Citizens in Action: Tools for Gaining Input June 2010
Citizens in Action: Tools for Gaining Input A Publication of the Research Division of NACo s County Services Department Written by Kathryn Murphy Research Associate June 2010 National Association of Counties 1
About the National Association of Counties The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org. For more information about this publication or the programs included, please contact: National Association of Counties Research Division a Phone: 202.393-6226 Web site: www.naco.org 2 Citizens in Action: Tools for Gaining Input June 2010
Introduction Engaging the public in local decisions is a necessary, but many times challenging step for county governments. Involving citizens in the decision making process is an American tradition that residents have come to expect in order to provide feedback to local leaders other than through the ballot box. Many states mandate the use of public hearings to allow the public an opportunity to comment on the county budget. Counties are often allowed flexibility on how the meetings are announced and when they are held. In addition to public hearings, counties can also utilize other means to garner citizen input, such as surveys, focus groups, comments cards, and a variety of online resources. The strategic promotion and scheduling of these methods can increase the number of attendees and provide an opportunity for a diverse cross-section of the population to be heard. This brief is designed to provide county officials with a variety of options available in order to engage residents and garner meaningful citizen input. Citizen Participation Overview Engaging the public allows county officials to not only inform them of government decisions, but also to involve residents in the decision making process. The public can often provide insightful information not previously considered by the local officials. This additional information can assist in better policy decisions being made for the entire county. While it can be challenging for county governments to obtain citizen input due to the many demands on its residents, the strategic planning of a variety of opportunities for public input in diverse locations can increase the ability of citizens to voice his or her opinion. Public Hearings county governments can choose to hold public hearings about other important topics. Most state laws do not specify additional requirements such as when the hearings must be held or how many days notice is required prior to the hearing. Most counties have an ordinance in place detailing the requirements for notice of public hearings. In general, residents who will be affected by the proposal are notified of the hearing and provided with information as to the effect of the proposal. Methods of distributing notice of the hearing include publishing in the newspaper, posting the notice in the area affected, mailing the notice to the residents affected, and posting the notice to the county s website among others. The notice is usually posted a week to 10 days prior to the hearing or more to allow residents enough time to prepare remarks and plan to attend. The notice should also explain the process for speaking during the hearing. For example, it should be clear if residents must register comments before the meeting, the time allowed for comments, and any other requirements for speaking. These rules should also be reviewed at the beginning of the hearing so that everyone in attendance is clear on the rules. Budget Hearings Although many states require public hearings to be held once the entire budget is ready to be discussed, many counties have begun holding meetings at earlier points in the budget process. For example, Multnomah County, Ore., held over 100 public hearings to discuss the budget for FY 2011. These hearings were held throughout the county at convenient locations and also Public hearings are opportunities for the public to voice opinions and comments regarding important issues to local leaders. Many state laws require counties to hold public hearings for input on the county budget or land use plans, but National Association of Counties 3
explained the budget process to residents. In addition, the Board of County Commissioners and the Office of Citizen Input held large public hearings on the issues of public safety and health and human services to solicit input from the community on how to approach the cuts that needed to be made due to the difficult economic times. With declining revenues and increased spending, citizen input was key to determining the areas of the budget that could be reduced. Through a facilitated discussion, residents provided feedback on the importance of services and how the county could improve operations. The insight gained from all of the hearings was utilized to create the proposed budget. More public hearings were also held once the proposed budget was complete to seek final input from the community. Land Use In addition to the budget process, public hearings provide feedback from residents on proposed comprehensive land use plans. Often referred to as charrettes, these hearings are a more intensive process that involve the design team, local experts, and the public to provide feedback. It is typically a multi-day event where the plans are reviewed and input is provided from all parties. Many times, the group is divided into smaller subgroups that concentrate on specific areas of the plan. Once completed, the entire group reviews and discusses the work of each individual group. Many counties must follow the same process for notification of land use plan meetings as other public hearings. The guidelines include how and when notice to the public must be publicized. Outreach to the local community, especially to those who may be affected by the changes of the land use plan or any major design project, is very important to the success of the input process. Many residents may not realize how they will be affected by the changes. The county can take a proactive stance by notifying local groups who may have an interest in the changes of how they may be impacted and how they can contribute to the process. Allowing local organizations and associations to provide feedback on design plans gives citizens an important stake in the development of their community. To review and obtain input from residents on a 2030 Comprehensive Master Plan, Douglas County, Colo., held numerous events to ensure feedback from a variety of residents. The county s public outreach program was created by the Planning Commission and staff to engage the public in developing and validating the vision and objectives of the comprehensive master plan. Staff identified one area in the northwest portion of the county as needing more input to provide the best plan for local residents. The staff held a charrette that provided an in-depth discussion of the plans with the input of county staff, local experts, and residents. The dialogue included discussion of important topics such as water supplies, growth-management tools, and transportation. In addition