2019-01-07 - Village Board Committee of the Whole - Agenda Packet2. Special Business
A. Water System Study Update (Trustee Johnson) (Staff Contact: Michael Reynolds)
B. New Website Demonstration and Next Steps (Trustee Johnson) (Staff Contact: Jenny
Maltas)
C. Prairie View Metra Station Area Plan Update (Trustee Smith) (Staff Contact: Chris
Stilling)
D. Community Engagement Manager Update (President Sussman) (Staff Contact: Jenny
Maltas)
E. Discussion Regarding the Upcoming Comprehensive Plan Project (Trustee Ottenheimer)
(Staff Contact: Chris Stilling)
3. Questions From the Audience
Questions from the audience are limited to items that are not on the regular agenda. In
accordance with Section 2.02.070 of the Municipal Code, discussion on questions from the
audience will be limited to 10 minutes and should be limited to concerns or comments regarding
issues that are relevant to Village business. All members of the public addressing the Village
Board shall maintain proper decorum and refrain from making disrespectful remarks or comments
relating to individuals. Speakers shall use every attempt to not be repetitive of points that have
been made by others. The Village Board may refer any matter of public comment to the Village
Manager, Village staff or an appropriate agency for review.
4. Adjournment
The Village Board will make every effort to accommodate all items on the agenda by 10:30 p.m.
The Board, does, however, reserve the right to defer consideration of matters to another meeting
should the discussion run past 10:30 p.m.
The Village of Buffalo Grove, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that
persons with disabilities, who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe and/or
participate in this meeting or have questions about the accessibility of the meeting or facilities,
contact the ADA Coordinator at 459-2525 to allow the Village to make reasonable
accommodations for those persons.
2.A
Information Item : Water System Study Update
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Recommendation of Action pp
ll
Staff recommends discussion.
The Village's 2018 Strategic Planning document included an Engineering Study for the Village's water
system. The study's goal is to evaluate all aspects of the water system and provide a more holistic long-
term approach to funding, fees and capital planning. On February 26, 2018 the Village Board approved a
contract with Strand Associates, Inc. to complete the study. Mr. Chris Ulm from Strand will provide an
update on the progress of the study and answer any questions.
Trustee Liaison Staff Contact
Johnson Michael Reynolds, Public Works
Monday, January 7, 2019
Updated: 1/3/2019 3:52 PM Page 1
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2.B
Information Item : New Website Demonstration and Next Steps
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Recommendation of Action pp
ll
Staff recommends discussion.
Staff will present the highlights of the new website as well as an overview of the next phases of the
Village's digital engagement strategy.
Trustee Liaison
Johnson
Monday, January 7, 2019
Staff Contact
Jenny Maltas, Office of the Village Manager
Updated: 1/3/2019 3:53 PM
Page 1
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2.0
Information Item : Prairie View Metra Station Area Plan Update
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Recommendation of Action pp
ll
Staff recommends discussion.
The Village continues to work with the planning consultant, Ratio, on the Prairie View Metra Station Area
Plan. The consultant team is in the process of completing the draft plan for the Village's review. Staff will
provide the Village Board with an update on the project and a timeline for completion.
ATTACHMENTS:
• BOT Memo (DOCX)
Trustee Liaison
Smith
Monday, January 7, 2019
Staff Contact
Chris Stilling, Community Development
Updated: 1/3/2019 3:54 PM
Page 1
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2.C.a
VILLAGEF
R(w'° F LOB GROVE
DATE: January 7, 2019
TO: President Beverly Sussman and Board Trustees
FROM: Christopher Stilling, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT: Prairie View Metra Station Plan Update
nark'r.Rrll Min
im
The Village continues to work with the planning consultant, Ratio, on the Prairie View Metra Station
Area Plan. The consultant team is in the process of completing the draft plan for the Village's review.
Below is an update on the project and a timeline for completion.
PROJECT STATUS
Existing Conditions Report
As previously discussed with the Village Board last fall, Ratio completed the Existing Conditions Report
which includes an overview and discussion on community outreach, land use, transportation, as well as
market and economic analyses. The report can be found by clicking here. This report is an interim
document intended to establish a baseline understanding of the Metra Station Area. It represents an
accumulation of several months of research, analysis, and public outreach activities. The project team
will build off of the Report's findings to create a vision and plan for the future of the area.
Draft Plan
Ratio is currently in the final stages of completing the Draft Plan. The Draft Plan will include the
following components:
1. Introduction and Community Outreach
2. Goals and Concepts
3. Land Use and Development
4. Transportation and Infrastructure
5. Open Space and Sustainability
6. Implementation Matrix
Once the Draft Plan has been completed, the consultant team anticipates the following tentative
schedule for review and completion:
Deliverable
Timeline
Draft Plan presented to the Steering Committee
Late January
Draft Plan presented at a Public Open House
Mid/Late February
Draft Plan presented to the Village Board Committee of the Whole
March 4, 2019 (Tentative)
Final Plan & Public Hearing before the Planning & Zoning Commission
March/April 2019
Final Plan presented to the Village Board
April 15, 2019 (Tentative)
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2.D
Information Item : Community Engagement Manager Update
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Recommendation of Action pp
ll
N/A.
Staff is seeking feedback on how to move forward with the Community Engagement Manager as it has an
impact on the RFP for the Comprehensive Plan Update to be released next month.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Community Engagement Manager January COW (DOCX)
• Community Engagement Manager Background Memo (PDF)
Trustee Liaison Staff Contact
Sussman Jenny Maltas, Office of the Village Manager
Monday, January 7, 2019
Updated: 1/3/2019 4:00 PM Page 1
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2.D.a
NA 1, L AGE )F
MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 3, 2019
TO: Village President Beverly Sussman and Board of Trustees
FROM: Dane C. Bragg, Village Manager
Jennifer I. Maltas, Deputy Village Manager
SUBJECT: Comprehensive Plan/Community Engagement Manager Update
Policy uin
How should staff proceed with the integration of community engagement and the comprehensive plan
RFP?
