(VANCOUVER, WA.) —"The Vancouver City Council meeting on March 16th was marked by a blend of ceremonial recognitions and contentious discussions, highlighting a perceived struggle for oversight and accountability, particularly concerning the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA),” OpGov.news reports.
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Proclamations for American Red Cross Month, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and Women's History Month were issued, celebrating community contributions and advocating for inclusion and historical recognition.
In the first meeting since last week’s State of the City address Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle proclaimed the month of March Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
“Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is an opportunity to recognize services and systems, but also the relationships, shared responsibility and lived experience leadership that make true inclusion possible,” McEnerny-Ogle says.
Many are present to accept the proclamation, including board members from Peace Northwest, a board member of the Clark County Developmental Disabilities Board, and representatives from Stevens Place.
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“People with developmental disabilities are part of many communities and identities, and understanding those intersections helps us to build supports that are more equitable, culturally responsive, and truly person centered,” the spokesperson for the group says.
The spokesperson went on to highlight the role of a community in supporting those with developmental disabilities.
“True inclusion does not happen through one program or one system alone. It happens when communities come together with creativity, collaboration, and commitment to supporting people in ways that honor who they are and what matters most to them,” the spokesperson adds.
Daniel Woods was the only member of the community to sign up for public comments. This is the lowest number of public speakers at a council meeting since the council’s first meeting of 2026.
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Woods expresses concern about the poor condition of many streets in Northeast Vancouver, recounting a personal incident where he hit a pothole which caused car issues and his claim was denied. He acknowledges the Fourth Plain Blvd. resurfacing project as a 'good start' but urges the council to address road resurfacing with ‘more urgency’.
“It's a good start, but a lot of the streets in Vancouver are really bad. At one point last year, I ran over a pothole, and I had some issue with my car. I tried filling out a claims notice for you guys and it got denied,” Woods says.
The mayor notes that projects depend on funding and good weather, and that crews would be out soon.
“Following public comment, 20 items (1-20 and 23) from the Consent Agenda, largely comprising construction acceptance, bid awards for various infrastructure projects (sewer, heat pump, airport terminal, curb ramps, road resurfacing), contract amendments for services and supplies, lease agreements, and grant awards, were approved with a single motion,” OpGov.news said.
A critical discussion centered on the amendment to the Downtown Redevelopment Authority bylaws (Item 22).
Councilor Sarah Fox criticizes the DRA's actions, noting their hiring of an executive director without a competitive recruitment process, despite the DRA board's objections to City Council 'interference’.
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“I want to clarify that when you look at the proposed changes that we're putting forward tonight, there is nothing in those proposed changes that mention anything about us taking on more of a day-to-day responsibility or changing the duties of the executive director,” Fox states.
Councilor Fox goes on to point out that it is interesting that the DRA hired an executive director without a recruitment process.
“I'd say that the interesting thing about the choices we've observed in the last month by the Downtown Redevelopment Authority is that they have selected an executive director, but they did that without advertising the opening. They did that without doing a recruitment process. So, there was no competitive process,” Fox adds.
Councilor Diana Perez reinforced the council's duty to protect public interest and enhance transparency regarding significant public investments tied to the DRA.
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“At the end of the day, our job is to make decisions that do protect the public interest, and this ordinance strengthens the transparency, clarifies accountability and safeguards the significant public investments tied to the Convention Center and downtown redevelopment. And so that kind of clarity is exactly what the public expects from us,” Perez says.
The Deputy City Manager acknowledges broader state auditor concerns about oversight of redevelopment agencies, underscoring the council's move to clarify employment status and reinforce accountability, even if it met with internal resistance.
Ultimately, the ordinance amending Section 2.09 of the DRA bylaws, clarifying the executive director's employment status, was approved.
If you would like to comment or add to this report, please email me at rory.h@lead4earth.org.
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