Attendance at Ferndale City Council meetings is usually the amount you'd need for a basketball team: 5. So now the city is getting creative to recruit more attendees.
"We'd certainly like to see more people," said Mayor Jon Mutchler. "A typical council meeting might draw half a dozen people."
That's a problem because Mutchler believes empty seats mean nobody is getting a full perspective about what's going on in Ferndale.
The northern Whatcom County city of just over 14,000 is growing quickly and dealing with an increasing number of important issues.
"I think council, the mayor, and administration make better decisions when we are aware of the concerns and interests of the citizens," said Mutchler.
To put people in the seats, the city is now giving away $10 gift cards from Woods Coffee for first-time attendees.
But here's the catch: you have to stay until the end of the meeting — which can sometimes run up to two hours.
"We made it $10 so it buys two cups of coffee," said the mayor. "It's our hope they'll use that card to invite another person to go for a cup of coffee and brew over city business."
The cards are being paid for by the Whatcom Community Foundation and a donation from Woods Coffee.
If the offer of free coffee doesn't fill the council chambers, Mayor Mutchler hopes it will at least fill a few minds with the desire to get more involved in their community.
"The more we find opportunities in the public square to talk with one another, the better off we're gonna be."
