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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-25-24 Public Comment - D. Carty - UDC update_ Public Engagement CommentsFrom:Daniel Carty To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]UDC update: Public Engagement Comments Date:Wednesday, September 25, 2024 9:54:22 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. (Please place this comment in the UDC update folder. Thank you.) Sep 25, 2024; 9:55am To: Bozeman City Commission Subject: UDC public engagement process, Oct 1, 2024, City Commission Meeting I am writing to offer the following comments and suggestions re the UDC public- engagement process: Background and debrief of the Sep 17, 2024, UDC public-engagement work session During the Sep 17, 2024, City Commission UDC work session, I was perplexed—and a bit dismayed—with the lack of professionalism, lack of transparency, and lack of focus in City staff’s presentations and the City Commission's discussion about re-engaging with the public in the UDC update process. For example: (1) Many slides shown by City development staff were unreadable because of small font sizes and over-complexity. This was unprofessional at best and perhaps was done intentionally to gloss over important subject matter such as the fact that MT SB382—if not struck down via the MAID LLC lawsuit—will effectively eliminate the public’s right to participate in reviews of individual development projects; (2) City public engagement staff and the Commission failed to define the term public engagement and failed to identify different components of public engagement, such as (a) public information/outreach, (b) public consultation, (c) public participation/deliberation, and (d) sustained public problem solving (e.g., https://www.ca-ilg.org/sites/main/files/file- attachments/what_is_public_engagement_jan_2012_1.pdf?139585219); (3) City public engagement staff failed to provide examples or templates of structured public-engagement processes, such as one from Canada in CY2023: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-system- services/health-canada-public-health-agency-canada-guidelines-public-engagement/public- engagement-process-guide.html; and (4) City public engagement staff and the Commission failed to address or discuss—in any substantive or conclusive way—statistical survey sampling and how such sampling must be integrated a priori into any and all strategies and tactics employed to collect data during the UDC public-engagement process. Several times during the Sep 17 work session, the term statistically valid survey was tossed about. One definition of statistical validity is the extent to which conclusions drawn from data collected can be considered accurate and reliable. However, during the work session, there was no mention of any statistical survey sampling design methodology that might be used to obtain accurate and reliable data either city-wide (aka the population) or for particular demographic or constituent groups (aka sub- populations). Suggestions for the UDC public-engagement process going forward (1) The City Commissions needs to be driving the UDC public-engagement process—not the City Manager or City staff. This point cannot be overemphasized because—at the moment—it seems like the City Manager and City staff are driving the process; (2) The City needs to work with a professional facilitator to act as a moderator for two-way conversations between Commissioners and the public; (3) The Commission needs to be open, honest, and candid with the public—especially about MT SB382, the City’s plans to up-zone the downtown core neighborhoods within the NCOD, and how these two things interact. And, the Commission should expect the public to be open, honest, and candid in return. The public deserves "a whole lotta' face time" with Commissioners via smaller, neighborhood-scale meetings and larger, town-hall meetings that involve professionally facilitated and candid two-way conversations; (4) The City needs to use a structured, public-engagement guide or template that the City and public can refer to as the process unfolds. Such a guide or template must be integrated with one or more compatible statistical survey sampling methodologies; and (5) I know the Commission is familiar with statistical survey sampling—including methods used to ​select and survey individuals from particular populations and sub-populations. Assistance from an expert in statistical survey sampling is essential to (a) asking the right questions (b) obtaining a sufficient number of responses City-wide and (c) obtaining a sufficient number of responses from specific demographic or constituent groups such that the quantitative and qualitative data obtained can be tabulated, summarized, and analyzed in ways that are statistically valid. The public deserves to know the accuracy and reliability of any and all conclusions made by the City from the data collected. Daniel Carty 213 N. 3rd Ave Bozeman, MT 59715 .