Effective Approaches for Getting the Word Out to Citizens

Contents

• Introduction
• Variations on the Public Meeting Theme (living rooms, shopping malls, road shows, city hall ...)  
• Speaker's Bureaus and Presentations to Existing Groups
• Reaching Citizens through Technology (Cable TV, phone hold announcements, video libraries, and e-mail notification)
• Reaching Citizens through Web sites
• Citizens' Guides and Orientation to Help Citizens Participate Effectively
• Newsletters, Columns, and Flyers
• Civic Education for Youth
• Citizen Education
• Staff Training
• Recommended Articles

Introduction

Our communities are increasingly made up of diverse groups that have diverse interests and obtain information in different ways. The most effective community involvement programs use a combination of approaches to reach a cross section of citizens. A rapidly changing world and new technology offer new opportunities for quick and cost-effective ways to get out information. Busy schedules mean that citizens will appreciate convenient, comfortable, and quick ways to stay informed about government services and community issues. Citizens may also enjoy combining the responsibility of staying informed with the opportunity for social interaction and even a little fun! Local governments should not forget to get information out about accomplishments as well as what's going on. Here are some of our favorite ideas for getting the word out:

Variations on the Public Meeting Theme  

• Meeting in a Box () - Spokane, WA - The ultimate in comfort and convenience - a unique, and award-winning self-guided growth management plan workshop designed to be held in living rooms, community clubs or whenever and wherever convenient! Spokane County, WA, June-July, 1996.
• Port Townsend 2020: Getting Together () - 1993 AWC Municipal Achievement Award winner for "Innovative Public Involvement Techniques," - coffee and growth management in informal settings.
• Redmond, WA Community Forum () (Redmond, WA) - Provides opportunity for an ongoing dialog between the city and its citizens on a range of issues in a small group format.
• Jefferson County, WA Open House Series and Road Show Series to update citizens on Shoreline Master Plan progress – Impressive series of community outreach meetings around the county. Each drop-in open house event featured poster displays, a repeating slideshow, an interactive digital mapping station, and a comment form. Earlier road show meetings included audience participation activities.
• Mountlake Terrace, WA Town Center planning public meeting series – The city won a Citizen Involvement Award from the Washington State Chapter of the American Planning Association to recognize a process that included citywide mailings and twenty public events, such as community roundtables, design workshops, visual preference survey, developer/business forum, and hearings.
• Sammamish, WA bus tour of other town centers followed by public design workshop - Members of the Town Center Committee, Planning Commission, City Council and the community at large took a bus tour of nearby town centers recently to gain some perspective on the challenge of creating a city center in Sammamish.  Bus tour materials. 
• Central Issaquah (WA) Plan Workshop Materials - Workshop presentations followed by small group discussions about the future of the Central Issaquah area.
• Seattle WA Small Group Interviews (Focus Groups) - transit station planning.
• Oakland, CA Small Group Meetings, Oak to Ninth Street Project (scroll to Public Outreach Process - small group meetings materials).
• Portland, OR - Cully Park Master Plan Design Workshop Summary Report – Small group discussions to identify priorities for park facilities.
• Participatory Land Use Mapping, Local Government Commission – Exercise to involve citizens in exploring local and regional land use planning issues.
• Michigan City Mayor's Night In and Saturday Morning Coffee - Monthly opportunity for personal word with theMayor at pre-council meeting session and Saturday morning coffees. Also radio call-in program. (US Conference of Mayors Best Practices).
• Battleground, WA Meet and Greet - Announcement & Schedule, and Invitation
• Port Angeles, WA Community Conversations – Monthly meeting with Council members in informal setting.
• Mount Vernon, WA Block Parties () - Making information about city government and services more fun at neighborhood block parties.
• Santa Clara (CA) City Hall Open House - Fun events and information booths to inform the public about city and community services and encourage participation.
• Bellevue Crossroads Mini City Hall - Program to bring city hall services to a convenient shopping mall and outlying neighborhoods.
• San Diego, CA Community Service Centers - Over a dozen convenient centers where neighborhood residents can pay bills, obtain licenses, report graffiti or zoning violations, review city documents or obtain other information.

