City vows to listen to residents with new rules on consultation
Public often feels ignored on council decisions, outside consultancy found
Despite having a few concerns, a council committee agreed on a plan to improve the way the city engages the public on issues that matter to them.
The vote at the finance and economic development committee Tuesday followed quickly on the heels of a scathing report that highlighted how residents feel ignored by their municipal government. The report produced by Pace Public Affairs for the city says residents want to know that their opinions matter when it comes to rezoning, city projects and other key policy decisions.
The current process has resulted in “growing cynicism and a lack of trust in the municipal process,” the Pace report concluded.
“Many” people “expressed a high level of dissatisfaction with past engagement activities because they had the impression that the city had predetermined the outcomes and that public input, although solicited, was disregarded.”
Councillors criticized staff’s proposed public engagement strategy, but approved it anyway, saying the document is at least a start.
Some members of the public were skeptical anything would improve.
“There is nothing in this report that leads me to believe things are going to be different,” said Thomas McVeigh, the newly appointed president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association.
The city’s strategy would provide tools, resources and proper training to ensure staff can successfully inform citizens. There will be a builtin review that will help determine what measures work.
Coun. Rick Chiarelli, in particular, was critical of the strategy. He convinced his fellow councillors to stipulate that information collected at consultations be sent directly to politicians. The raw input from the community would supplement staff reports that Chiarelli says are summaries or interpretations of what people have to say.
There is always room for improvement. The strategy is a working document and can evolve, said Aaron Burry, general manager of community and social services.
He said he supported ideas about how to reach residents who can’t attend meetings. Burry said staff are already looking at online video chats, a suggestion raised by Coun. Keith Egli Tuesday.
People “could hear the presentation, they could speak to the presentation, but they could be watching their kids or whatever at the same time,” Egli said.
Egli also wants the city to be more flexible in scheduling meetings, so residents have more options and might be more inclined to attend.
To assure residents have a say in decisions, the Pace report suggests the city give the public enough time to learn about a particular issue and to provide input.
It also suggests letting people contribute ideas early in the process and to give that input the same weight as any other stakeholder, such as developers.