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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-08-20 City Commission Packet Materials - WS1. Community Engagement Initiative Commission Memorandum REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission FROM: Jeff Mihelich, City Manager Melody Mileur, Communications Coordinator Dani Hess, Neighborhoods Program Coordinator SUBJECT: Community Engagement Initiative Work Session MEETING DATE: December 8, 2020 AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Work Session STRATEGIC PLAN: Vision Statement 1– An Engaged Community 1.2.b. – Develop a plan to increase community engagement in city- decision making. BACKGROUND: In April 2018 the City of Bozeman City Commission approved the City’s Strategic Plan and identified seven main visions to guide the plan. Vision 1 calls for “an engaged community” and that “we foster a culture of engagement and civic leadership based on innovation and best practices involving community members of all backgrounds and perspectives.” The City has made significant progress in accomplishing the outcomes of this vision including the creation of a Communications Plan and Protocol, enhancement of relationships with public agency partners, businesses and non-profits, development of a strong and thorough legislative agenda, and more. As a part of section 1.2.b. the City is now developing a Community Engagement Initiative that serves as a plan for how the city will support and sustain an increased level of community engagement in City decision making processes. Many of the concepts in this initiative come from the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), an internationally recognized organization focused on formalizing, delivering, and evolving policy on community engagement. Several City staff have completed the Foundations in Public Participation certification through IAP2. The initiative provides a guiding framework for the City’s ongoing community engagement efforts based on IAP2’s best practices and our community’s unique needs. The methods and tools used to do this work will evolve and adapt to meet changing circumstances locally and globally, however the framework is grounded firmly in the following guiding principles: • Equity and Inclusivity • Transparency and Trust • Innovation and Adaptation 179 Next Steps The Community Engagement Initiative final document is expected to come before the City Commission in Spring 2021. Staff will continue to build internal capacity through staff training and by growing a core Community Engagement Team to support, advise, and track Community Engagement Planning efforts across City Departments. Attachments: Community Engagement Initiative Draft Report compiled on: 11/30/2020 180 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT DECEMBER 8TH, 2020 City Commission Work Session 181 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 2 Why is the City committing to an engagement initiative? The City of Bozeman City Commission places a high value on community engagement with Bozeman residents. The City’s 2018 Strategic Plan outlines a commitment in Vision Statement 1: “An Engaged Community. We foster a culture of engagement and civic leadership based on innovation and best practices involving community members of all backgrounds and perspectives.” The Strategic Plan includes the creation of a community engagement plan in Section 1.2.b. to “increase community engagement in city decision making processes.” This ongoing initiative fulfills the intent of the plan to clearly define, outline, and generally describe how community engagement will contribute to a collaborative approach to local governance. The framework and tools presented here will be woven into the work of the City to create a seamless and integrated approach. Many of the key concepts of this initiative come from the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), an internationally recognized organization focused on formalizing, delivering, and evolving policy on community engagement. Several City staff have recieved training through IAP2. Guiding Principles Equity and Inclusivity: •Include community members most impacted by City projects •Acknowledge and address barriers to participation for underrepresented groups •The City goes to the community as well as invites the community into City spaces Transparency and Trust: •The decision making process is clear and the community understands how their input influences decisions •The City communicates back to the community about how their feedback was considered in the decision •Elected officials, City staff, and community partners follow through on their commitment to the community engagement process Innovation and Adaptation •Those who wish to engage can do so effectively through a variety of accessible engagement tools •Identify future improvements by integrating community feedback on engagement and communication tools •Make continuous improvements as we learn from our experiences and from other organizations and communities 182 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 3 Goals 1.Create common understanding among City leadership, staff, local partners, and Bozeman residents on engagement and decision making processes 2.Build consistency in how we plan for engagement. Grow internal capacity and train staff to create and implement community engagement plans to ensure clear, effective, and inclusive engagement in City projects 3.Develop our toolbox: Broaden and deepen community engagement opportunities through a diversity of engagement techniques and tools 4.Close the loop by communicating back to the public about how their input contributed to a given decision or outcome. What is our approach to Community Engagement? Our approach for community engagement is grounded in the principles put forth by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). IAP2 has advanced best practices and methods for effective, meaningful, and inclusive public engagement since 1990. IAP2 defines public participation as any process that involves the public in problem solving or decision making and uses public input to make decisions. IAP2 provides training, materials, and a process for creating engagement plans that help build consistency and clarity in how community members contribute to decisions that affect them. In May of 2020, the City of Bozeman became a local government member of IAP2, providing access to training, materials, and professional networks for staff. Several City staff are trained in IAP2’s Foundations course series, which includes community engagement planning and employing tools and techniques to implement community engagement plans. This document provides an overview of definitions, materials, and processes adapted from IAP2 that are at the core of the City of Bozeman’s approach to community engagement. 183 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 4 Defining Community Engagement Community engagement is the term used in the City’s Strategic Plan commitment to “broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government, innovating methods for inviting input from the community and stakeholders.” Other terms such as public participation or public involvement capture the same meaning. Community engagement is the term the City of Bozeman uses to encompass this work. Community engagement may mean different things for people depending on one’s past experiences, perspectives, and positions in the community. To ensure that participation in engagement efforts are rooted in a common understanding, the following defines our community engagement efforts at the City of Bozeman. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS: an inclusive and ongoing process that relies on a two- way exchange of information, ideas, and expertise between the public and the City of Bozeman to solve problems and make sustainable decisions. 