Camas council to vote on plan to reshape city governmentSubscriber Exclusive

The Camas City Council plans to vote Aug. 17 on whether to draft a proposal to reshape the city’s government. “They will not be voting on the actual resolution on Aug. 17, only whether or not to move forward,” said Bryan Rachal, the city’s director of communications and public affairs. The council will host at least one public town hall before asking voters to decide the issue, but Rachal said no dates have been set. An ad hoc citizens committee presented a report to the council on June 1 recommending that the city transition to a council-manager form of government with an elected mayor, arguing the change would provide greater long-term stability, professional administration and accountability as the city continues to grow. Camas currently operates under a mayor-council form of government, in which the elected mayor acts as chief executive and administrator of the city. The recommended council-manager government would retain seven elected council members, with the mayor serving as an at-large elected position and a city manager hired by the council acting as chief executive officer. “We are not here because something is broken,” committee chair Nan Henriksen, a former Camas mayor, said on June 1. “We are here because Camas is growing, and great communities plan their governance for where they are going, not where they are or where they have been.” After the group presented its report, the councilors talked about whether to vote on a resolution first and then hold a town hall, or vice versa. They continued that discussion during their July 6 workshop session, ultimately deciding to vote on the creation of a resolution Aug. 17 and hold at least one town hall, with a date and place to be determined. “I really think we need to hear from the people out there, and a good cross section — not just business owners, not just developers, but residents whose lives are impacted by our government each and every day,” Councilor John Nohr said. Councilor Tim Hein said that the town halls should be led by a “neutral presenter.” “Inherently, no matter how hard we try, we’re going to have biases,” he said. “I think that the information has to be presented as (objectively and) unbiased as possible.” Councilor Marilyn Boerke emphasized that voters, not the council, decide on such changes. Councilors Jennifer Senescu and Martin Elzingre opposed the change, citing resident feedback indicating current satisfaction with the government. Nohr and fellow councilor Mahsa Eshghi supported the proposal, highlighting accountability issues. Eshghi proposed a timeline that would make any change in Camas’ form of government take effect in January 2028, with a February public vote and a December ballot-submission deadline. She said the tight schedule means the council must soon decide whether to move forward so there’s enough time for meaningful public engagement and town halls. “We really have a small window to do a lot of work,” she said.

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