Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No.  2012-39:  A resolution of the Flagstaff City Council approving a public participation policy. 

Two-way communication with Flagstaff's citizens and transparency of government are clearly some of the most important directives from the current Council. This policy will provide clear direction and structure for the variety of outreach and engagement opportunities that City staff have at their fingertips. The policy will also allow Council to review the public participation and communications steps taken prior to Council discussion and decisions.

Subsidiary Decisions Points: None.

The financial impact of this policy will depend on the extent or amount of public engagement and involvement directed or desired. They range from no cost options like public service announcements in the media to direct mail notifications and multiple community meetings at off site locations.

Effective governance.

While there has been no previous Council decision, the public participation model was presented at a City Council work session in June 2012.

•Adopt the Public Participation Policy. 
•Schedule adoption of a Public Participation Policy for a later date.
•Not adopt a Public Participation Policy.

At the request of Vice-Mayor Coral Evans, staff began to research existing models of public participation policies for the Flagstaff community.  Staff settled on the International Association of Public Participation model as one of the best examples. Vice-Mayor Evans and several staff members have extensive experience and certification with this model.

Staff started by looking at what was already being done by staff and found significant involvement in citizen outreach and engagement at all levels of the proposed model. Successful examples include the rewrite of the Flagstaff Zoning Code, Water Conservation policy and the NAU Homecoming Parade reroute. Staff also recognized that a model/policy would help in identifying and using the proper outreach and engagement tools and to reinforce how important citizen participation is to our community.

As our community has grown, technology has evolved, and our local news media coverage has changed. In some respects, this has made public participation more challenging. But it also means that it is more important than ever to inform and involve citizens in what is going on in their city government.  Citizens have the right and the responsibility to influence public decisions and get involved when they believe they can make a difference.  Because of this, City government needs to focus on public trust and strengthening our community by actively including citizens in our decision making. 

The City is much more efficient and effective in what we do when we are partners with our citizens. When we are truly working together, we make better decisions and have greater participation from our citizens. Involving people in decisions that affect them builds community by building relationships of trust.  

Shortly after the Council Work Session on a Public Participation Policy, these community involvement headings were added to the staff summary report. This allows staff to suggest the proper outreach and engagement column as well as the tools to be used or that have been used for that particular issue, event or project.  The model will be part of a large display in the City Council Chambers for citizen, Council and staff reference at all times.

Inform
Consult
Involve
Collaborate
Empower

Adopt the Public Participation Policy. Adoption will allow Council and staff to begin using the policy to guide community and citizen participation/notification. Not adopting the policy could delay use of some elements of the policy, although staff is currently using many of the tools referenced in the model.

Schedule adoption of a Public Participation Policy for a later date. This would allow additional discussion of the policy/model and possible suggestions for amendments or changes to the proposed policy/model. Postponing the adoption could limit the use of tools for outreach and engagement on current issues or projects.

Not adopt a Public Participation Policy. Staff could choose to use or not use engagement and outreach tools from the model without policy direction. A policy directive would not be available for staff reference. 

11/06/2012 - Postponed for two weeks to bring back with narrative.