Six Philomath-area residents have completed the city’s 2026 Citizens’ Academy, a nine-session course on how local government and community partners operate.
Don Holthofer, Tom Murphy, Linda Nendel, Rochelle Rainey, Janet Selby and Matt Weeber met the requirement of attending at least seven of the nine sessions to earn a certificate of completion. City Manager Chris Workman, who runs the academy, recognized the graduates who attended Monday night’s Philomath City Council meeting.
Council President Teresa Nielson led the meeting because Mayor Christopher McMorran was out of town and attended via Zoom. Workman said the mayor will sign the certificates when he returns. The graduates gathered at the front of council chambers for a group photo with Nielson.
“Overall, I’m really happy with the number of participants,” Workman told the council. “We ended up with a total of 13 individuals that came through — six of them attended at least seven or more of the nine sessions.”
Workman said this year’s class was “a little unique and extra special” because several participants told him they had heard about the academy for years before finally signing up.
“We heard that from several of them, and so it was fun,” he said. “It was something they looked forward to.”
The sessions covered city functions, regional partners and community resources. Presenters came from city departments, including public works and police, and from partner agencies such as the Philomath School District, Philomath Community Library and Philomath Fire and Rescue. Workman thanked the staff and partners who gave up weekday evenings to present.
“It’s always enjoyable,” he said. “I really like doing it.”
Murphy, who lives in Wren, thanked the city for letting someone from outside the city limits take part.
“I learned a lot from it,” Murphy said. “One of the main things was the long timeline between starting an idea for a project and actually the fruition when it actually comes all together.”
The city started the Citizens’ Academy in its current format in 2017. In a typical year, eight to 14 residents finished the program. The academy did not run in 2023 or 2024 because not enough people enrolled.
To bring participation back, staff dropped the pre-registration requirement in 2025 so people could drop in to individual sessions. They also began promoting the academy earlier in the year. Turnout jumped to 35 participants in 2025, according to a city report. The city kept the same format this year.