Prior to the 2019 budget adoption, staff provided the Village Board with a memo, which reviewed the
history of discussions and goals regarding community engagement. This memo included a the initial
stages of the discussion focusing on what community engagement is all the way up to the October
Committee of the Whole where the Village Board prioritized goals that were a result of the Citizen
Survey in 2017. That memo is attached for reference purposes.
This memo will outline three options for the Village Board to choose from in order to move forward in
2019. Staff is seeking direction in January as the decision impacts the Comprehensive Plan RFP that will
go out in February 2019.
NEM
Begin the process of hiring the Community Engagement Manager in order for the individual chosen for
the position to be up to date and able to work directly with the Community Development Department
and the community during the Comprehensive Plan Update Process. It also includes moving quickly at
the beginning of the year on researching and implementing an online community engagement portal
that would be used to seek feedback for the Comprehensive Planning Process.
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2.D.a
The original work plan for Year 1 of the Community Engagement Manager consists of the following
activities and hours:
Staff anticipated utilizing a "train the trainer" approach to train the Community Engagement Manager,
who would then train facilitators within the organization. Approximately 40 facilitators are needed for
the entire organization and each department must be represented.
In this scenario, staff estimates approximately $35,000 in savings on the Comprehensive Plan
consultants as the Village would have an individual on staff to handle engagement. Additionally, this
plan includes an additional $6,000 in savings by having the individual in the position complete the e-
news.
Based on initial research, it is anticipated that depending on the software chosen for online citizen
engagement, $15,000 - $30,000 would be spent on year 1 software implementation costs. The cost will
be dependent on both the functionality of the software chosen and integration costs of the platform
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2.D.a
with our existing software/systems (such as the website). Staff would review software options and their
functionality and associated costs with the Village Board prior to selecting a vendor.
The pros of this scenario include keeping the relationships that the Community Engagement Manager
builds in-house after the Comprehensive Plan Update is over as well as introducing the community
engagement software to the community so they are familiar with it (versus using a platform that the
Comprehensive Plan consultants own). Additionally, there are many other tasks and projects that the
Community Engagement Manager will complete throughout the year that will increase the Village's
contact and feedback points with the community. The biggest cons of this scenario are the cost of the
Community Engagement Manager position long-term and the need to make a decision quickly.
Option
Option 2 includes moving forward with the Comprehensive Plan without a Community Engagement
Manager, but moving forward with the engagement software piece. In this scenario, existing staff
would evaluate various software options and purchase and deploy the software in time for the public
feedback portions of the Comprehensive Plan. The engagement piece of the project would be
contracted out to the consultant chosen for the Comprehensive Plan. The contractor would then use
the Village's platform to collect feedback.
The pro of this scenario is it allows for more time to make a decision on the rollout of a Community
Engagement Manager position but would allow for the Village to keep the data and contacts made
through the engagement software. It would also be an opportunity for the community to interact with a
software portal and get used to the look and feel of the software the Village will use into the future. The
con in this scenario is that the relationship -building piece of the engagement would not occur in-house
but through a contractor — the Village would simply have the contact information of people involved in
the process through the software.
Option
Option 3 is to move forward with the Comprehensive Plan Update and handle it the same way the
Prairie View Station Area Plan and Lake Cook Road Corridor Market Study and Plan were handled. The
consultant would be responsible for the community engagement piece and any software used. Staff
would provide a support role to ensure the consultant had the contacts and context needed for the
project. In this scenario, discussions regarding the Community Engagement Manager and any software
needed for community engagement would take place later in the year and would be separate and apart
from the Comprehensive Plan process.
The pro in this scenario is that it gives the Village Board more time to consider options and goal
alignment related to community engagement. The cons are similar to option 2 in that after the
Comprehensive Plan Update is over, the relationships and the contacts made by the consultant leave
with the consultant.
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2.D.a
Staff is seeking feedback on which option the Village Board would like to move forward with. The option
chosen will be incorporated into the RFP for the Comprehensive Plan Update, which, as noted above,
will be released in February of 2019.
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2.D.b
BUFFALO CRO"VE
MEMORANDUM
DATE: November 21, 2018
TO: Village President Beverly Sussman and Board of Trustees
FROM: Dane C. Bragg, Village Manager
Jennifer I. Maltas, Deputy Village Manager
SUBJECT: Community Engagement Manager
Policymm m n.
Should the Village Board allocate $100,000 toward the employment of a community engagement
manager for the 2019 budget? Are there other options that would achieve desired results and be more
cost effective? Can the initiative be absorbed within the current staffing structure within the Office of
the Village Manager?
Summary Recommendation
Based on analysis of the desired outcomes of the program, availability of staff hours to achieve
identified goals, the resources currently available to the organization for engagement activities and a
desire to have an embedded presence within the ranks of the Village's employee team, staff
recommends that the Village Board approve the allocation as originally presented and further considers
the exploration of a shared service program. This memorandum provides background research and
information which supports the recommended approach.
Staff finds that the original work plan and/or the shared service model approaches would yield the
highest return on investment (assuming the strategic goals remain unchanged). Staff recommends
further exploration of the shared service model to evaluate its viability. Staff recommends retaining the
resource allocation in the budget, researching the preferred options and revisiting the program with the
Village Board in early 2019 before any resources are expended.
If the Village Board does not support the recommended approach or would like to further explore
alternate approaches, staff recommends revisiting the community engagement goals and timeline in the
first quarter of 2019 to establish reasonable expectations to achieve the stated goals.
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2.D.b
Background
The information provided in this memo will provide an overview of the request for a Community
Engagement Manager position and will also provide background on previous discussions and existing
resources the Village currently expends on engagement activities. The memo will also address programs
other communities have implemented through a dedicated community engagement resource.
