MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
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Community Involvement Consultant Findings
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation.recommendation
To provide an update and review of community involvement consultant findings.
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II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Maxine Whattam, Chief Operating Officer 425-556-2310
Lisa Maher, Communications & Marketing Manager 425-556-2427
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
In July of this year the City contracted with an engagement and outreach consultant (EnviroIssues) to conduct community focus groups and polls seeking feedback on:
* What is the community's understanding of community engagement?
* What is the community's expectation of the City regarding engagement and outreach?
* How would the community prefer to engage with the City?
* What information/projects are important to the community?
* How does community feedback affect City decision making?
* What best practices and processes should the City be utilizing for a robust community engagement program?
Process and Outcomes to Date
* June 2018 contracted with EnviroIssues
* June 2018 conducted community outreach to recruit
o 48 community members recruited
* July 2018 conducted external and internal focus groups and online questionnaire (344 external / 70 internal responses).
Key themes from focus groups
o High awareness & satisfaction with community building events
o Good, but not excellent marks for the design and implementation of community engagement
o The term "public engagement" is not well understood
o Good public engagement described as high participation in events, high awareness of what is happening in the City, pathways for two-way dialogue, listening to the public
o Is the City using consistent public engagement process on land-use issues?
o Residents unsure how public input is used under a "strong mayor" form of government
o Preferred ways to give input: email, survey, website, in-person, social media, cell phone
o Topi...
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