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HomeMy WebLinkAbout031020-03.3 STUDY STUDY SESSION MEMORANDUM 3.3 TO: Mayor and Town Council March 10, 2020 SUBJECT: Community Engagement BACKGROUND Effectively engaging and communicating with residents and businesses is a high Town priority. The Town strives to communicate and engage with residents through outreach efforts seeking to inform, educate and inspire people about the programs, projects and activities taking place in Danville. Current outreach efforts include print, digital and news media, personal contact and community meetings. DISCUSSION The Town Council and appointed Commissions/Boards rely upon public meetings in order to set policy and make decisions. Agendas and meeting information is provided electronically in advance of meetings and in printed form at the meetings. Though updated to facilitate public access to information through the Town’s website, this follows the traditional model used by local government – residents attend a public meeting and provide input preparatory to decision-making by an advisory or elected body. Procedures by which local governments may conduct meetings and make decisions are dictated by state laws which require that decisions must be made at duly noticed meetings that are open to the public. Several public meetings occur each month. Residents attendance at public meetings tends to be largely dependent upon the nature of the hearing, and whether residents perceive that a matter may directly or indirectly impact their perceived quality of life. The tone of meetings is sometimes consistent with nationwide trends suggesting that civic discourse at meetings has become increasingly polarized, strident and rude. A question facing all local governments is whether or not there may be additional steps that can be taken to more effectively promote and facilitate engagement with, and participation in, the local decision-making process. According to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), only 12% of cities indicate that they experience a high level of participation in their local decision-making processes. Community Engagement 2 March 10, 2020 Examples of recent Town efforts to promote and facilitate additional engagement include the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission use of “Open Town Hall” to survey resident preferences in developing the recent Skatepark Feasibility Study and Town Green Master Plan; and creating the “Danville 101” citizens academy to familiarize community members with the operations of the Town government. Looking forward, the types of potential issues facing the Town will present challenges and opportunities. These may include state housing mandates, development proposals, facility needs and preferences, public safety and/or emergency preparedness issues, and service needs for certain segments of our local populace to name just a few. The Town Council discussed this subject at the annual Planning and Goal Setting Meeting held on February 7. Ideas considered included expanding the use of Open Town Hall to conduct resident surveys, considering changes to the current public meeting format, increased use of livestreaming and online engagement, and conducting informational and/or listening sessions in different geographic locations throughout the Town. Subsequently, the Town Council continued the discussion at the annual Town Council and Commission meeting on February 24, where attendees spent time generating ideas for how to further promote community engagement (Attachment A). Continuing the community engagement discussion to the March 10 Study Session provides an opportunity for the Council to review and discuss input received at the February 24 meeting, and potentially providing direction to Town Staff regarding subsequent steps to take moving forward. Prepared by: Joseph Calabrigo Town Manager Attachments: A – February 24, 2020 Town Council and Commission Meeting Notes 2020 TOWN COUNCIL/COMMISSION WORKSHOP NOTES Results of Community Engagement Brainstorming Exercise Table 1 – K. Stepper, J. Calabrigo, H. Perezalonso, B. Combs, A. Tappin, K. Bowles, S. Moody, R. Diamond • Meet community members where they are (a la Rec Expo) • Ambassador program for Commissioners • Welcome Posse • Open Houses (Wellness Fair) • Pop-up meetings (ala coffee with the Cops) • Conduct focus groups • Community gatherings at the Town Green • Block by block • Invite community groups to engage (dog walkers) • Host listening sessions • Be present at events • Add fire pits at the Town Green, perhaps elsewhere • Post on line question board Table 2 – R. Storer, R. Ewing, K. Gailey, J. Wallner, M. Belotz, B. Beach, J. Donnelly, A. Schell, K. Benvenuto • Coffee with the Council • Mini surveys via social media, silver streak, activity guide and farmers market • Hold informal Town Halls on specific topics • Hold telephone Town Hall • Meet w/Neighborhoods/HOA’s using National Night Out format • Connect at Fallfest, Summerfest and other community events • Provide information packets on various subjects • Meetings listed in activity guide, social media • Expand LSRV and Government 101 • Walking information tours • Be our own Ambassadors ATTACHMENT A 2 Table 3 – N. Arnerich, L. Madonich, S. Jones, A. Hamid, A. Strauch, A. Bowles, J. Warren, E. Betts • Post You Tube video statements and interviews • Conduct podcast discussions of Danville history, testimonials • Conduct Community Outreach (ala Coffee with the Cops) • Youth engagement – connect with youth via Youth Council, drop in events, (tie them into all forms of engagement) • Town Council and Commissioner Ambassadors in the community speaking with residents as their commissions spokesperson • P.R. for businesses anniversaries, etc., for engagement/celebrations, promotions • Use Farmers Market for bigger scale citizen contact • Use all public events as vehicle to have an information booth/connectivity/ updates, etc. • National Night Out – use all Town Council/Commissioners & Staff as community ambassadors • Neighborhood/HOA Community meetings with Town Council/ Commissioners & Staff for information and to listen • Do Podcasts – 5-minute interviews/updates on various topics. • Update Danville Connect app – add podcasts, etc., for more robust information and distribution button Table 4 – R. Morgan, T. William, J. Bergman, D. Crompton, C. Trujillo, L. Halvorson, C. Hendra, J. Joyce, A. Chong • Commissioners as Ambassadors o tenor o concise o de-escalates o “listening sessions” • Partner with schools o Government 101 o Local Government o Discover that the Town does not control everything o “Connect the Dots” • Video Vignettes • Reaching the “outer ring” – information stays true o HOA’s o Churches 3 o Commissioners, Rotaries, Charities o Career Fairs, Senior Centers o “fact sheet” - HOA upcoming items • Credibility – How to build it & the need to follow-through o Regular, timely, delivery of current information o St. Isidore’s school - delivery of Newsletter o Rotation of Commissioners o Library • “Test your knowledge of Danville Myth Busters” • Social Media online is integral in disseminating information Table 5 – L. Blackwell, A. Shields, G. Gillette, S. Proctor, G. Mark Graham, L. Palandrani, R. Ficken, M. Isola, K. Holmes • Engage with a personal touch • Find one-on-one opportunities • Coordinate ambassadors at all events • Walk the businesses • Join in at tabling events • Meeting request function on Danville connect application • Community Game with a Passport/Bingo card filled out by attending meetings and events • Government 101 educational events • Distribute “hot topic” talking points to commissioners • Monthly Video Chat • Continue/expand our presence at the Danville Farmers Market • Provide objective information Table 6 – L. Ha, D. Casteel, M. Sunseri, D. Friedmann, D. Fong, K. Donovan, R. Haberl, K. Wong • Commissioner outreach at events i.e., Rec Expo • Encourage and invite folks attend and speak at commission/board meetings • Partner with local business community to promote factual information, Danville tag lines • More Dogs of Danville activities • Website – survey community on its use and effectiveness • Staff Ambassador concept for those out in community including (Maintenance), provide training and information to them (Seniors too) • Require Government 101 Training for all residents 4 • Non-town staff to help distribute factual information, short “readers digest” version of the facts • Identify and reach out to those that are not connected in the traditional way (i.e., isolated seniors) • Hands-on outreach is successful model (i.e. Skatepark consultant, project, model) • Continue to inform via all popular social media channels • Meetings on cable/CCTV • Greater publicizing of meeting videos and bookmark specific points in video so followers can go directly to the source of info • Catchy graphics to gain attention • How do we benchmark our outreach with similar cities? • What are outreach proven best practices? • What resources can Institute for Local Government provide? • Facebook Live, more of it • Open communication, consistent and timely responses • Leverage community events to disseminate information and engage residents • “Suggestion box” type input and availability at these events NOTE: Yellow Highlight denotes common themes/suggestions.