Speakers Bureaus and Presentations to Existing Groups

• Palo Alto (CA) Sandwich Symposium ()
• Clark County, WA Speakers Bureau
• Walla Walla, WA Speakers' Bureau
• Shoreline, WA 2110 Speakers Series (Speakers presentations on planning-related topics are also available online.)
• Richland, WA Speakers' Bureau/City Facility Tours

Reaching Citizens through Technology - Cable TV, podcasts, video libraries and e-mail notification

• Redmond (WA) City Television – Several channels of award-winning programming.
• CVTV Clark-Vancouver (WA) Television - Extensive programming includes city meetings and hearings, focus and close up programs on issues and government board functions, a planning short course, and online viewing of job skills workshops.
• Your Richland (WA) Connection – Gavel to Gavel coverage of meetings, monthly news magazine, and Ask the (Police) Chief program. - http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/RICHLAND/cityview/index.cfm?PageNum=1
• Spokane, WA Video Introduction to the Draft Residential Code Development Standards
• Blacksburg Online Video and Podcast -Programming includes public meeting broadcasts, informational programs, and occasional live events.
• Scottsdale, AZ Audio/Video Programming – Extensive program offerings covering city services, events and topics of interest.
• Orange County, FL video library series - Video programs broadcast on Cable TV and available for loan.
• Chesterfield County (VA) Spotlight - Five minute interview programs broadcast on CNN Headline News.
• Lake Forest, WA City Mail – E-Mail notification lists.
• Federal Way press releases via e-mail - Easy signup form.
• Scottsdale, AZ E -Mail-Based City Publications.
• Scottsdale, AZ – What’s Happening in My Neighborhood – Look up construction activity, development requests, crime activity, roadway construction and other information affecting a neighborhood. 
• Scottsdale, AZ Neighborhood notification program - Notification about projects that affect neighborhood residents.
• Oakland County (MI) Mobile Services – Access to frequently requested website information tailored for wireless Internet enabled phones and PDAs.
• Local Governments are using 311 call centers and other related customer service technology systems to respond to citizen non-emergency requests for services and information, International City Manager’s Association.  
• Walla Walla, WA digital autohold messages () - Short tidbits of information about city services.
• Digital Town Hall: How local officials use the Internet and the civic benefits they cite from dealing with constituents online, Survey from Pew Internet & American Life Project.
• Using Information Technology to Increase Citizen Participation, MRSC News, December, 2006.
• Local Government Broadcasting of Public Meetings - An MRSC webpage summarizing and linking to many other Washington local government broadcast programs.
• E-Government and E-Commerce - An MRSC webpage with information on Internet broadcasting, E-mail notification, online citizen surveys and similar tools.

Reaching Citizens through Web sites (for Announcements, Proposal Information, Meeting Information, Convenient Services)

• Snohomish County, WA – Well organized, tightly focused, award-winning website provides quick access to key information
• Kirkland, WA - Interesting, informative website that invites citizen involvement.
• Sumner, WA - Simple, user-friendly small city website that organizes information based on why citizens are looking to do.  The site featrues local images and touches rather than presenting a generic look.    
• James City County (VA) - User-friendly home page, and useful community involvement page.
• Rockville, MD - News and Highlights - Informs and invites participation.
• Countering Inaccurate Rumors About City Actions, Lake Stevens, WA - City posted original permit conditions to dispel inaccurate information about unfair treatment of permit applicant.
• Web Page Development - Local Government Guidelines.
• Becoming a Citizen-Centered Government Through Best Practices in Web Management ( 2.5 MB) - U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Performance Institute.

