Megan Horgan Taylor, the city’s chief communications officer, told the Palo Alto City Council that a series of eight neighborhood town halls over the past 2½ years reached more than 2,000 residents using a hybrid model that combined in‑person social time with online participation. The meetings paired council co‑hosts with department heads so officials could answer technical questions on the spot and collect contact information for follow‑up.

Horgan Taylor said the town halls improved three core areas: communications about neighborhood issues, city and staff awareness of community priorities, and relationship building between residents and city staff. The city used neighborhood leaders to help develop agendas and publicize meetings, and over time shifted from relying on leaders’ signage to mailing postcards and providing email templates and signs to increase attendance.

The presentation noted areas for improvement, including refining neighborhood groupings, creating a map that resolves neighborhood boundaries at the street level, and enhancing follow‑up so residents see outcomes from action items. Staff described multiple sign‑in methods — written sheets, QR codes and staff entry of emails — and said they reconfirmed action items with neighborhood leaders after each meeting to ensure accurate follow‑up.

Council members praised the presence of department heads at meetings, called for continuing hybrid options, and recommended a mix of postcards and door‑to‑door outreach in some neighborhoods to increase turnout. Several council members and resident speakers urged the city to preserve the direct, on‑the‑ground approach for complex topics such as aircraft noise and to consider occasional topic‑specific events in addition to neighborhood meetings.

Council signaled a general ‘green light’ to proceed with another cycle of town halls and asked staff to incorporate the suggested refinements. Staff said it will work with neighborhood leaders on the restart and return to the council as planning advances.