What is IF"rigeger�ineiurif?
In 2016, the Village Board directed Village Manager Bragg to develop a report regarding community
engagement. The report, Attachment A, was presented in December of 2016 and was an overview of
community engagement and the Village's historical approach regarding citizen engagement.
Citizen engagement is often defined as "the ability and incentive for ordinary people to come together,
deliberate and take action on problems or issues that they themselves have defined as important." At
its core, citizen engagement includes three actions:
• Exchanging information, dialogue and data pertinent to an issue facing a defined community;
• The development of problem -solving approaches to issues perceived to be important to a
defined community; and
• A decision making framework that incorporates the data points gleaned from the exchange of
information.
Citizen engagement may occur either directly or indirectly, however, more recent approaches favor
direct interaction. A key foundation of citizen engagement is moving from the exchange activities (those
that simply provide information and increase transparency) to the engagement activities (those that
involve a higher level of interaction in the problem -solving process).
In analyzing historical engagement in the community, it was noted the Village typically completes some
type of engagement when working on a specific project (large scale planning & large construction
projects) but does not actively engage its residents in other matters. The Village typically pushes out
information to residents through the website, E-News, Village News, social media, etc. but does not
generally engage residents in dialogue regarding Village priorities.
Villllllll:-gym Board Goalll lifiag IlllIi ores
As the first step to understanding the community needs and providing engagement activities, in 2017
the Village Board approved funding for a community wide survey. Staff implemented this survey using
the services of the National Research Center's National Citizen Survey (results are Attachment B). Part of
the survey process was to complete a next steps workshop in order to take a deeper dive into results
and identify Village priorities.
In February of 2018, senior staff and Trustees Johnson and Weidenfeld participated in the next steps
workshop facilitated by the National Resource Center (results of workshop are Attachment C). The
three main priorities that came out of the workshop were Economic Development, Communications,
and Volunteerism. Under each area, the main theme was that the Village needed to do more to
communicate with and engage residents. The results of this workshop were presented at the February
2018 Committee of the Whole meeting. At that time, the Village Board wanted more time to review the
results and provide feedback.
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2.D.b
At the August Committee of the Whole meeting, staff provided a memo (Attachment D) which
condensed the results of the next steps workshop and provided an overview of 20 strategies that were
developed during the workshop. Each strategy was identified with a cost (low, moderate, high) and a
time frame (short-, mid- and long-term). The Village Board was asked if they were comfortable with the
strategies or had ideas about additional strategies to be considered. Staff then stated that the Village
Board would be polled on the strategies and asked to prioritize the strategies.
During September, the Village Board was polled and asked to rank all strategies. This data was then
analyzed and the top 6 strategies were presented to the Village Board at the October Committee of the
Whole meeting (memo is Attachment E). The top 6 strategies were as follows (and listed in terms of
priority):
1. Redesign the website to make attractive to a greater variety of users: This strategy is at the
center of the current website refresh. The current website does not meet the standards of a
modern, user -focused website. It lacks robust search functions, contains erroneous
information, as well as non -intuitive information architecture. The village's website
development team is designing the new website to be structured in a way that is focused on a
greater variety of users.
2. Education/outreach about economic development: This strategy focuses on educating
interested parties who may not have active involvement in local government. This includes
engaging and providing information to those who may not actively participate in local
government. Although there are few direct costs associated with this additional engagement, it
will require a great investment of time by elected officials and staff to build new relationships in
the community.
3. Work to dispel the rumor mill: This strategy is being executed as part of the ongoing website
refresh. Staff intends to develop a blog or standing page on the new website specifically
designed to correct misinformation in the community. An example blog entry would clarify the
Village of Buffalo Grove's ability to redevelop the car dealerships on Dundee Road.
4. Develop a more productive feedback loop for resident opinion: Strategies to address this item
have been included in the Communications Plan and are also related to enhanced engagement
with residents. The plan seeks to improve the two-way communication between the village and
its residents versus the one way communications we use now such as social media, E-News, etc.
5. Work to increase the diversity of residents serving on boards and commissions: The
demographics of the Village of Buffalo Grove have evolved over time. However, the current
volunteer corps does not reflect the diverse racial, ethnic, and generational makeup of the
village. In order to implement this strategy, village representatives must build relationships with
underrepresented groups. This process will require first the research of best practices targeted
to each unique demographic in the Village and then implementation of those strategies.
6. Focus more on video -based programming: This strategy has been included in the
Communications Plan. Short, mobile -friendly video content has become a popular
communications method many municipalities have utilized. The Public Works, Police, and Fire
Department have begun experimenting with this new communications method with great
success. There are nominal direct costs as well as staff time required in the production of video
content.
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2.D.b
Staff included an implementation section which stated that funds would be programmed into the
budget to enhance video programming. Staff also stated that a Community Engagement Manager
would be added to the budget specifically to address the priorities of the Village Board, more specifically
to focus on Strategy 4 above (enhance two-way communications with residents), but also integral to
achieving all of the goals identified by the Village Board.
Cost of 11xislin IIII nga enien(,
The most recent engagement activities have been through the Lake Cook Road Corridor plan and the
Prairie View Station Plan. Engagement for the Lake Cook Corridor plan totaled $56,119, which
represented 23 percent of the total cost of project. Prairie View Station Plan is under way; however, a
a
engagement is estimated to be 15 percent of the total cost of the project which equates to $7,400. E
0
Based on this history, it is anticipated that the Comprehensive Plan cost will be approximately $200,000 v
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(and probably more with corridor studies included) and engagement activities will reflect approximately
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20 percent of the cost, which is $40,000.
