Proclamations and Special Presentations
Presentations to City Council
City Council appreciates the opportunity to hear updates from community groups or agencies affiliated with the City to report on recent or upcoming community events and activities. City Council meets weekly on Mondays, the first four weeks of a month, at 6:30 p.m. Council does not meet on a 5th Monday or on a federally recognized Monday holiday.
Requests to make City Council presentations should be submitted at least 30 days prior to the preferred Council Meeting date. City Staff and the Mayor will review requests to make a presentation during an upcoming City Council meeting, and City Staff will notify the applicant if an opportunity is available at the meeting.
Proclamations
A proclamation is an official announcement issued by the Mayor to recognize a day, week or month that will have a major citywide impact. The goal of a proclamation is to honor, celebrate or create awareness of an event, special occasion, cause or significant issues. They should generally be related to a community benefit or organization or City of Vancouver operations.
Guidelines for Proclamation Requests
The City receives many requests to present both new and annually recurring proclamations each and every month. As such, formal presentation of proclamations at City Council meetings is limited and the following guidelines have been established by the Mayor’s office to ensure all requests can be appropriately considered and reviewed in advance.
- All proclamations must be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the preferred issue date to allow for the approval process and production of the document itself.
- Proclamations are not automatically renewed each year:
- Proclamations that may occur every year must be requested annually;
- If the request is for a repeat of a previous proclamation, a copy of that document should be included with the request.
- The Mayor’s office reserves the right to approve or decline the production of a proclamation request and to edit any drafted material for final wording.
- Each proclamation request must come from a Vancouver resident and/or organization. This includes requests from national, international, or out-of-state organizations – in such instances, a local chapter or office should be associated with the request.
Proclamation Content
- Personal proclamations for individuals or businesses will not be placed on a Council agenda, but may be requested.
- If approved, proclamations will be mailed to the individual who has requested the honor.
- These proclamations may be read at an event or provided to the recipient.
- Proclamations should reflect inclusiveness, not exclusiveness, and recognize that the strength of our democracy is our diversity. It must not take sides in matters of political, ideological or religious controversy or individual convictions.
- Proclamations must have a citywide significance and demonstrate relevancy to Vancouver.
Presentation at Council Meetings
Requests for proclamations will be reviewed by City Staff and the Mayor, after which the City will provide notification of how the proclamation will be presented. If a formal presentation at a City Council meeting is available, the expectation is there will be at least one representative on hand to receive the proclamation from the Mayor, and that representative will make brief comments. Council meets every Monday at 6:30 p.m., except on recognized Monday holidays or a 5th Monday of the month.
Instructions for accepting proclamations and recognition at a City Council meeting:
- Proclamations and recognitions are presented at the beginning of the meeting. It is advised that you arrive a few minutes before the start time of the meeting.
- If you or anyone in your party has mobility issues, please let the Mayor’s Office know beforehand so we can have staff deliver the proclamation or recognition to you during the meeting. A hand-held microphone can be made available.
- If you or anyone in your party need any accommodations for accepting the proclamation, like language interpretation, ASL interpretation, or preferential seating, please let the Mayor’s Office know beforehand.
- The Mayor will begin by reading all or a portion of the proclamation/recognition. At that time, you may come forward and accept the proclamation, then say a few words at the testimony table. You may bring others with you.
- Please identify yourself and anyone else with you by name and your organization and title. You may make brief comments (about 3-5 minutes).
- After accepting the proclamation or recognition, you may be seated or feel free to leave the meeting.
If a formal presentation at a City Council meeting is not available, the proclamation will be emailed and mailed to the requester.
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Dollar at 360-487-8641 or sarah.dollar@cityofvancouver.us.