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Community Involvement Resource Manual

This framework was developed to help City officials and community members determine which issues are appropriate for some level of community involvement and also identify different types of techinques that can be effective in drawing out meaningful public participation on issues

Download the entire manual (pdf 326 kb).

 

Levels of Community Involvement

The City of Longmont is committed to involving our residents in a variety of ways. We recognize that the City provides many services that require information be given to residents (inform), processes that require feedback and input from our residents (consult and involve) and some projects in which the City plays a participant role (partner). Below is our community involvement model, and a guide to how our employees choose the appropriate level of community engagement.

INFORM

This level of involvement is designed to provide balanced and objective information to assist in understanding the problem, alternatives, and/or solutions. This level of involvement is appropriate to use when:

• The issue will affect community members, but the impact will likely be temporary and/or minimal.
• There is great interest in knowing what city services/programs/facilities are available to the public. The community wants to know what is available to them and how to take advantage of it.
• Information will promote knowledge and understanding of community needs or activities.
• Encouraging community understanding of rules, laws and/or ordinances that are in place to reflect, sustain, and support community standards.
• Accurate information about a situation is needed to promote understanding or address misperceptions.

 

CONSULT

This level of involvement is designed to obtain feedback from the community on analysis, alternatives and/or decisions. This level of involvement is appropriate to use when:

• Your department is considering changes in existing services or use of amenities that could impact community access. The impact of an issue will have an effect on a person’s day to day life or the quality of lives in the neighborhood and there are options to be considered.
• There is a need to determine what the community wants or needs when developing new services, programs, policy and/or facilities. It is important to know which way the community is leaning or what it is thinking about an issue.
• It’s important to determine the scope of an issue and which community partners may have an interest or expertise in dealing with that issue. This will assist in exploring/understanding the alternatives.

 

INVOLVE

This level of involvement is used when collaborating directly with the community to ensure that issues and concerns are consistently understood and considered. This level of involvement is appropriate to use when:

• The issue affects or has the potential to affect a significant number of residents; affects residents in more than one aspect/area (beyond geography); and/or has a lasting impact on people’s property.
• Community ownership in the solution is helpful or needed.
• Longer-term strategic issues are being considered such as outreach efforts, goal setting, strategic plans, or new facilities.
• Involving the community may broaden the range of ideas, resources, and solutions that were not originally considered.
  

 

PARTNER

This level of involvement is designed to partnering with the public in each aspect of the decision including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution. All participants input is equally valued. This level of involvement is appropriate to use when:

• The City has a role to play as a community member. Other people and groups have different parts of the solution and city/community partnerships are needed to define, design, implement, and/or sustain initiatives.
• It is important to increase the community’s capacity to deal with issues on their own or in partnership with the City or other organizations.
• A decision will potentially affect everyone in the community and will have long range impact.
  Dealing with complex issues where many different groups need to be at the table.