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Even though these projects had specific funding for engagement professionals, staff had to dedicate w
time to reaching out to other entities to share information about upcoming events and work to increase
participation at public meetings. If an internal Community Engagement Manager were in place, he or
E
she would have the relationships and networks in place to encourage and enhance participation in these E
projects and drive down the costs of both external and internal work to increase turnout and 0
engagement in the project. Enhanced engagement leads to increased public participation in the 0
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decision -making process. s
During budget presentation, it was noted the Police Department is ranked highly in the area of
community engagement and communications. The Police Department has three full-time sworn officers
specifically dedicated to engagement, marketing, and communications in the community (Officers Mills,
Hansen and Cholewa). Beginning January 1, 2019 the salary for an officer at the top of the range (which
is 2 of the 3 officers) is 104,642.72. When benefits (including health insurance and pensions) are added
it is approximately an additional 60% in salary. Thus, total resources allocated to community
engagement within the Police Department are approximately $500,000. It should be noted that the
focus of the Police Department's activities are generally more focused and deliberate than an
organization -wide strategy, mainly due to the national issue of building trust between community and
law enforcement.
Allocatioiva of i°kne ....
1
To gain a better
understanding of the
allocation of time by
current staff in the
Office of the Village
Manager, an analysis
of historical time
usage was completed
by position. Activities
Allocation of Hours by Category
Paid Time OLegislative
Off .................... 12%Supportrerereng8dd�llllll 21%
Professional
Development /
Outreach
7%
.................
Shared Services
7%
�................ Community
Outreach
10%
General
Administration
43%
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2.D.b
were further divided by discretionary/non-discretionary uses of time. The following information
provides background on staff activities and the balance of time utilized for various programs/projects.
As shown in the chart above, general administration activities utilize the largest share of staff time
(43%), followed by legislative support (21%), community outreach (10%), shared services (7%) and
professional development/outreach (7%). Paid time off for holidays and vacation were also included in
the analysis. A full listing of the activities for each of the categories may be found in Attachment F.
Staff also plotted
discretionary vs. non -
discretionary time.
Non -discretionary
time was categorized
as 1) essential to the
operation, or 2)
contractually bound
obligations requiring
staff attention
(statutory or core
service related). Staff
identified 840 hours
of discretionary time.
The highest value
internal discretionary program is strategic plan management (170 hours) and the highest value external
program is ILCMA/IAMMA activities (225 hours). Overall, 86 percent of staff time is non -discretionary.
The following table shows the hours allocated for discretionary activities on an annual basis.
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2.D.b
Of the discretionary hours identified, approximately 300 hours could be realigned to provide capacity for
community engagement activities, equating to 5-6 hours per week, spread across three employees'.
The following table provides examples of the shift in activities:
In summary, 15 percent of time resources allocated to the new Community Engagement Manager
position could be realigned from existing staff time resources. Staff provides limited analysis in this
memorandum of other approaches to offset allocated hours (e.g. outsourcing certain activities,
reprioritizing work plans, etc.) under the Alternate Scenarios section.
Examples of Community. Engagement
Community engagement activities have come to the forefront of local government operations in recent
years. A recent journal article from the National Civic League (Attachment G) highlights the various
ways communities across America are using community engagement to enhance discussion of
community issues, establish priorities and allocate resources. In addition to the article, staff highlighted
two communities with similar demographic/socioeconomic profiles (Fort Collins, CO and Kirkland, WA)
as well as a nearby suburb to show what is happening in the Chicago market (Evanston). A brief
summary of each follows.
' Of the hours considered for realignment, the majority of time is expended by the Assistant to the Village Manager and the
Deputy Village Manager. Less than 20 percent of the time is allocated to the Village Manager position.
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2.D.b
01 o IIII : iur Ufllll llll ii iins, Col o uir ao
The City of Fort Collins highly values public engagement. Their processes provide opportunities for
people to participate in the conversation, to learn, and to work with others, not just provide input. Fort
Collins's Communications and Public Involvement Office provides information to residents and the
media on city government and services. The office produces the city's utility bill insert City News,
provides information for the city's web site, fcgov.com, organizes special events, and produces
programming for FCTV. The department likewise oversee the "It's Your I My I Our City" program which
utilizes the Bang the Table platform. Bang the Table is an engagement -focused technology firm that
offers two applications to address citizen engagement: The Budget Allocator offers standard budget
simulation and resource allocation comparison, while EngagementHQ offers content moderation and
multimedia (e.g. video upload) storytelling by participants.
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I111 1 1 �, �w - Get engaged in some of the Cit s
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Key Dates
OCt City Council Work Session
23
Nov FoCocreates Public
09 Engagement Closes
Nov City Council Work Session-
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The City of Kirkland strives to place residents at the center of policy making. One of the goals approved
by the City Council is to enhance resident and business engagement in Kirkland through community -
based initiatives that foster a safe, inclusive and welcoming City and a love of Kirkland. This goal was a
key tenet of the 2017-2018 City Work Program. In an effort to increase awareness of the budget and
increase participation in the budget process, staff created an engagement and outreach plan to collect
further community input to supplement the results of the Community Survey. Finance & Administration
Department and the City Manager's Office staff collaborated to develop a simple, interactive budget
exercise, which functioned similar to a board game. The focus of the budget exercise centered on the
relative priorities for the programs and services the City provides. In total, Kirkland staff conducted 195
individual budget exercises. The Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership
conferred upon the City a Gold Public Engagement Award in recognition of the City's efforts toward
public engagement.
City of IIII„vanskwiii, iIIIIIIun.oiiiv
The Community Engagement Division of the City Manager's Office provides information to and solicits
feedback from the public on a broad range of programs, services, issues and policies. The Division also
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2.D.b
plans and conducts public relations programs, activities and special events which maintain a favorable
public image for the City. This division was formed as an effort to standardize the public information
duties of the non -emergency departments. Currently, the division manages fifty-seven e-newsletters as
well as numerous informational videos. The division oversees the annual Community Engagement
Program which is an intergovernmental and interdepartmental effort to educate residents regarding the
services available to them. Evanston has made it a strategic propriety to be an inclusive community.
