my pleasure to interview applicants and submit names for confirmation by the City Council. I continue to be impressed by the knowledge and enthusiasm of our appointees.

While I send my thanks to those who have applied, I need to let you know there are still some vacancies we need to fill. For one, we now have a vacant position on the Civil Service Commission. Terms on the Commission are for six years and the term expiration date for the vacant position is February 28, 2029. A position that has been vacant for far too long is the student representative on our Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. While terms for this Board are three years, we do understand that a junior or senior in high school may only be able to serve for one or two years. There are exciting things coming up for the Board and input from a high school student will be important feedback from this demographic. If you know of a student who might be interested, please have them reach out to Cory Roche, Environmental and Sustainability Specialist. Cory can be reached by email or you can call her at 206-368-5440.

If you or someone you know would like to apply for any of the current vacancies, the online application can be found here.

There is much work ahead for our advisory bodies in the coming years. To ensure there will be a quorum and enough voting members at the meetings, I have asked the Administration to prepare a draft code amendment that provides for alternate members on the Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Tree Board, and potentially the Climate Action Committee. Alternates would attend meetings and receive the same information as voting members; however, should a voting member be absent from a meeting, the alternate would be eligible to vote. My goal for this membership change is to keep our projects moving forward and not lose a month for lack of a quorum. While we are speaking of the advisory bodies, I encourage all members to attend meetings in person whenever possible. Remote participation is good, but there is much to be gained from meeting in person with fellow members.

In addition to the sense of community that serving on an advisory body contributes to our city, you may have other ideas about how to bring the community together. I welcome them! Please reach out to me via email or you can call City Hall, 206-368-5440.

On one last note, I hope you can join me for Coffee with the Mayor on Saturday, March 18, 2023. We’ll meet in the Council Chambers at City Hall from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. This is a great chance to share your thoughts with me and the Administration in an informal setting. Coffee is provided and seating will be arranged to allow for social distancing.

A huge thank you to our entire community for helping us get through Covid and continue the great work we have going on throughout our town.

--Mayor Johnson

Council Corner - Communicating with Your Council

I thought it timely to provide a brief overview of the different ways that you the citizens of our community can effectively communicate with your City Council.

Direct Email: The city website www.cityoflfp.gov has each Council Member’s individual email listed as well as an option to email the Council collectively. This is a very effective and efficient means of reaching out to your policy makers. 

Sign up for city notifications and newsflashes:  This is a great way to remain informed. Sign up on the City website to subscribe to all city notifications and newsflashes or just to the topics that interest you. 

Public comment: Comment is always welcome at city meetings with only a couple of exceptions. Our rules allow each speaker 3 minutes to make their comments.

A couple of very important things to keep in mind when making public comment: 

First, our rules do not allow us to respond directly to questions or inquiries at the time of public comment. This is to protect everyone from getting into an unproductive “back and forth” dialogue. 

However, in the case of a specific issue or concern, staff will make a note of the topic and may ask for additional contact information for a follow up.

Second, please keep it civil and respectful. We all are neighbors who care about each other and inevitably occasionally have a difference of opinion. Our Council prides itself on sometimes disagreeing with each other and members of the community but doing so with respect and civility. Please be kind to your neighbors!

Opportunities for public comment include:

Regular City Council Meetings (second and fourth Thursdays of the month) early in the agenda

Council Committee of the Whole Meetings (Monday before the 4th Thursday of the month) at the end of the agenda

Budget and Finance Committee Meetings (third Thursday of the month) at the end of the agenda

Public Hearings (held during regular Council Meetings or as necessary) during the time designated for the hearing

Town Halls/ Open Houses (held as opportunity allows) during the meeting

Other meetings where public comment is taken:

Planning Commission Meetings (second Tuesday of the month) near the beginning and at the end of the agenda

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meetings (third Wednesday of the month) at the end of agenda

Keep informed with social media: The City utilizes several social media platforms to inform the public of what’s going on in the City. Keep in mind that this is for information only and Council Members and staff won’t directly respond to citizen posts or replies to posts by the City.

Other methods of communicating with your City Council: You may use regular mail and send in your comments or call us directly at 206-368-5440.

We represent all of you in the City and it is our privilege to hear what you have to say! Please reach out to us anytime.

--Deputy Mayor Tom French

Stay Current on City News, Meetings, and Events

Want to keep up with what’s going on at the City? There are several ways to stay informed. Subscription options include notices of city meetings and events, planning announcements, emergency alerts, city newsflashes, and more! Click here for the full list of available subscriptions.