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Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................... 3 Goals........................................................................ 4 State Regulations................................................ 5 Stakeholders to Consider................................. 6 Identifying the Public Audience................... 7 Development Review Process....................... 8 The Communication Toolbox......................... 9-12 Strategies for Outreach.................................... 12 Communicating Results................................... 13 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Efforts....... 14 Closing.................................................................... 14 Community Event Satisfaction Survey....... 15 Internal Public Participation Evaluation..... 16
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Introduction A Public Participation Plan is essential for outlining how Muskegon’s public will be engaged throughout planning and development processes. This plan will help coordinators of community interaction to understand the best methods to use, based on the size and scope of their project. The Public Participation Plan also reinforces transparency and accountability throughout the planning process, especially since it requires feedback through multiple outlets after each form of public participation. Despite potential municipal turnover, this plan should help to consistently keep all future employees educated on how best to communicate with the city’s public. This plan must continue to be updated in order for this to remain possible.
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Goals of Public Participation Encourage active involvement of citizens and stakeholders in the master planning process. Master plans should work towards developing the entire community, which can only be done when all key stakeholders in all areas have been given their chance to share concerns. Muskegon aims to foster this participation in order to proactively build towards continuous involvement in important policy or project decisions. There is a greater opportunity for the plan to fit the public’s needs and the entire community’s ideals, when they are involved in the planning process early on. Make information easy to access for everyone in the community. Through sources like fliers, social media, the city’s website, and many other outlets, Muskegon works to keep everyone updated on new ideas and changes in the community. The city has largely diverse characteristics, making the best means of distribution different for different residents. Recognizing this, Muskegon uses various distribution methods for all information updates. Maintain and develop staff’s understanding of participation methods and techniques. Making sure the entire staff is on the same page and working towards the same level of consistent community participation, makes the entire process easier on the participants and staff alike. Support and encourage continuous adaptation of methods for public participation. Older methods serve as a backbone of participation methods, where the coordinators can have some expected results of their work. Without adaptation, however, the process can become dry and less interesting to the public, which may lose public support. The most effective plans for participation must be a combination of tested and proven methods and innovative, new methods. Keep results of public participation transparent and open to the public. By creating clear communication between planners and the community, citizens are clear on what is needed of them in the process, as well as understand the responsibilities of the planners. This also helps maintain positive relationships between everyone in the process and avoid conflict.
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State Regulations on Public Participation Muskegon, through the work of City Commission and individual boards and commissions, follows the local and state regulations listed below. These regulations include provisions for the public review process, public participation, and public hearings. »» Home Rule City Act (PA 279 of 1909) »» City Charter »» City Code of Ordinances »» City Zoning Ordinance »» The Michigan Open Meetings Act (PA 267 of 1976) »» The Michigan Planning Enabling Act (PA 33 of 2008) »» Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act (PA 381 of 1996) »» Downtown Development Authority Act (PA 197 of 1975) »» Local Historic Districts Act (PA169 of 1970)
»» The Plant Rehabilitation and Industrial Development Districts Act (known as the Industrial Facilities Exemption) (PA 198 of 1974) »» Other relevant local and State legislation
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Stakeholders to Consider Local Churches Chamber of Commerce Commercial Business Owners Neighborhood Associations Individuals of the General Public Muskegon Area First Mercy Health Partners Muskegon Public Schools ADAC Automotive City of Roosevelt park City of Norton Shores City of Muskegon Heights Potential Investors High School Students Muskegon Community College Baker College of Muskegon Young Professionals Mocap Community Foundation for Muskegon County Downtown Muskegon Now The various Commissions, Foundations and Boards which serve the community
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Identifying the Public Audience A key tool in evaluating and identifying your audience for each issue is the survey strategy listed in the communication toolbox. This tool can be used before planning a form of public participation by first figuring out the demographics of interested parties in the issue at hand. For example, if the organizer were trying to conduct a public event to discuss regulations on seasonal rental homes. It would be wise to start the process by putting out a survey through multiple forms (look at announcement methods for ways to access public) which asks if they would be interested in participating in such a discussion, and if so list possible ways they could participate and ask which they feel most comfortable with. Listed could be options such as responding to more surveys, coming to a public meeting place for discussion, or joining a standing committee if one were created. Attaching surveys to newsletters sent out to all residents tend to be the most effective method of distribution. Another option for smaller, more grouped decisions could be to evaluate the previously listed key stakeholders and decide which ones apply to this decision. Based on that, you can mail out surveys to those particular stakeholders. *It is important that at the end of all forms of public communication, the coordinator involved fill out the attached survey about the process. Through the collection of surveys for feedback on this public participation plan, future revisions to it can be based on ideas from experienced individuals.