The Equity and Empowerment Coordinator works in conjunction with this division to insure the fairness
of government services. The Community Engagement Division has a total proposed budget of
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$1,145,000 and 5.00 FTEs for FY2019.
a
a
As evidenced above, there are a number of ways to allocate resources and prioritize program E
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characteristics based on community need, demographic makeup and the use of technology. These v
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examples are provided only to show a sample of possible approaches, the article from the National Civic
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League provides a more robust description of possible activities.
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Work Play
The original work plan for Year One of the Community Engagement Manager consisted of the following '
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activities and hours: ;_
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2.D.b
Staff anticipated utilizing a "train the trainer" approach to train the Community Engagement Manager,
who would then train facilitators within the organization. Approximately 40 facilitators are needed for
the entire organization and each department must be represented.
Altet-nate Scenarios
Staff further brainstormed alternate scenarios based on the Village Board's inquiries and comments
about the program. The following graphic shows discussion points related to these ideas. It should be
noted that these concepts are merely conjecture at this point, any decided path would require further
study, vetting of cost proposals and consideration by the Village Board before proceeding.
•Benefits: no recruitment or implementation ramp -up
*Costs: high cost, lack of embedded resource organization -wide, is there a firm that can carry out the full
scope?
-Consideration: consultant cost estimated $100,000 - $125,000, need to add outsource training (estimated
$50,000), community engagement for comprehensive plan update ($35,000)
*Explore partnership with Buffalo Grove Park District to share the staffing resource and program
•Benefits: mutual constituencies, overlap of community issues - could be beneficial to both,
reduces overall cost
*Costs: some loss of control, could slow down lead times on certain priorities
*Use current workflow to manage on a case -by -case basis
*Benefits: low cost, provides some outlet for community participation
*Costs: does not timely achieve community or Board goals, substantially extends implementation
timeline, does not address community issues that are not project -based
-Benefits: no additional resource allocation
-Costs: may "steer" certain issues where resources are already allocated (e.g. Police), substantially
extends implementation timeline, need to add outsource training (estimated $50,000), becomes
secondary priority, may require amendment of Strategic Plan in order to achieve goals
In conclusion, staff finds that the original work plan and/or the shared service model approaches would
yield the highest return on investment (assuming the strategic goals remain unchanged). Staff
recommends further exploration of the shared service model to evaluate its viability. Staff recommends
retaining the resource allocation in the budget, researching the preferred options and revisiting the
program with the Village Board in early 2019 before any resources are expended. The main factor
driving a decision on the program structure is the in-house or outsourced Comprehensive Plan
engagement strategy.
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Attachment
Village of Buffalo Grove
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 20
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline mi2A.bil
Executive Summary
Citizen engagement is often defined as "the ability and incentive for ordinary people to come
together, deliberate and take action on problems or issues that they themselves have defined as
important." At its core, citizen engagement includes three actions:
• Exchanging information, dialogue and data pertinent to an issue facing a defined
community;
• The development of problem -solving approaches to issues perceived to be important to
a defined community; and
• A decision making framework that incorporates the data points gleaned from the
exchange of information.
Citizen engagement may occur either directly or indirectly, however, more recent approaches
favor direct interaction. A key foundation of citizen engagement is moving from the exchange
activities (those that simply provide information and increase transparency) to the engagement
activities (those that involve a higher level of interaction in the problem -solving process).
There are a number of factors to consider in developing a citizen engagement strategy,
including:
• Who are we trying to engage?
• What resources are available to engage the community?
• What possible channels could be developed to increase resident interaction?
• Is the organization ready (both elected officials and staff) for a cultural shift to
facilitative leadership, community collaboration and ownership of results?
• Is the community prepared to actively participate in facilitative leadership, community
collaboration and ownership of results?
• What level of investment in human and financial capital is required to achieve the
desired engagement strategy?
• What is the desired timeline to achieve milestones, and how will we know when we
have arrived?
For purposes of this analysis, staff assumed that a "citizen" may be a resident, business owner,
or member of a community organization. This report provides a snapshot of possible
engagement strategy components collected from other municipal governments and academic
research developed through the International City/County Management Association. The
purpose of this report is to educate the Village Board on the components and mission of civic
engagement, as well as challenges to implementation that could be expected. Ultimately, if the
Village Board chooses to pursue a citizen engagement strategy, a number of items would need
to be prioritized before developing and adopting a preferred plan.
December, 2016
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Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline MI2A.b11
Citizen Eingagerneint iiin Buffalo Grove
The Village of Buffalo Grove has been comprised of an involved populace since its establishment
in 1958. Originally having a fairly homogenous demographic profile, many of the community's
social interactions revolved around civic life (provision of infrastructure and basic services) and
family/religious life. The longstanding presence of St. Mary's Catholic Church in the original
community of Buffalo Grove affected the background of families that settled here, as well as the
ensuing social network that developed. Over the last 50 years, the Village has become one of
the most diverse communities in the Chicago metropolitan area, hosting dozens of native
languages and dialects, ethnicities and religions. The community is generally well educated and
successful.
As the Lake County part of the Village developed, home styles, income levels and customer
preferences changed, creating a dichotomous community —the established, post-war homes of
Cook County and "Old Lake County' against the backdrop of larger footprint suburban homes.
The change in housing styles and preferences had the positive impact of increasing home values
in the area, while members of the established portion of Buffalo Grove felt that the community
was changing in a way inconsistent with its original design.
While this development trend was occurring, the Village's status as a center for the highest
quality public education evolved. As a result, many of the networking opportunities provided to
residents (particularly those with school -age children) focused on public schools and related
activities such as youth sports, parent -teacher organizations and scholastic programs. To
further complicate the issue, the Village is served by six independent school districts, with no
overlap between the Cook County and Lake County portions of the Village.
