Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No.  2012-39:  A resolution of the Flagstaff City Council approving a public participation (P2) policy that shapes when and how citizen involvement occurs. 

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. Using these practices will give the public more certainty there are regular mechanisms that will be used by the organization to keep the public informed and involved.  As the same time, it creates a more effective way to advise Council on how the City staff has involved citizens and reached out to the public relating to events, projects and issues of interest to the community.

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  the June 12, 2012 City Council work session.

•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 (IAP2) model as one of the best examples. Vice-Mayor Evans and several staff members have training in and extensive experience in public participation and certification with this model.

An initial scan of what was already being done by staff 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, utilize various mechanisms to get their voice heard and be involved to make a difference.  Using a P2 policy to guide when and how to best engage residents is by design a format that generates greater public trust, strengthening our community by actively including citizen ideas and opinions in our decision making. 

At the direction of Council, staff has included a narrative in the attachments that provides important information on the use and intent of the Public Participation Policy and the P2 Chart.

The City is much more effective in what we do when we strengthen our communication, promote participation and partnering with our residents.  The benefit of these efforts will be better decisions and greater understanding and trust by our citizens about how their government works for them.

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 to 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. Uniform guidance would not be available for staff reference. 

11/20/2012  EAB