Questions & answers
Is this an official City of Rivergrove website?
No. This is my personal site as a sitting Rivergrove city councilor—not an official city resource. Nothing here is an official city record, statement, or position, and I don't speak for the city or the council as a whole. For official business and formal public records requests, you'll want to go directly to the City of Rivergrove (aka the City Manager). What lives here is my own work: things I've documented, public records I've digitized, and ways to reach me.
How do I know if I'm in the City of Rivergrove?
It's a fair question, and a more common one than you'd think. Type your address and I'll check:
How do I reach you, and how fast will you respond?
The contact form comes straight to me, and I read every message myself—I usually reply within a day or two. If something's time-sensitive, call or text me at (971) 396-8320. You can also email me directly at rivergrove@leahsilber.com.
Can you get me a copy of a city record?
Often, yes—informally, not as an official city service. Over the past year I've digitized much of Rivergrove's public archive: ordinances, resolutions, meeting videos and transcripts, agendas, and budgets. If you need something specific, ask through Find a Record and I'll track down what I can, at no charge. These are convenience copies of public records; a formal public records request still goes through the city.
How do I file a public records request with the city?
Public records requests go to the City of Rivergrove, not to me—I can't fulfill them on the city's behalf. Send yours to the city and keep a note of the date. Under Oregon law the city must acknowledge your request within five business days and respond within fifteen.
Privacy and public records
Your right to records. Under Oregon's Public Records Law (ORS 192), you can inspect and get copies of most city records. The city is on a clock, too: it has to acknowledge a request within five business days and respond within fifteen.
What happens to what you send me. When you use a form on this site, I keep your details private and won't publish them without your permission. But there's a caveat: communications with a public official can themselves be public records, so someone could request them from the city. I will never share your identifying information voluntarily, but I can't put it beyond the reach of the law.
Where to learn more. Oregon's Department of Justice publishes a plain-language Public Records and Meetings Manual that walks through your rights and the process.
Where do I find upcoming meeting dates and agendas?
The city is required to post public notice of all upcoming public meetings. Right now they do that by posting on the official city website, and by sending emails to the city mailing list. I also keep the next meeting on the front page of this site as a convenience, but I'm not serving as any sort of official public notice. I'm just helping make it easier for my neighbors to know what's happening.
Agendas, packets, and minutes are published by the City of Rivergrove before each meeting. For past meetings, I keep a digitized archive—video, transcripts, agendas, and minutes—that you can request through Find a Record.