As a result of these and other factors, the Village's population is often segmented by a number
of characteristics, including:
• Ethnic/cultural background;
• Cook County/Lake County residency;
• Subdivision; and
• Socioeconomic (income, education).
Past Practice
The Village's historical approach to citizen engagement activities has been primarily project- or
planning -oriented endeavors. Modifications or additions to the Comprehensive Plan, as well as
special area plans, have generally used the highest level of overall engagement activities with
respect to exchanging data, developing problem -solving approaches and mapping out a
decision -making framework. While these efforts have been inclusive of a number of ideas
presented by the larger community, the typical interactions are limited to those willing to take
time to attend open houses or public meetings and to express comment. With a project -driven
engagement strategy, the engagement period is finite, limited generally to the timeline of the
project itself.
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 22
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline MI2.D.b11
The Village has also used the open house format for a number of infrastructure projects over
the years, including several roadway expansion projects in Lake County, such as the widening of
Lake Cook Road.
The most recent engagement process involved the development of the Economic Development
Strategic Plan, which included a steering committee (task force) with representatives from the
business community, education system, local government and citizen representatives. This
process was generally regarded as positive, although there were limited interactions with the
broader community due to the volume of data to be reviewed and deliberated. To date, the
plan's recommendations have been widely adopted and continue to be developed.
The Village has developed social media tools (Facebook, Linkedln) to reach a wider audience of
potential participants in the aforementioned activities, as well as to solicit volunteers,
encourage attendance at public events and to provide general news and information about the
Village and the community. The launch of social media presence has been well received, and
many residents have expressed gratitude to the Village for making information publicly
available. Currently, the Village's Facebook page has 1,911 "likes." The Village also launched its
transparency portal and mapping applications on its website in 2014. These applications
provide robust search capabilities and a significant volume of public records available instantly.
The information provided through these channels is not "real time."
The Village has maintained an email newsletter for a number of years, compiled by staff and
transmitted each Thursday. The newsletter includes articles of general interest, events
occurring in the community, safety reminders and the like. Currently, there are 2,789
subscribers to the E-News.
The Village has maintained a local access cable channel, available to AT&T and Comcast
subscribers, for several years. Village Board meetings are aired the day after the meeting, as
well as slides with general information. There has been no specific programming schedule for
the channel for a number of years. The information on the channel is generally not timely and
does not change frequently.
Nlanned Engagement
ent
As part of the Lake Cook Road Corridor Plan and Market Study, the staff team worked with HOK
Group and its sub -consultants to develop a number of citizen engagement tools, including an
online input and dialog platform and audience participation tools. This will be the first time
these methods have been used to reach a broader segment of the community than the
traditionally civic -involved residents. The citizen engagement portion of this project is
scheduled to substantially occur in 2017.
The community has a number of organizations that are generally issue -specific in their nature,
and focused on solving identified problems or challenges within their defined community. A few
examples of those organizations include:
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 23
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline MI2.D.b11
• Environmental Action Team, focused on water quality, waste stream reduction, energy
efficiency;
• Blood Donor Committee, encourages and administers blood donations for public health;
• Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove, provides local grants for education, literacy, public safety,
assistance to needy families;
• Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, a business networking and support
entity primarily focused on independent businesses; and
• Lions Club, provides services for elderly individuals, community service projects.
Each of these organizations (and many others) have built a social network of individuals with like
interests/values and pursuits. While each group tends to have its own focus, they represent
established citizen networks that can be leveraged to encourage engagement and meaningful
dialogue about community issues.
A recent addition to the social media network in the area is the NextDoor app, which segments
subscribers by their geographic location or neighborhood. Several subdivisions in Buffalo Grove
have established "neighborhoods" in this app environment. Further, the platform allows cross -
posting of information for residents to learn and deliberate issues that may be of interest to a
larger audience. To date, the Village has not established a presence in the NextDoor
environment.
Figure 1— NextDoor Communities in or near Buffalo Grove
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December, 2016
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Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline mi2.D.bil
What Can Citizen Engagement Do?
Citizen engagement is a process designed to harness the "civic intelligence" of a local population
to achieve certain ends. Generally, civic engagement can accomplish one or more of the
following:
• Dis-in term ediate. This term refers to removing the middleman from the decision -
making process. In this case, a unit of local government would be the identified
middleman. Using the power of available information via the internet and open data
sources, dis-intermediation brings a group of individuals together to research, debate
and develop solutions, policies or demands regarding a specific topic. The advantage of
disintermediation is "direct democracy," where ideas are not filtered but delivered to
the policy body in a more raw state. The disadvantage of disintermediation is it may
encourage louder voices to prevail on issues deemed important to a specific
constituency. Dis-intermediation has been most widely seen in larger, national settings,
by groups like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter. While these activities have
not necessarily been applied at the local level, they have indirect effects on
governmental activities such as community policing and transparency.
• Fill a gap. Citizen platforms can be used to collect data, analyze, deliberate and marshal
resources to solve an identified problem or issue. Issues can be as simple as identifying
sources for disposal of specialized recyclable materials to complex systems to organize
during times of emergency or crisis. The advantage of this approach is the ability to
harness volunteer efforts and intelligence to solve a problem, while a disadvantage can
be mixed messages if information is not properly vetted and managed. An example
could include the clean water initiatives undertaken by the Buffalo Grove Environmental
Action Team. At the local level, these activities may harness intellectual capital and
financial resources that may not be within reach of local government.
• Right a wrong. A citizen group may initiate a platform to fight corruption or correct
what is considered a violation of government's commitment to its people. Notable
efforts in this realm on the state and national level have included the development of
applications/platforms that improve access to public records. Also, environmental
advocates may utilize this channel to support or oppose certain initiatives.