to public hearings and other outreach efforts, the county encouraged local residents to hold small hearings in their homes that were led by the residents themselves in consultation with county staff. This type of small group hearing provided those who would not typically attend a large public hearing an opportunity to be involved in the process. As a result of these outreach efforts, members of the community who had not previously been engaged in the planning process formed their own community association to provide feedback to the county on other land use and planning projects. Focus Groups Focus groups are a research tool that can provide more detailed and nuanced data. A focus group usually consists of 10 to 12 residents and each session usually lasts between 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours. Multiple focus groups are usually conducted to get a variety of input from residents and to ensure the residents are representative of the community. The setting allows for a directed discussion among the participants where every opinion is valid and people are encouraged to voice their opinions. Unlike public hearings, a focus group allows for a more open discussion among participants with conflicting points of view. The groups are usually led by a professional facilitator who follows a discussion guide prepared in conjunction with the county. The discussion guide will begin with general topics and move to 4 Citizens in Action: Tools for Gaining Input June 2010
more detailed issues as the discussion continues. While the guided portion will cover the main topics that the county would like to discuss, the facilitator will allow for flexibility for the discussion to flow naturally among the participants. The results of a focus group discussion can often highlight the level of knowledge residents have about county services and their unique perceptions of the county government. While often used to gain input on the types of questions that will be asked on a survey, focus groups and small group discussions can have many variations and many uses for county governments. For example, Fairfax County, Va., utilized small group discussions to obtain input for how to close the budget gap for the FY2010 budget and the FY2011 budget. Staff from the county s Department of Management and Budget was trained by a professional on how to facilitate the discussions. The department also prepared a facilitator s guide to provide staff with a step by step guide on conducting the small group discussions. The meetings were promoted using a variety of media including newspaper advertisements, flyers distributed to schools and community groups, postings throughout county buildings, and various social media including Facebook and Twitter. The discussions regarding FY 2010 focused on what services were critical and could not be cut, what services could be cut back, and which services could be eliminated. The discussions led to specific recommendations regarding which services to cut and provided an opportunity to give any other comments to decision makers prior to the budget decisions. Based on the success of these discussions, the county continued the process for FY2011. In addition to the questions asked previously, the final budget decisions of the prior year were also discussed to determine their actual impact on residents. Surveys While focus groups can provide detailed information from a small group, a survey can provide feedback from a larger portion of residents, and if conducted properly, can be a representative survey of the entire county population. Surveys are synonymous with public opinion to many people. When the goal of a survey is to gain an accurate representation of the population as a whole, random sampling is used to obtain respondents through a telephone survey to reduce any selection bias that may otherwise occur. Mailing surveys to residents is also an option for counties. Although these responses will not be able to speak for the county as a whole, it gives all citizens an opportunity to provide input. Before drafting a survey, local officials should have a clear understanding of the intention of the survey. What information do you want to learn from conducting the survey? The length of the survey is also important. While the survey must include enough questions to provide the information needed, too many questions can lead to respondents not completing the survey. Therefore, all the questions should be specific to the purpose of the survey or be demographic questions that are needed to analyze the results. When drafting the survey, the order of the questions is important as well as asking questions that provide enough response to gauge the opinion on the issue. Gallup, a polling company that has conducted surveys for over 75 years, provides a Quintanmensional Plan to measure five key elements of a respondent s opinion: Awareness and knowledge of an issue Spontaneous overall view of issue Opinion on specifics Reason for holding opinion Intensity of feeling on the matter Most surveys follow this format to gauge opinion on a specific issue. Copying questions from other surveys on the same topic is not only accepted, but encouraged. Although it may have to be edited to meet your county s specific needs, questions used in other surveys can assist in drafting a well crafted survey. Citizen Satisfaction Citizen satisfaction surveys are a common type of survey conducted by local jurisdictions. These surveys help to gauge the overall satisfaction with living in the county and the use of and satisfaction with specific county services. While standard questions should be asked every time National Association of Counties 5
the survey is conducted to allow for comparison across time, additional questions can be added to the survey to address current priorities. In order to conduct the survey, many counties partner with local colleges and universities. Coconino County, Ariz., partnered with Northern Arizona University to conduct a telephone citizen satisfaction survey in 2007. The survey found that 59 percent of Coconino County residents believe the county is heading in the right direction, which was in stark contrast to the national mood at the time, with a national survey finding only 21 percent of Americans said the country is heading in the right direction. This survey not only measured the satisfaction of the county residents, but also provided key information regarding how citizens obtain information and other characteristics about the community. For example, the survey found that residents were technologically savvy with 75 percent of respondents having internet access in the home and 62 percent of respondents using the internet at least once a day. Budget Cuts Surveys can also be useful for counties struggling with budget issues. Like focus groups and public hearings, surveys can provide data to local officials to help make an informed policy decision. Many times, the insights provided at hearings or focus groups can help craft questions and options for the survey. A survey is an opportunity to gauge the effect