184 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 5 Key Components of Our Definition There are several key words called out within this definition. The following describes each of the components from the definition in more detail. “Inclusive” means that we are striving to reduce barriers to participation, offer a greater diversity of ways to engage, and ensure that we are creating accessible and welcoming spaces for all people to engage. “Ongoing process” means that the community is engaged in multiple interactions in multiple formats. It is not just one public meeting or a single outreach event. “Two-way exchange” means that information flows back and forth between the public and decision makers. One-way communications may be required throughout the process of community engagement to ensure that those who are participating have the information they need to contribute in a meaningful way. A key factor of engagement is that decision makers close the loop with those offering input by explaining how public input was considered and why public input was or was not reflected in the outcome of the decision. Additionally, members of the community are valued as experts in their lived experience and day to day interactions with City services, projects, and processes. Community engagement efforts are founded in the idea that community members contribute to better outcomes by enriching the considerations before decision makers and City staff. “Sustainable decisions” are the outcome of effective community engagement and clear decision making processes. They result in community members’ satisfaction with the process used to reach a given outcome, EVEN IF they are not satisfied with the outcome itself. They bring us closer to establishing the trust, transparency, equity, and innovation outlined in our guiding principles. Sustainable decisions balance the long term vision and current realities of a changing Bozeman. As illustrated in the graphic here, they are publicly acceptable, technically feasible, socially responsible, environmentally compatible, and economically viable. 185 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 6 In addition to the key components of our definition, the following graphic demonstrates what community engagement IS and what it IS NOT. 186 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 7 Defining decision making Decision making is at the core of how we plan for community engagement. Clarity on what decisions will be made, who will make them, and what information will be considered throughout the process is essential. Many decisions are made throughout a given City project. Our approach calls on project managers to consider which decisions are already made, and which decisions can be made more sustainable by engaging the community. Which decisions the public will contribute to specifically must be clarified at the outset of the engagement planning process. Next, the public must be equipped with the right information and tools to contribute to a given decision. This graphic is an outline of a decision making process with 6 steps from defining the decision to be made, gathering information, establishing criteria, developing alternatives, evaluating alternatives, and making a decision. Depending on what stage or stages of the decision making process the public will be involved, they may need to be provided with varying information or methods of engaging. 187 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 8 Defining the level of engagement After there is clarity on the decision and how the public will participate in the decision making process, the level of engagement is determined. The IAP2 engagement spectrum outlines different levels of engagement and helps determine how community will contribute to the process and what the expectations are for achieving a given level of engagement. Throughout any level of engagement, one-way communication will occur to provide the community with the resources and information they need to contribute effectively. 188 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 9 How do we do Community Engagement? Using IAP2’s framework, we are in the early stages of establishing our process and building our capacity to plan for and implement community engagement efforts as a part of City projects. The following enumerates our process for planning community engagement efforts: 1. Define the issues: As projects are scoped, project teams consider which decisions have already been made, which decisions could benefit from community input, the potential impacts on the public, timeline, and anticipated level of public interest in their projects. 2. Meet with Community Engagement Team: The Community Engagement Team oversees and provides internal support for project leads throughout the community engagement process. An initial meeting will help define expectations, the decision making process, and how the public will be engaged. 3. Create a Community Engagement Plan: All project teams facilitating a community engagement process will be expected to create and share a Community Engagement Plan outlining key roles, stakeholders, decisions to be made, engagement level, and a schedule for engagement. This tool follows a template that is already being piloted for several city projects. 4. Implement the Plan: Project team leads community engagement efforts in coordination with consultants and support from Community Engagement Team. 189 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 10 The graphic above illustrates the levels of engagement from consult to empower. Different tools and techniques are employed throughout a project depending on the level of engagement selected. Selection of tools and techniques is guided by the Community Engagement Plan and the level of engagement from consult to empower. Additional considerations that play into the selection of techniques include who the project seeks to engage, what resources are available, and the project timeline. 190 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 11 What’s Next? Building Internal Capacity Continue staff training: Several City staff have received training from IAP2 on community engagement planning and techniques. Following training, staff have developed the definitions and approach outlined in this document. Ongoing training will continue and include more in- depth and practical knowledge of public participation techniques. As of November 19th, three City staff have completed the IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation Certification. Over the next year, we will continue to deliver regular internal staff presentations on our approach, and identify additional staff to receive the IAP2 Foundations of Public Participation training. Grow the Community Engagement Team: Bring in additional team members across City departments to provide technical support and advise project leads. Provide technical assistance: Throughout summer 2020, our community engagement approach, definitions, and community engagement planning tools have been presented across City departments to directors, managers, and staff. Several departments have piloted the community engagement planning process and contributed to its ongoing development. Develop new tools and techniques: Explore and pilot diverse and accessible online, in- person, and analog approaches to community engagement. Draw upon the experiences and expertise of peer communities in community engagement best practices. Measuring Our Efforts Tracking the success of our efforts is an ongoing process that will occur as we build internal capacity and implement engagement plans out in our community. Tracking progress in the following areas can help guide where we invest time and resources to support community engagement efforts at the City of Bozeman. • Track internal training: o Deliver quarterly trainings to staff on planning and techniques for community engagement o Track number of staff who have received training across City departments • Track completion and implementation of Community Engagement Plans o Track number of plans per Fiscal Year o Track number of events hosted o Track attendance at events for each project • Develop and distribute post-engagement polls to measure stakeholder satisfaction with the community engagement process and representation of demographics in participation events and activities 191 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE DRAFT 12 192