To: Members of the City Council
Re: “Best Practices” Agenda Item
From: Deb Jacobs, Mary Kasper, Michael Kusek, Bob Reckman, Betsy Siersma, John Sinton, Fran Volkmann
Date: October 11, 2007
Cc: Mayor Clare Higgins, Lyn Simmons
On Sept. 24, 2007, we submitted a request, with supporting documentation, to the City Council for an agenda item to be raised during New Business at the Oct. 4 meeting of the Council. We proposed that the request be referred to the Ordinance Committee for discussion and action. After a brief discussion, during which it became clear that some of the Councilors had not received our materials prior to the meeting, the Council voted to table the request until its October 18, 2007 meeting.
After listening to the discussion at the Oct. 4 meeting of the Council, we would like to clarify our request for City Council action:
We request that the City Council refer to the Ordinance Committee the task of studying best practices in municipal decision-making; that the Ordinance Committee be charged with overseeing such study and with crafting such ordinances, resolutions, orders, or other measures as may prove necessary or useful to ensure that the City institutes such best practices. Further, we ask that the Ordinance Committee, in undertaking this study, adopt a process that incorporates appropriate public participation. Finally, we ask that the Ordinance Committee begin this process immediately and that it be carried over, if necessary, into the 2008 Council agenda.
This request is an important step toward fulfilling the Vision Statement of the Draft Sustainability Plan, which affirms Northampton’s commitment to “Inclusiveness, tolerance and civic-mindedness by embracing diversity and encouraging full participation in community conversations. It is assumed that controversy and debate, which is to be expected, will be resolved by a community commitment to the city’s long-term well being.”
We understand that there are many approaches to best practices and effective public participation in municipal decision-making. We submit the following documents (attached) to aid in the discussion.
1) A statement by Joel Russell, delivered at the Oct. 4, 2007 City Council meeting, with minor revisions made by him after the meeting in response to comments made there.
2) A document, “Guiding Principles for Public Involvement” from Portland, Oregon.
3) A list of relevant references/Websites.
We believe that a respectful and informed exchange of ideas can lead to the best policies and decisions for all of Northampton.
Thank you.
Deb Jacobs
Mary Kasper
Michael Kusek
Bob Reckman
Betsy Siersma
John Sinton
Fran Volkmann
Statement to the Northampton City Council, October 4, 2007, revised October 9, 2007.
Dear Mayor Higgins and Members of the City Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. My topic is good planning practice for effective public participation.
My professional work for 30 years has been advising communities around the nation on citizen participation, sustainability, and zoning reform. A group of dedicated citizens approached me some time ago for advice on how to improve planning practice here. They have since done a lot of research and developed a proposal that has been submitted to you as part of “New Business.” Three of these citizens have signed up to speak after me to discuss different aspects of their proposal.
I would like to briefly describe good planning practice, here and around the nation. I will summarize what could be a weeklong discussion into four basic points: (1) the need to move beyond merely meeting legal requirements by having meaningful public involvement and conversation, (2) the need for public input as early as practical in the decision making process, (3) the need to tailor the process to the type of project, and (4) the need to take enough time to make the right decision.
1. Good planning practice goes well beyond meeting the legal requirements for notices and public hearings. While the City must satisfy these legal requirements, it should supplement them with informal opportunities for public discussion in non-threatening settings, such as the meetings held on the Comprehensive Plan, Vision 2020, and the Meadows Plan. Meaningful public conversation gives City officials and those with a stake in a project a forum to respectfully listen and respond to each other. It involves collaboration, not confrontation.
2. Good planning practice requires having these conversations as early as practical in the process, before formal public hearings begin and BEFORE the City has made commitments or decisions. This requires active outreach to make the public aware that important matters are under consideration. As an example, the current comprehensive planning process has involved such outreach. Public hearings held late in a process, without earlier opportunities for stakeholders to shape a decision, merely provide a platform for angry people to vent; by contrast, public conversations that occur early enable caring people to work together to solve problems creatively. Officials often view public participation negatively because it comes at the wrong time and in the wrong way. When people are angry because they feel ignored, they do not contribute positively; when they are consulted before decisions have been made, they are empowered to be constructive.
3. There are important differences in good planning practice depending on the type and scale of the project:
a. For public improvement projects, such as Pulaski Park, the City owns the land and therefore has the most freedom to choose a course of action and employ the most inclusive public decision process.
b. For private development projects, such as housing, mixed-use, commercial, and college developments, good practice requires acknowledging the legal rights of property owners. Public conversations must occur before development plans have been drawn and before any applications have been filed. City officials should, wherever possible, assist applicants in engaging in an informal community discussion before they come to City Hall with a specific development proposal.
c. For public-private partnerships such as the Hilton, the City must sponsor the most active public participation at the very beginning, when there is a golden opportunity to create a positive vision of what the community wants and to communicate this to a developer.
d. For policy, master planning, and ordinance projects, such as the pending wetlands ordinance, the City needs to have several rounds of public participation and stakeholder involvement.
e. For projects that are small in scale and minor in impact, a more streamlined process is appropriate.