of proposed policy decisions. Instead of simply asking for the areas to cut, the survey can be used to gauge current use of services and the best way to alter the service given the need for budget cuts. For example, if one option for reducing the county budget is to reduce the funding of libraries, there would be many options of how this reduced funding could impact one library branch: the library branch could be closed, there could be additional charges for use, or the hours of the branch could be reduced. Instead of simply asking which one of these actions to take, you can ask specific user questions about each option such as: do you use this library branch, how often do you use it, would you continue to use it for a small fee, when do you usually visit the branch, or if closed at this time, would you use it at another time during the week? These types of questions can help make informed budget decisions by letting the public determine the best way to implement a reduction in the budget. Comment and Feedback Cards Many counties offer the opportunity to provide feedback about services on location through comment and feedback cards. Although many times looked upon as used to report solely negative reactions to service, these cards can also provide a valuable tool to obtain resident feedback. Especially when looking for information on the use of county services, a feedback form or survey can provide valuable information from people the county knows utilizes the specific services. The questions give residents a chance to provide meaningful feedback during the time when they would have simply been waiting in line for services. Hennepin County, Minn., utilized this idea as a part of their strategy to solicit public input regarding county budget cuts. The county placed suggestion cards and boxes in many locations throughout the county including 41 county libraries and seven county service centers. These suggestion boxes give residents a convenient way to provide feedback about county services and suggestions on how the county could operate more efficiently. The suggestions are compiled by the county administrator s office and reported to the county board on a regular basis. The suggestion boxes offer an opportunity to give feedback not only during difficult budget times, but also allow residents to submit ideas about other issues facing the county. Online Tools Online surveys and comment forms allow residents a convenient and quick method of providing feedback to county departments, input on county budgets and submitting ideas or comments on county plans. The same type of crafting strategies used for phone or mail surveys also applies to online surveys in terms of length, 6 Citizens in Action: Tools for Gaining Input June 2010
structure, and types of questions. Links to the online surveys or comment forms are usually prominently placed on the county or department website. Advertising and promotion of the survey link is still needed in order to drive people to the site. The same type of methods used for public hearings such as newspaper advertisements, press releases to local media, flyers, and mailings can help increase participation. In addition, the use of an email distribution list and social media such as Facebook and Twitter can also help promote the survey to residents. Charlotte County, Fla., placed a survey on the county website to gain input from the community regarding the county budget. The survey allowed residents to specify if current services should be increased, maintained, reduced, or eliminated. The survey also allowed for additional comments as to how the government could operate more efficiently or other ideas on to how to cope with the budget shortfall. This survey, along with additional public input, provided valuable information about public preferences regarding which areas to cut in the upcoming budget. Conclusion There are a variety of options for counties to solicit citizen input at numerous stages of the decision making process. When crafting a strategy to obtain input from residents, local officials should use multiple methods to ensure that the public has an opportunity to participate. Public hearings, charrettes, focus groups, surveys, and online tools can all provide valuable information to local officials during the decision making process, but each of them provides information in a different manner. An assortment of events can also help attract a more diverse section of the population who may attend one type of event, but not another. The scheduling of these events requires a mixture of dates and times in order to accommodate a diverse cross-section of the population. In addition, a comprehensive outreach plan that goes beyond the legal requirements of notification by using a variety of methods such as newspaper advertisement, press releases, flyers, mailings, and online tools like the county website, Facebook and Twitter, can engage residents who may not have previously been involved in the process. The outreach plan may also require contacting organizations, associations, or other groups that may be affected by the plans, but may not realize it. Although providing citizens with an opportunity to provide input can be challenging for a county, the information provided from the community is vital at many stages of the decision making process. Once residents are engaged in the public dialogue, they are likely to continue to be involved and continue to provide a unique perspective to help shape the future of the county. County Examples Charlotte County, Florida www.charlottecountyfl.com/budget/ Coconino County, Arizona www.coconino.az.gov/coconino_ 2007.pdf Douglas County, Colorado www.douglas.co.us/cmp2030/ Fairfax County, Virginia www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/ Hennepin County, Minnesota http://hennepin.us/portal/site/hennepinus/ menuitem.b1ab75471750e40fa01dfb47ccf0649 8/?vgnextoid=c30ff88bbfab4210VgnVCM1000 0049114689RCRD Multnomah County, Oregon http://www.multco.us/portal/site/oci National Association of Counties 7
Additional Resources Clackamas County, Oregon www.co.clackamas.or.us/citizenin/ Effective Communication and Citizen Involvement www.mrsc.org/subjects/governance/participation/participation.aspx#reference Hamilton County, Ohio www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/hc/reportcard.asp Larimer County, Colorado www.co.larimer.co.us/bocc/external_survey.pdf Marketing to Your Customers www.mrsc.org/focus/discforum/browne0101.aspx National Charrett Institute www.charretteinstitute.org/charrette.html Okaloosa County, Florida www.co.okaloosa.fl.us/doc/news/2009/analysis.pdf Ottawa County, Michigan www.co.ottawa.mi.us/cogov/boc/pdf/2008_citizen_survey.pdf Peoria County, Illinois www.peoriacounty.org/communications Prince William County, Virginia www.pwcgov.org/doclibrary/pdf/005172.pdf Public Hearings When and How to Hold Them www.mrsc.org/focuspub/hearings.aspx What Type of Survey is Best? www.mrsc.org/focus/discforum/browne1100.aspx 8 Citizens in Action: Tools for Gaining Input June 2010
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