Basic Announcement Methods for Pulic Meetings The following methods are often used to advertise public meetings, but do not produce as much involvement as the previously mentioned tools. These methods are more for reporting findings or generally informing. »» Social media: Our Facebook(“City of Muskegon Government”), Twitter (@cityofmuskegon), and Instagram (@cityofmuskegon) pages are run by our City Clerk with the most updated job listings, new developments, and community meeting times. »» Website: The website has up-to-date postings of meeting minutes, agendas, job postings, links to relevant community event pages, and much more. Our website can be found at www.Muskegon-mi.gov.
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Flier posting around the community and within city hall
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Announcements at commission meetings
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Postcard mailings
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Attachments to water bills
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Local cable notification
Development Review Process
Variance request comes into the city
Planning commission Planning commission discusses ordinance recieves a Special Land Use changes or updates and application or rezoning sets public hearing (process request could be several weeks)
Public hearing is held and variance is approved or denied
Planning Commission holds public hearing and passes recommendation to Commission
Commission discusses recommendation and sets public hearing
Commission holds public hearing and approves/ disapproves changes
Public Hearing at planning commission Recommendation passed to city council
Special Land Use City Council approves/ disapproves
Rezoning City council sets public hearing
Rezoning City council holds public hearing and approves/ disapproves
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The Communication Toolbox Proactive Practices The following methods are less reactive and more focused on education and collaborative visioning. These methods are organized in descending order of recommendation based on their effectiveness and applicability to the demographics of Muskegon’s communities, but that doesn’t mean the ones on the top of the list should be preferred in every situation. Charrettes: Based on the previously mentioned list of stakeholders, charrettes can be a great tool in collective design visioning and communicating what design characteristics the city as a whole would like to see in their community. Charrettes are also useful for making citizens feel directly influential in the design process. By making the community feel involved, citizens are more likely to work to help implement the plans rather then fight them. Difficulties with charrettes do include that the process can be expensive and that they require a lot of public interest. Charrettes are not to be confused with community workshops. Charrettes differ because it is a multi-day event where designers and planners alike work on a design-oriented plan in-between different stages of the event. They normally take place during a span of multiple days (3-7), where citizens can come to the “Charrette studio” (a large work space on or near the location of the proposed plan or project) and voice their ideas, as well as work hands on with the plans along side professionals to help. This experience can foster many innovative planning concepts. For more understanding on the charrette process and how it functions best, the following web address gives a fuller description (www.dpz.com/charrettes/about). In 2008 the city and its consultants facilitated a charrette for the 2008 downtown/lakeshore redevelopment plan. The charrette took place in the Frauenthal Theater building, and went smoothly with a large turn out. The location can continue to serve as the suggested venue of future charrettes as well. These types of outreach are suggested for future master plan revisions and other specific area developments.
