Ask the City a Question

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Please register using the link in the upper right corner of the page and submit your questions about any City-related topic. We will respond as quickly as possible (usually within a few days). If your question is about something the City doesn't directly manage or work on, we will provide you with contact information for the agency or organization that does.

You will receive an email notification when we've posted a response. Your question and our answer will also be posted on this page for all to see, so please leave any personal information out of your question.

If you prefer not to register on the Be Heard Vancouver site in order to ask a question, you can email us at beheard@cityofvancouver.us instead. We will respond within 3-5 working days, depending on how complex your question is.



Please register using the link in the upper right corner of the page and submit your questions about any City-related topic. We will respond as quickly as possible (usually within a few days). If your question is about something the City doesn't directly manage or work on, we will provide you with contact information for the agency or organization that does.

You will receive an email notification when we've posted a response. Your question and our answer will also be posted on this page for all to see, so please leave any personal information out of your question.

If you prefer not to register on the Be Heard Vancouver site in order to ask a question, you can email us at beheard@cityofvancouver.us instead. We will respond within 3-5 working days, depending on how complex your question is.



Q&A

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    Is NE St. Johns Road officially designated as a "residential street?" Can the answer to this question be found somewhere on https://vancouver.municipal.codes?

    mathematrucker asked about 2 months ago

    Thanks for your inquiry. Most of NE St. Johns Road is classified as a principal arterial, with a small section south of East 33rd Street classified as a minor arterial. None of St. Johns Road is considered a residential street. Vancouver’s arterial map system can be viewed at the bottom of this webpage: www.cityofvancouver.us/tipcomments

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    We live on SE 10th St between Ellsworth and 98th Ave. This is a residential neighborhood with school bus stops along the street, neighbors walking with pets and an east/west corridor for bicycle traffic. The posted speed limit is 25 mph, but the majority of people are not obeying the limit. I have actually been passed by another vehicle, two separate times, while driving on my own street. Who do we need to contact to bring attention to our safety concerns?

    MerrySunshine asked 3 months ago

    Hi MerrySunshine! Sorry to hear about the speeding issues you're experiencing in your neighborhood. Good news! The application period for our neighborhood traffic calming grant program opened today! These projects help reduce vehicle speeds and improve neighborhood safety and livability. Through a competitive process, project locations are ranked, selected and awarded funding and implementation each program year. You can learn more about the program, how to submit an issue and our other resources for reporting traffic-related complaints in your neighborhood at: https://www.cityofvancouver.us/government/department/public-works/neighborhood-traffic-calming-program/ 

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    We recently received the City of Vancouver water quality report. Why did the city wait THREE years to let us know about the elevated levels of PFOA/PFOS in our drinking water? Water rates are high in our zip code but then to find out there are higher than acceptable levels of these substances in our water three years after it was discovered is just outrageous! For some people the damage could already be done. It took 3 years to study this? What is actually being done to remedy this and when will it be completed? You had a duty to let consumers know when you found out about it and not to wait three years. I certainly did not appreciate the casual way this info was presented in the notice. Please advise. Thank you,

    SunnyD86 asked 11 months ago

    Providing customers with a safe water supply is a top priority, and we appreciate your questions. PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals found worldwide that have been used in consumer products since the 1940s. In 2020, the City completed proactive testing, not required by state or federal standards, finding PFAS at very low levels in some of the City’s groundwater wells. This information was published on the City’s website, cityofvancouver.us/PFAS and cityofvancouver.us/PFASResults.

    Recently, following the State of Washington’s mandatory testing requirement for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water supplies, the City of Vancouver conducted testing and shared a preliminary postcard and results mailer with its 78,000 water customers. We encourage you to review the two websites noted above for more information, including actions the City is taking to protect and maintain drinking water quality, as well as guidance from state and national public health agencies on meaningful ways to reduce exposure to PFAS in water and other sources. Thank you for reaching out.

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    How do my neighbors and myself pull out of our apartment entrance safely when there are cars parked all along the curb causing an obstruction? Previously, we had been creeping/inching out until we can see that it’s safe, but someone had their bumper clipped doing this the other day and they will be found at fault for being in the road- even though they didn’t have a choice. Please provide residents a solution to leaving their homes safely. Thank you!

    Victoria Rae asked over 1 year ago

    Hi Victoria, Thanks so much for the question. Can you send us your address or nearest cross streets so we can have someone from our Public Works traffic engineering team review the location for appropriate visibility issues? Have a great evening. 