Citizens' Guides and Orientation to Help Citizens Participate Effectively 

• Citizen Participation Guide, Clark County WA - A concise guide on how to participate and where to get information.
• Clearwater (FL) Citizen's Guide - Citizen guide to the information and services that Clearwater offers.
• How to Participate in City Processes, City of Vancouver, B.C. - Quick access to information about how city government works, and how to participate in different issue areas. 
• Snoqualmie, WA Public Participation Guidelines - Citizen comment opportunities at public meetings.
• Tacoma, WA Citizen Presentation Guidelines for City Council Meetings.
• Clark County (WA) guide to public meetings and process - Brochure. ()
• How to Testify at a Public Hearing, city of Boise, ID - Basic guidelines to make testimony more effective.
• How to Participate in a Land Use Decision, Bellevue, WA, July 2006
• Woodland, WA Citizen Participation Guide Land Use and Growth Management Information.
• How to Testify at Land Use Hearings: A Resource for Citizens, Oregon Land Conservation Department.
• Corvallis, OR - A Citizen's Guide to the Land Use Planning, and Participating in Corvallis Land Use Decisions.

Newsletters, Newspaper Columns, Flyers, Displays and Media Campaigns

• News, Press Releases, and Newsletters of Washington Local Governments, MRSC web page
• Focus on Redmond: Our Quarterly News Magazine
• Summit County, CO newspaper column with county happenings (NACo model program).
• Chesterfield County, VA Chesterfield Choice - Flyer with county event, forum and vote information inserted in Community Shopper (NACo model program)
• Blueprint 2000: Designing Your Future (February 2000) () - Spokane County newsletter on how to obtain and comment on the comprehensive plan
• Walla Walla, WA "At Your Service" flyer () - Inserted in utility bill

Civic Education for Youth

• Where Do We Grow from Here? - A Teacher's Resource on Growth and Its Impacts on Maryland, produced by the State of Maryland
• Teaching Smart Growth at Colleges and Universities:
  A set of model course prospectuses, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/courses/index.htm
• Clark County WA Youth Town Hall - NaCO Achievement Award, 2000 
• Fairfax County (VA) Youth Leadership Program
  Henrico County, VA "Look to the Future" Student Government Day - Students "shadow" county officials and conduct mock county board meetings
• Recycling and Waste Prevention for Schools - Portland, OR Metro - Resources, classroom presentations and curriculum materials for schools
• Kidsville - City of Rockville, MD - Web pages designed to educate kids about government, environment and community
• Plan to Grow Smart () - Olympia, WA - Interactive civic curriculum
• Youth Particiation in Local Government, an MRSC webpage 

Citizen Education

• Bellingham, WA Planning Academy for Neighborhoods – Multiday workshop with presentations, hands on exercises, and homework assignments to facilitate understanding of planning, land use issues, and regulation, and to develop skills for effectively participating in the process.
• City of Airway Heights, WA – Planning 101 Course.
• Renton WA Citizen Academy (Police) - Renton,WA. 
  Sumner (WA) University - Originally established to provide orientation for members of multiple boards, it has now been opened to any interested citizens. Includes "freshman" track on the basics and several advanced topic tracks.
• The Short Course on Local Planning – Three hour workshop which covers the legal basis or planning in Washington, comprehensive plan and development regulation basics, and role of the planning commission. Co-sponsored by Washington State Community Trade and Economic Development Department and the Planning Association of Washington
• Hamilton County, OH - The Planning Partnership - Certified Planning Commissioners’ Program, 16-hour workshop – NaCO Achievement Award 2004.
• James City County (VA) Citizen Training - Police & fire academy, leadership program & neighborhood college.
• Hollywood, CA Educational Civic Institute - Civic awareness and leadership program produces results; U.S. Conference of Mayors Best Practices.
• Greensboro, NC Public Education Series - Symposiums proceeding comprehensive planning process.
• Citizen Academies, Citizens Police Academies, MRSC webpage  

Staff Training

• Draft Outreach and Involvement Handbook, Portland Oregon - Tips for staff on how to implement effective citizen involvement, Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement

Recommended Articles

• "New Ways to Reach New (and Old) Audiences," () Elaine Cogan, Planning Commissioners Journal, Summer 2000
• "Getting Out to Where the People Are," () Elaine Cogan, Planning Commissioners Journal, Fall 2000
• "In the Loop: Communicating with Your Citizens," () Marty Boyer, Communication Advantage for League of California Cities, Western City, April 1998