*Results of the 2008 Charrette
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The Communication Toolbox Cont. Community Workshops: These can take a large variety of forms. They can be very original and unique to your situation, such as making a board game to explain your ideas, or as simple as a question and answers session. Despite their diverse nature, most workshops have these qualities in common: They’re generally small (6 to 15 participants), allowing everyone personal attention and a chance to be heard. They are often designed for people working together or in the same field. They are conducted by people who have real experience with the subject of discussion. They’re informal. There’s a great deal of discussion involved, not just presentations. The participants should do as much if not more of the speaking than the facilitator. They’re time limited, but may be multiple over a few days’ worth of time They’re self-contained. For more information on how to plan a workshop, when workshops work the best, and how to prepare follow-up information, the following web page has extensive information on workshops. (www.ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-cont ents/structure/training-and-technical-assistance/workshops/main) Good places to host these would be in the city hall building’s conference room, or for more room, somewhere like Terrace Plaza or the Frauenthal Theater building. These are most successful when organizers make it a priority to reach the most underrepresented demographic groups. For example, making sure there is a variety of times and dates, so that people of all professions and households are able to attend. Municipal staff would be the most effective facilitators for this sort of event, since they have connections to advertise it well, have access to demographic information, and have high support from the rest of the municipal staff.
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The Communication Toolbox Cont. Additions to Previously Mentioned Proactive Practices
While all forms of public communication are best used in combination with other methods, these specific methods are for the most part only valuable when paired with other methods. Surveys: Surveys are useful for identifying specific questions or ideas from a broad scope of ideas. It’s good to combine surveys with other methods listed here, in order to have both wide-scoped and more focused results from the same event. Surveys also work well for first-steps in the planning process to establish what the biggest, most popular concerns are. Having a variety of delivery methods make it more likely all demographics will have accessibility to them. It is helpful to create bilingual surveys as well. A large part of producing a quality survey is about not being biased in the subject of the survey yourself. If the wording sounds biased, the survey may not be helpful or reliable. Some other tips on creating a survey that will help develop the clearest results can be found on surveymoney.com (https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/writing-survey-questions/ ). Survey monkey is also a great tool for developing easily accessible, public surveys. Surveys have been used in the past for major master plan and recreational plan updates. They also have been used to gather public feedback and plan for venues such as the City’s Farmers’ Market. Request to Speak Forms: For smaller, less comprehensive plan related decisions, Muskegon currently provides many forms of participation. For example, individuals who would like to address the City Commission have access to a Request to Speak form attached to the agendas, as well as in the back of the room at every City Commission meeting. If the form is submitted to the city clerk, the chair will recognize them to speak and they have a maximum of 3 minutes to address the commission. If the individual is representing a group, they may be allowed 10 minutes, if previously registered with the city clerk. Walkabouts: Walkabouts create an opportunity for candid feedback from a variety of stakeholders on ideas for a specific area. These are good to pair with charrettes or community workshops to give the participants a chance to organize their thoughts on the area before deciding how to change it. Results normally come in the form of identifying safety concerns, walkability, and problem properties. Community partners and staff would be able to facilitate these through flier postings, social media postings and announcements through public meetings for related subjects. These have been done in the past to generate ideas for a better “walkable community” and to address basic issues, such as downtown sidewalk access in the winter. Social Media: Through social media outlets, Muskegon is also able to accept public feedback at the public’s convenience. Through outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, the public can get in touch with public officials quickly and easily. One-on-one Interviews: One-on-one interviews do have the benefit of getting specifics on a topic. These can be most effective when preformed with individual key stakeholders, such as members of the commission board, or leaders of groups like Muskegon Area First. You may have a more organized interview, with clear questions written out ahead of time, or a more open interview using a few topics which are discussed in an open and honest conversation. It helps to have a phone or device for recording, as well as taking notes. This way if specific parts of the conversation need to be re-evaluated later on, it can easily be found in the notes or the recording.
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The Communication Toolbox Cont. Focus Groups: These are much like the interviews, except for with full groups identified in the key stakeholders section. These help to narrow down concepts or get a specific side of the story. This could be useful when understanding how a business next door to a development feels about the development or finding out what they would like to see in the new development. This is also helpful when understanding a complaint a group from the public may have come to the city about, so that the city can further understand their complaint and how to remedy it. This should be recorded with notes taken during the conversation, and questions or an outline of conversation topics previously prepared (for more information, look at interview description). This format has been used for such projects as the near-downtown market-rate housing to generate ideas and interest. Community “Getherings”: These gatherings can be “organized” to take place on a monthly basis in comfortable settings, such as a downtown coffee house. They are often lead by a citizen and/or neighborhood leader. The gatherings are held at a set location, with a set date and time. Everyone is welcome to attend. Citizens discuss their own ideas for projects (events, things they hope to see done to the city, ect.) with the idea of gathering consensus from others. If concensus is reached, that project or event is pursued.
