2016
Topic: Balanced Housing
The first class of the Civic Leadership Academy presented recommendations that City Council is utilizing to evaluate housing options in our community and explore partnerships to support the development of affordable housing in Hillsboro.
2017
Topic: Supporting Hillsboro Entrepreneurs
In 2017, Academy graduates identified existing partnership opportunities, space resources, educational opportunities, and makerspaces that support entrepreneurship within the community. In addition, the Academy recommended the creation of a startup incubator space and/or program in Hillsboro. They also suggested adding a staff position to coordinate partnerships that support entrepreneurs.
2018
Topic: Fostering a Stronger Sense of Community in Hillsboro
2018 Academy graduates presented ideas for increasing community engagement, such the creation of a multi-language smartphone app, defining a common name for Hillsboro residents, and providing a “party-in-a-box” kit to support neighborhood get-togethers. The group also identified neighborhood identity and walkability challenges, as well as and language and technology barriers that Hillsboro residents face.
2019
Topic: Enhancing Earthquake Preparedness
The 2019 Academy evaluated the community's disaster preparedness and identified earthquakes as the biggest disaster threat. The graduates urged the City and community members to raise earthquake awareness and make it easier for the most vulnerable to access the resources they need in advance. To boost resiliency, the Academy recommended a whole community approach to understand needs, empower all members of the community, and engage with individuals and groups to rely on each other.
2021
Topic: Promote Volunteer Engagement
The 2021 Academy tackled the question of: How can the City of Hillsboro make the volunteering experience better? The graduates recommended enhancing volunteer engagement through four focal points: Unify, Collect, Communicate, and Recruit. Specific recommendations included:
- Centralize the City’s volunteer sign-up platform and policies
- Collect race and other demographic data to ensure Hillsboro volunteers include all facets of our community
- Increase multilingual and culturally specific volunteer communications, and provide inclusive opportunities
- Hold an in-person or virtual volunteer recruitment fair on a regular basis
2022
Topic: City Council Wards Redistricting
Based on results from the 2020 U.S. Census, which show that the number of people living in each ward have changed, Hillsboro embarked on a project to update ward boundaries to ensure that each ward has approximately the same population. The Academy graduates worked with with Portland State University and interviewed community members to create a new ward map, which was adopted by City Council and went into effect in January 2023. The 2022 Academy served as the first Citizen Review Board Blue Ribbon Committee to review the ward boundaries in Hillsboro History.
Visit the Council Wards Redistricting webpage for more information.
2023
Topic: 2035 Hillsboro Community Plan 5-Year Update
The 2023 Civic Leadership Academy crafted recommendations for Hillsboro 2035 community engagement to gather ideas for the 5-Year Update. Key strategies included creating fun and creative engagement activities, providing training on cross-cultural connection and unconscious bias, ensuring accessible communications, enhancing social media use, and engaging people through local businesses and organizations.
Watch the November 7 City Council Work Session or read the news article to learn more about the project & recommendations.
