Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference & Exhibit The Engagement Party Deb Dyar, City of Ankeny Tom Brazleton, City of Ankeny Phil Jones, City of Waverly Jeffrey Schott, Institute of Public Affairs Handouts and presentations are available online at www.iowaleague.org
48
Embed
Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference & Exhibit...Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference & Exhibit The Engagement Party Deb Dyar, City of Ankeny Tom Brazleton, City of Ankeny Phil
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference & Exhibit
The Engagement Party
Deb Dyar, City of AnkenyTom Brazleton, City of Ankeny
Phil Jones, City of WaverlyJeffrey Schott, Institute of Public Affairs
Handouts and presentations are available online at www.iowaleague.org
THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY – EFFECTIVELY ENGAGING CITIZENS IN MEANINGFUL WAYS IOWA LEAGUE OF CITIESSEPTEMBER 25, 2013
How can we communicate better with our constituents?
Don’t focus on “communications”Strive for “citizen engagement’’
Proactive perspective of localgovts’ role in connectingcitizens with their govt
CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
Encompasses various strategies and methods of informing, listening to, and involving a broad base of community members in the governance process.
CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
• Citizen surveys:• In General• Waverly
• Virtual Town Hall – Building Social Media as Customer Service - Ankeny
THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY
• Gauging “public opinion”• Determining the public’s
opinions on city issues and services
CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
• The squeaky wheels/chronic complainers
• Coffee klatches• Organized interest groups• Attending/speaking at public
meetings• Bloggers/letters to the editor
HOW DO WE GAUGE“PUBLIC OPINION”?
An effective means to systematically determine public opinion regarding:• City issues• City services & programs• City projects• Priorities
CITIZEN SURVEYS
• Find out what representative cross-sample of residents are thinking
• Reach out to citizens in non-confrontational environment
• Help monitor trends and changes regarding priorities, issues, and service satisfaction
BENEFITS OF CITIZEN SURVEYS
• Provide policy makers with essential planning information regarding community needs and priorities
• Help citizens understand certain decisions are difficult and complex and there are competing priorities
BENEFITS OF CITIZEN SURVEYS
• Elected officials still make the decisions/ set policies – not a “rubber stamp”
• Govt still expected to deliver services
• Local elected leadership team still ultimately responsible
WHAT DOES NOTCHANGE:
• Snap shot in time• “Recency” effect• Seasonal effects• Phrasing of questions• Limited/lack of information on
key issues
CITIZEN SURVEYS - CAUTIONS
• Sample selection• Language/diversity issues• Margin of error
CITIZEN SURVEYS - CAUTIONS
• Telephone • Internet/computer/social media• Newspaper• Mail