Strategies for Outreach By proactively engaging stakeholders, Muskegon hopes they develop a sense of ownership over the decisions. By having the entire community responsible for the well-being of their own city, plans are more likely enforced and delays often prevented. During the following decision making processes, public input should be solicited:
Master plan update
Zoning ordinance update
Downtown development plan
Corridor improvement plan
Parks and recreation plan
Low controversy development project
High controversy development project
Using the communication toolbox, each situation may have its own form of public participation methods.
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Communicating Results Participants stay motivated and involved when they feel their voice has been heard and see the impact their contributions have made. Part of the process must involve frequent reports of findings and feedback from the coordinators back to the participants. There is no one specific way to do this for each type of participation. Below are potential ways findings can be reported, which should be used at the discretion of the coordinator. Public Meetings: These can be beneficial outlets for feedback because they are televised. City Commission meetings are held at City Hall on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. Meetings are televised live on local cable TV. Minutes are also uploaded to the City of Muskegon’s website. Surveys: Findings will be compiled by the coordinator of the survey within a week (preferably earlier) after the survey has been conducted. The results will be provided online and through the local newsletter, as well as mailed to each participant. Community Workshops/ Charrettes: The coordinator will designate a note taker for the event (or take notes themselves) on the topics and ideas discussed. The notes are then formalized and posted on a workshop/charrette Facebook page within the next week after the event. The Facebook page should be open to non members of the event, so that the public can be updated on how it went even if they could not attend. In addition, the results of the event will be communicated in a wrap up community meeting. Walkabouts: The facilitator(s) of the walkabouts will take notes during the event. These results will be compiled and formalized by the note taker and then posted on the City’s website, as well as on an open Facebook page within a week of the event. One-on-one Interviews: Interview results will be kept confidential for the comfort of the participants. Social Networking: The City Clerk is responsible for monitoring the City of Muskegon social media pages. The clerk responds to public posts no later than a week after the post is made. They also create all the content of the page, concerning community events and public participation results.
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Participation Efforts Depending on the success of the previously mentioned outreach methods, this plan is open to adjustments and additions. Some of these methods may not be the most effective methods of communication for Muskegon, in which case those methods should be removed or noted as such. The Planning Department will keep record of all public participation efforts, with which they will be able to adapt this document based on. Majority of participation events should be followed up with the survey in the appendices below, in order to establish the effectiveness or necessary changes to this plan. This document should be re-evaluated and updated at least once every two years to make sure it stays current. This will result in public participation that is continuously evolving to better obtain public input.
Closing This document was created to ensure the City of Muskegon actively involves its community in its plans, decisions and city modifications. By creating a plan for how best to consistently keep everyone involved, Muskegon hopes to encourage even more public involvement than it already has. This Public Participation Plan will be essential to making sure that development has been planned for by the entire community, with smoother approval processes and a more satisfied public. Through this document, the City of Muskegon also insures that it will continue to make public participation a key factor in any and all applicable decisions of the City. This documents reliability is based on the principle that it will be updated often and evaluated for its applicability. If any part of this plan grows out-dated, unused, or new methods need to be incorporated, changes to the plan should be made in a timely manner. With collaboration, the residents, commissioners and elected officials, can work together to make sure that for the longevity of Muskegon, it remains the premier city it is today, with every voice heard.
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Community Event Satisfaction Survey
What event did you attend today?
Date:
How did you hear about this event?
Was the event held at a convenient location and time for you?
Are you glad you came to this event? Would you improve it in any way?
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Internal Public Participation Evaluation Date:
Type of Public Participation
How was the event advertised?
Where was the event held?
How many people attended? Was there a group that was under represented?
Who facilitated/completed the evnt?
Are there ways this could be improved for future events?
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