5. Good planning practice places quality above speed. Almost every major planning mistake I have seen has occurred because public officials wanted to approve a major project too quickly. The rush to push something through fast, instead of doing it right, results in having to do it over again, living with a major mistake, and/or facing avoidable lawsuits.
In conclusion, I urge you to begin a public conversation now on how to establish a culture of good planning practice in Northampton. The plan for Sustainable Northampton will mean nothing if we don’t implement it with good planning practices that incorporate early outreach, public participation, and sustainability in every important decision.
Thank you very much.
Joel Russell
25 Kensington Avenue, Northampton, MA
October 9, 2007.
Portland’s commitment to public involvement
is led by guiding principles to:
These principles were adopted as a resolution by Portland City Council
February 7, 1996
As elected officials and staff of the City of Portland, we believe that effective citizen
involvement is essential to good governance. We believe a respectful and informed
exchange of ideas between the City and citizens will result in the best policies and decisions
for all of Portland. To this end, the City of Portland commits itself to promote and sustain
an environment that creates and responds to citizen involvement.
We hold that the success of citizen involvement depends on:
Mutual respect of all parties;
Broad-based outreach to inform and involve citizens;
Commitment and skills to effectively facilitate, receive, and respond to citizen input and
involvement;
Coordination of outreach and involvement efforts of all City bureaus.
To carry out our commitment, we adopt these guiding principles of citizen involvement:
Value civic involvement as essential to the health of the city.
Promote on-going dialogue with citizens by maintaining relationships with
neighborhood and community groups.
Respect and encourage citizen participation by ensuring that City communications and
processes are understandable.
Reach out to all our communities to encourage participation which reflects Portland’s
rich diversity.
Think creatively and plan wisely, using citizen involvement processes and techniques to
best fit the goals of the particular project.
Seek early involvement of citizens in planning, projects, and policy development.
Consider and respond to citizen input in a timely manner, respecting all perspectives and
insights.
Commit to coordinate City bureaus’ outreach and involvement activities to make the
best use of citizens’ time and efforts.
Evaluate and report on the effectiveness of City outreach efforts to achieve the quality of
City/citizen collaboration critical to good governance.
Promote education of citizens in neighborhood and community groups, and City
officials and staff in community organizing, networking, and collaboration.
Provide financial and technical support to Portland’s neighborhood association network
as the primary channel for citizen input and involvement.
References/Websites
1. http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/values.htm
Values of municipal governance
2. http://city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/planning/pubinvolveguide/pirjly99.htm
“Public Involvement Review”
3. http://mrsc.org/Subjects/Governance/legislative/communication.aspx
“Effective Public Participation and Communication”
4. http://mrsc.org/Subjects/Management/bestpractices.asp
“Best Practices in Local Government”
5. http://pdx.edu/media/i/m/ims_bestpractices.pdf (see pp 22-24)
“Improving Public Involvement in Local Government”
Decision support, public engagement, and sustainable design
7. ParksAndRec_PI.doc
(general website is http://www.portlandparks.org)
“Public Involvement Procedure for Capital and Policy Development Projects
and Planning Initiatives”
See also: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/
8. policyconsensus.org/publications/reports/consensus_building_tools.html
“Consensus Building Tools for New Challenges at the State and Local Levels”
9. smarte.org – SMARTe – Public Involvement Techniques.
More than 50 public involvement techniques listed
10. smartgrowth.org/about/principles/principles.asp?prin=10
“Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration”
11. smartgrowthtools.org/TCDDM/HOME2.htm
Software, etc. for community design and decision making;
Planning Process Road Map
12 PortlandPubInvolve.pdf. (attached with this document)
Portland’s Principles of Public Involvement
http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=84201
Additional websites of interest:
http://www.cpn.org/topics/community/kernels.html
see Demographic Governance Resource List, 2005
http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=84435
Public Participation Manual, Portland Development Commission
http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/index.cfm?c=37423
http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/tg/index.html
Town Gown Planning Board
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/
A Guide to Building Community/Vancouver Citizen’s Committee
http://vancouver.ca/getinvolved/pdf/PIRStatus060405.pdf
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/participation_toolbox.pdf
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/
http://www.seattle.gov/
Many interesting and exciting ideas about public involvement can be found by looking at websites from different cities: Cambridge, MA (especially for Town Gown relations); Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and Vancouver BC, Canada are but a few.