In reviewing the potential for citizen engagement by the Village, it appears that the dis-
intermediation and gap -filling opportunities present the greatest potential. There hasn't been a
significant effort toward the third objective since the Land & Lakes/water challenge during
2009-2010, where the actions of a single citizen did significantly change and adversely impact
the dynamic of public involvement with local government.
Spectrum of Gtizeini Engagement
The International Association for Public Participation has developed a table showing the
spectrum of citizen participation activities, organized by level of involvement, as shown below:
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 25
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline m, 2 D bil
Figure 2 — IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum
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In the table above, the rows describe the intended outcome of each type of exchange or
engagement, while the columns show the level of engagement from lowest to highest. It is
important to manage the expectations for each group of stakeholders when designing an
engagement strategy, as each participant will choose to engage at his or her desired level.
Pateint4lll Pi°f°fIlllllls
Potential pitfalls or gaps that are common to any engagement strategy include the lack of
measures to determine effectiveness, not enough electronic channels for engagement, a
deficiency in embedding engagement across service units or projects (creating unpredictability
and reducing trust in the process), and the inability to connect with and engage a diverse cross
section of the defined community. In addition, there are significant challenges in competing for
others' time to commit to engagement.
Managing expectations of the level of involvement and impact any one person or group of
people will have on the outcome of a specific issue requires skill and tact.
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 26
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline M12A.b11
Outline -f it Citizen Engagement
The outline below depicts a progression of decisions to be made in pursuing an engagement
strategy. There are a number of alternate scenarios in developing an actual plan, based on
Village Board and public preference. Thus, the outline is presented at the conceptual level.
1. Determine readiness for citizen engagement
a. Survey elected officials
b. Survey staff
c
c. Survey boards/commissions/committees
Q.
d. Baseline of how effective we are today
o
e. Understand the receptiveness of various groups (internal/external) to
t�
community -driven engagement
E
E
2. Develop mission (below are ideas)
a. Educate
M
c
b. Participate
L,
c. Connect
_
d. Dialogue
E
E
e. Trust
G
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f. Decision -making
c
3. Define levels of desired citizen engagement (from inform to empower) by type of issue
E
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a. Ongoing/general topics
b. Specific (Village) projects
c. Community projects/initiatives
0
d. Regional issues
U
4. Define audience
m
a. Who is participating now?
b. Who are we trying to reach?
c. What are they looking for?
d. Are there identified leaders in this area already?
E
5. Define desired platforms for engagement
a. Current structure
M
c
b. Expansion/development of current platforms
W,
c. New platforms needed or wanted
3
d. Use of existing social networks in the community
E
e. Implementation milestones
v
6. Define resource allocations
a. Staff development/training needed
c
E
b. Elected/appointed official training
c. Engagement platforms and costs
�a
a
i. Face-to-face
ii. Electronic
7. Prioritize topics for engagement
a. Community dialogue
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 27
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline ml2A.bil
b. Citizen survey questions?
c. What information is currently available?
d. What information should be made available?
8. Develop tailored strategies for each project/issue (examples below)
a. Face-to-face
i. Focus group/task force
ii. Innovation teams
iii. Citizen academy
iv. Pop-up village hall
v. Citizen science
vi. Civic hacking
b. Electronic
i. Usability testing
ii. Civic upsell
iii. Open data
iv. Next Generation 911
v. Design -centered web services
vi. Crowdsourcing
vii. Public data dashboard
9. Develop Success Measures
a. Are we reaching the intended population?
b. Are we encouraging dialogue and debate?
c. Is the process adding value to decision -making?
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 28
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline R2A.b11
Summary
This report provides a small snapshot of the factors to consider in developing a citizen
engagement strategy. Fundamentally, adopting a citizen engagement approach creates a
paradigm shift in the way in which we interact with our constituents, with a major emphasis on
expanding outreach and dialogue opportunities well in advance of the policymaking function.
Staff anticipates that the adoption and buildout of a full citizen engagement strategy will require
a 3-5 year commitment to realize its full potential. If the Village Board wishes to explore this
concept further, a budget will also be prepared for review before making any long-term
commitments to the process.
December, 2016
Packet Pg. 29
Citizen Engagement Strategy Outline mo2A.bil
Additional Reading:
(onned,ed Corni'nuriiLic,s� oca� Govc.,,nni,nen��s as a Dartrici, In arld
C,'orr�i1uncfy E(:,H(,flng,
C L i en E n g4g� n e n L ,'I Yi (:i j L,) I 1 c a i, ��: I' ra L I (�) n r� e ra � A S SE' S S r i'] E! [I L
\Lk' ked [��i �v, PM Magazine, August 2013
December, 2016
L Packet Pg. 30
77-
N R C
2955 Valmont Road Suite 300
Boulder, Colorado 80301
n-r-c.corn * 303-444-7863
Attachment B
Leaders at the Core, of Better Communities
777 North Capitol Street NE Suite 500
Washington, DC 20002
icrna.org * 800-745-8780
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The National Citizen SurveyTM (The NCSTM) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc. (NRC)
and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The survey and its administration are
standardized to assure high quality research methods and directly comparable results across The NCS
communities. The NCS captures residents' opinions within the three pillars of a community (Community
Characteristics, Governance and Participation) across eight central facets of community (Safety, Mobility, Natural
Environment, Built Environment, Economy, Recreation and Wellness, Education and Enrichment and
Community Engagement). This report summarizes Buffalo Grove's performance in the eight facets of community
livability with the "General" rating as a summary of results from the overarching questions not shown within any
of the eight facets. The "Overall" represents the community pillar in its entirety (the eight facets and general).
By summarizing resident ratings across the eight facets and three pillars of a livable community, a picture of
Buffalo Grove's community livability emerges. Below, the color of each community facet summarizes how
residents rated each of the pillars that support it — Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation.
