Hillsboro residents who want a direct line to City Council have two more weeks to apply for the city's free Civic Leadership Academy, after the city extended its application deadline to Sunday, Aug. 30.

The program is free. Its 2026 cohort puts a small group of residents through Wednesday evening workshops running Sept. 9 through Oct. 14. This year's focus: how Hillsboro can promote and expand cultural exchange within the community. Participants will research the topic together, then present their recommendations directly to City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Past academy classes have produced tangible results, according to the city's program page. The first cohort delivered housing recommendations that Council used to evaluate housing options citywide. A more recent class designed Hillsboro's first official community flag.

Priority goes to applicants who are new to civic leadership, and the city specifically encourages people from historically underrepresented communities to apply. The program is open to residents from all neighborhoods and backgrounds.

Policy analyst Michaela Kennedy is the city staff contact for the program and can be reached at [email protected].

Applications are submitted online at engage.hillsboro-oregon.gov/cla2026. The city announced the extended deadline on Sunday, Aug. 16, noting that the Nov. 3 presentation date is itself an update from an earlier schedule, though the original date was not specified.

Upcoming:

• Aug. 30 — Civic Leadership Academy application deadline
• Sept. 9 — First Wednesday evening workshop begins
• Oct. 14 — Final workshop session
• Nov. 3 — Participants present recommendations to Hillsboro City Council