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    Is the city planning on giving employees that work at the new Waterfront area a break on parking? As it stands, we have to feed the meter every three hours. Can we not get passes like in other areas. Some of us work outside normal business hours so public transportation is not an option and parking farther out can be a safety issue.. We lose an hours pay or more just to park. I asked the Port of Vancouver the same question, but although they are raking in the money for rent/sales in that area, the parking problem falls on you. On another note, why do you need my race, age, and gender to ask a question?

    Couve asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there - Thanks for your question! The City is pleased to offer a low-cost parking option for Vancouver’s downtown employees. For those who qualify, the cost of the monthly permit is $20. The zone for the employee permit is less than a 10-minute walk to the Waterfront, so this may be an option. Learn more here: Hourly Wage Employee Parking Permit and Zone | City of Vancouver, Washington, USA  

    You could also check with the building owner/developer at your workplace regarding parking options for employees. 

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    Do you know when it will be installed? Is there any that can be done to prevent this from going in??? This is right in our backyard…

    Eleanor asked almost 2 years ago

    Hi Eleanor -Thanks for your question! To clarify, is the pole not yet installed? 

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    Do you know when it will be installed? Is there any that can be done to prevent this from going in??? This is right in our backyard… I have not heard back from this question submitted earlier in regard to the pole on SE 20th and SE 180th Whom can I call to sleek with please?

    Vancouver7 asked almost 2 years ago

    Hi there - Thanks for your question! That pole is a 5G internet antenna. It was not installed or maintained by the City of Vancouver. 

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    Why can’t more be done to keep our streets cleaner? There is trash everywhere. I would be happy to help if they organized safe work parties. We can and must do better

    Eric Winkler asked about 2 years ago

    We agree that litter and trash are disheartening, especially because this problem is easily prevented. Littering, illegal dumping, and driving with uncovered loads are all punishable under Washington state law. 

    In Vancouver, City crews continue to work to clean up illegal dumping and trash in City-owned/managed sites. Cleanup efforts in Vancouver have also been supported by Talkin' Trash, a community cleanup program that employs people experiencing homelessness to help address litter. This program, a partnership between the City and Share, helps individuals who use Share’s shelter services to gain work experience and training to help transition from homelessness. 

    Check the City’s Calendar of Events (Calendar of Events | City of Vancouver, Washington, USA)  for upcoming Volunteer Opportunities. This is a great place to find open, planned litter cleanups led either by City staff or community groups like VDA, Share or the Watershed Alliance to name a few upcoming litter cleanups.

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    Climate Emergency! What is the City of Vancouver doing to address the worsening state of Climate Emergency? So far all my searches have found is a Carbon Emissions Inventory from 2007, and a Sustainability Plan from 2009. Nothing since!!! I see great work being done on issues such as homelessness, policing, and many others. How can we be ignoring the negative impact Climate Change has on those areas, as well as on the obvious one of human survival? I want to see strong initiatives on Sustainability and Decarbonization- where are they?

    kittyred asked about 2 years ago

    Hi there - Thank you for your message. In 2020, the City moved forward on climate action and updated the greenhouse gas emissions inventory for city operations and community-wide for the first time in a decade. City Council set a goal, targeting carbon neutrality no later than 2050 for city operations and the whole community. The City is continuing its work toward a climate action plan and there will be opportunities in April for community engagement. The current timeline has Council considering the climate action plan for adoption in June. To stay informed on the status of our climate action plan, visit www.beheardvancouver.org/vancouver-climate-strategy and subscribe to email updates!

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    I work inside of a small business on NE 20th Ave and NE 144th St in Salmon Creek. As the months get colder, we have faced an increasing issue with the neighboring bus stop. For whatever reason, the bus stop on the west side of NE 144th St and NE 20th Ave does not have a shelter covering it. As a result, a significant amount of people waiting for the bus stop, (sometimes for hours), will take cover directly in front of our double doors in order to seek shelter from the weather. This obviously creates a problem during business hours as we are not meant to be a makeshift "bus shelter", especially when we have clients entering and exiting the building for appointments. If you are familiar with the area, then you know that this specific bus stop is surrounded by 3 different medical institutions as well as a variety of businesses. What I'm trying to get across is that the area surrounding the bus stop is a high traffic area, so the stop is used frequently. How can we go about convincing the city to install a bus stop cover at this location? Thanks!

    Payton asked about 2 years ago

    Thanks for your question! The area you're referencing is in Salmon Creek, outside Vancouver city limits (Do you live or work in the City of Vancouver? | City of Vancouver, Washington, USA). We suggest reaching out to our partners at C-Tran. They manage public transit and infrastructure, including the stop you're referencing. You can call customer service at 360-695-0123 or submit your suggestion through their website at: comments.c-tran.com. Thanks for staying connected with your city via Be Heard. 

Page last updated: 25 Sep 2023, 07:59 AM