Board of Directors - How to Give Testimony

How to Give Testimony

THPRD invites anyone interested in sharing their perspective with the Board of Directors the opportunity to provide comments in-person, virtually, by email, or by mail. Your input is important to board members and helpful as they make decisions about park and recreation services.

Tips for Giving Testimony in Person

To ensure you are best prepared to share your views, please review these tips for providing testimony.

• Confirm the Meeting Information: Typically, the THPRD Board of Directors meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Tualatin Valley Water District Headquarters (1850 SW 170th Beaverton). The meeting time and date can vary. Please double-check the meeting schedule. Members of the public are invited to speak either virtually or in-person during regular meetings of the Board of Directors.

• Testifying In-person? Complete a Testimony Card: At the board meeting, you will find a table just inside the room with testimony cards. Please complete a testimony card with your full name, address, and the testimony topic for the public record. It is important that you complete the card and turn it in at the basket where you found the cards. If you do not complete a testimony card, the board will not know you wish to speak, and will not know to call on you. Speakers are limited to one testimony time per meeting. Staff are available at the meeting to assist you with any questions you have about the card.

• Testifying Virtually? Please email boardofdirectors@thprd.org with the following information by 12 pm the day of the meeting to ensure staff can send you a meeting link: Please email your full name, address, and testimony topic for the public record. It is important that THPRD receives your request to testify by 12 pm the day of the board meeting. Staff will follow up and send anyone wishing to testify virtually an email with a unique meeting link to allow you to speak when called upon.
  
  
• Preparing for Your Testimony: Speakers are allowed a maximum of three (3) minutes to address the board. It is important to keep this in mind because you will be asked to conclude your remarks when the three minutes have expired. It is helpful to practice reading your testimony to ensure you can make your most important points within the time limit allowed. When the board is ready for you, you will be called forward to speak. Depending on your topic, you will be called forward during Audience Time or the applicable agenda item. There will be a microphone at the table to capture your audio for the public record. Please begin your testimony with:
  • Your full name; and
  • Your zip code; and
  • A brief 2–5-word description of the topic.
• Audience Time Rules: The Board of Directors has scheduled business to conduct at board meetings. When people show up to speak to the board on items not on the agenda, it can become disruptive to the meeting’s planned business. The board welcomes feedback from the public on all topics, but recognizes that limitations may be needed to ensure they are able to run an efficient meeting and conclude their normally scheduled business in a timely manner. Therefore, the Board of Directors will limit the total amount of time allotted for Audience Time to 30-minutes, total, for all non-agenda matters. Speakers for non-agenda items will be called upon in the order in which they sign up to speak, or the order by which the Board President calls upon them. The combined total time spent on non-agenda topics cannot exceed 30 minutes at any board meeting. The Board President may choose to restrict the total time for Audience Time to 30-minutes for all topics, including items on the board agenda, if they deem it necessary for a particular meeting. Speakers are limited to only speaking once during the meeting, with a total of 3-minutes maximum per individual.

Sample opening statement:

“Board President and Members of the Board, for the record my name is _____[your name]_____and my zip code is _____[your zip code]. I am here tonight to speak with you about __________[briefly in 2-5 words name the topic]____. I am ______in favor of / opposed too / or concerned about______.”

Coordinating Your Testimony: When you are part of a group that has several people who wish to speak with the board, it can be very helpful to coordinate your talking points. For example, consider dividing up your ideas among speakers and have each person lead different points.

Expectations for Testimony: Generally, board members will thank audience members for sharing their views. Sometimes they may be aware of the issue you are bringing forward – other times it may be completely new information to them. Typically, the board will ask the General Manager to have a staff person follow up on the item and to report back to the audience member and to the board at a later time. Because the board has a full agenda, they do not engage in a lengthy discussion during audience time. If board members do ask you questions about your testimony, it will not be counted against your allowed three minutes of testimony.

Accommodation or Language Needs
THPRD wants to ensure that all members of the public can communicate with the Board of Directors and staff. If you need any accommodations or interpretive services to be able to testify at a board meeting, please contact THPRD staff at least 48 hours before a board meeting. Since board meetings are typically held on Wednesdays, please try and contact us by Monday before the meeting. You can call 503-645-6433 or email boardofdirectors@thprd.org to notify staff of your needs. We will do our best to accommodate you including providing free interpretive services.

How to Give Testimony by Email

• Sending an Email: Board members appreciate it when members of the public reach out to express their views. Your contact is important to them. They also understand not everyone is comfortable speaking publicly or can make it to a public meeting. Emails are an effective way to communicate with the THPRD Board of Directors and board members are diligent in reviewing written materials.
• Emailing the Board of Directors: To email the full Board of Directors, email boardofdirectors@thprd.org. The email you sent will be shared with all five board members. Emails sent to the Board of Directors are public record.
• Board Contact Form Option: You can also complete the Board Contact Form available on our website. This form will be sent to all five board members.
• Required Information: THPRD asks that you share contact information so staff or board members may contact you with follow up information or questions. Please include your full name, address, telephone number, email address, and a brief description of the topic and issue for which you are contacting the board.
• Testimony for the Public Record: If your testimony is related to an item scheduled for a board meeting agenda, please be sure to note that in your email. Staff will enter your testimony into the public record and will provide the Board of Directors with copies of your testimony as part of the meeting materials. In order to ensure your testimony is included in the agenda materials, please be sure your testimony is sent by 12 pm on the day of the meeting at which the topic of interest will be discussed.

How to Give Testimony by Mail

• Mailing Directions: You may also send your written testimony by postal service or drop-off your testimony in-person to the THPRD Administration Office. The mailing address is 15707 SW Walker Rd., Beaverton, OR 97006. Please address your envelope to the “THPRD Board of Directors.”
• Required Information: THPRD asks that you share contact information so staff or board members may contact you with follow up information or questions. Please include your full name, address, telephone number, email address, and a brief description of the topic and issue for which you are contacting the board.
• Testimony for the Public Record: If your testimony is related to an item scheduled for a board meeting agenda, please be sure to note that in your letter. Staff will enter your testimony into the public record and will provide the Board of Directors with copies of your testimony as part of the meeting materials. In order to ensure your testimony is included in the agenda materials, please be sure your testimony arrives to the THPRD Administration Office by 12 pm on the day of the meeting at which the topic of interest will be discussed.