When most ratings were higher than the benchmark, the color is the darkest shade; when most ratings were lower
than the benchmark, the color is the lightest shade. A mix of ratings (higher and lower than the benchmark)
results in a color between the extremes.
Overall, ratings for dimensions of livability were similar to other communities across the nation. Broadly, ratings
about the community's characteristics across most of the facets were stronger than were ratings of governance or
citizen engagement. This information can be helpful in identifying the areas that merit more attention.
Legend
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The Village of Buffalo Grove, Illinois conducted the National Citizen Survey in June of 2018. The National Citizen
Survey (The NCSTM), conducted by National Research Center, Inc., was developed to provide communities an
accurate, affordable and easy way to assess and interpret resident opinion about important local topics.
Results offer insight into residents' perspectives about the community as a whole, including local amenities,
services, public trust, resident participation and other aspects of the community in order to support budgeting,
land use and strategic planning and communication with residents. Results from the Buffalo Grove NCS are
presented in separate reports.
Eleven department heads, administrators and village officials from Buffalo Grove convened on February 5, 2018
to review the survey results and work together to debrief the survey results, identify areas of community focus and
develop potential strategies that the Village could pursue to increase the quality of life in Buffalo Grove. The
survey and workshop were conducted to provide the Village of Buffalo Grove with a systematic sounding of
resident opinion to assist in its strategic planning.
113& o Grove NSW llte u t
Packet Pg. 37
2.D.b
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Workshop participants were first asked their opinions about the community through a series of exercises. The
first question asked participants to list the words they would use to describe the village of Buffalo Grove.
Participants were overwhelmingly positive about their hometown.
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The second question posed to participants asked what made Buffalo Grove unique in comparison to other cities in
the region and across the state.
• •M M- WIT9 =0 I • •
• Great education opportunities combined
with lots of open space to draw people
• We are not unique other than the cachet of
the schools
• Nothing
• Strong demographics with potential in Lake
County
• Family friendly
• Good blend of education, parks, and
services
• Low debt verses service levels
• Fiscally prudent
• Excellent schools
• Large areas for development
• Low crime,
• Quality village services
• High standard of living with high levels of
public service
• Open space and natural areas
Packet Pg. 38
2.D.b
The third exercise asked participants to think about Buffalo Grove as it is today and, if given a magic wand, what
one thing would they change.
• Move the southern border of Lake County
about a mile south
• Be accepting of change, see the future,
appreciate the resources available to and
expended on quality of life
• Unique restaurant opportunities
• More commercial/industrial land, especially
in Lake County
• More to do: restaurants, shopping
• Better balance of bedroom community and
destination for BG residents and residents of
other area communities
• More economic opportunities
• Eliminate car dealership vacancies
• A down town area connected with a train
station
• Traffic flow, empty businesses
• Lack of an identified downtown area to draw
visitors/customers
• Financial position in general- more
specifically infrastructure
• Entertainment opportunities
• Eliminate the Lake County verses Cook
County bias
As part of the community visioning process participants also were asked how they thought residents in nearby
communities would describe Buffalo Grove and what amenities they wanted to make sure to protect in their
community as they moved forward. These responses are included in Figures 4 and 5.
• You might live there but you wouldn't visit
it.
• Expensive, sometimes snooty.
• Good schools, nice neighborhoods. Quiet.
• Nothing going on - no nightlife or activities
AFTER DARK.
• Bedroom community
• Quiet community
• Safe and quiet community with good schools
• Nice place to live, but not to shop.
• I didn't know those stores/restaurants
weren't in Buffalo Grove?
• Great Schools and a nice place to live but
boring
• Disjointed development
• Quiet
• Horrible rush hour traffic
• Excellent schools, not a place to shop or
dine
• Well respected for services
• Boring
• Good location
• Good place for families
• Drive through but don't stop
• Safety
Buffalo Grove NSW Result S
Packet Pg. 39
2.D.b
Figure 5: What features of Buffalo Grove do we want to make sure we maintain or
protect as the community changes?
• Great schools
•
Safety
• Lots of open space
•
Livability
• Fiscal responsibility
.
Sense of community
• Community participation
•
Safety,
• Open space and parks
•
Schools
• Character of area around St. Mary's
•
Community pride
• Prairie View Metra area
•
Low crime, safe community
• Safety
•
Quality of life
• High level of service
•
Recognition as a destination community by
• Good financial position
national magazines
• Great schools
•
Open space and natural areas.
• Wonderful parks and open spaces
•
The transportation system (for the most
• Safe environment
part)
• Family Friendly
• Education
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2.D.b
NRC staff presented the key findings from the survey in the workshop including both areas of community strength
and opportunity. Resident ratings were compared to both national and custom benchmarks to aid in the
interpretation of the findings.
After the presentation, participants broke up into groups of 3 to 4 to discuss the survey results. Each group had a
mix of staff and elected officials to encourage the mixing of ideas. Groups debriefed the data by responding to
three key questions:
• What results did you expect?
• What results were surprising?
• In what areas do we need to dig deeper?
After the group discussions, each group reported back their findings to the larger audience of participants. The
group level responses are provided in the figure below.
Figure Participant ci s to SurveyFindings
Areas Where More
Research/Analysis is
Expected Findings Surprising Findings needed
Positive Ratings of Public Safety Communication — how to do it
Volunteerism (lower than expected) better?
Education rated high
Use of public golf course (lower than Community engagement — how to
Quality of life in community rated high expected) do it better?
Most community characteristics rated high
Traffic rated lower
Economic development rated lower
Downtown rated lower
Variety of housing (rated higher than
expected)
Place to retire (rated lower than
expected)
113&Wo Girove NSW Ile u t "I
Packet Pg. 41
2.D.b
r
At the end of the debriefing exercise, participant work groups were asked to identify 3-4 areas issues they felt
should be areas of focus. The groups identified 5 initial areas of focus in all. To narrow this list from 5 to a more
actionable number, participants were asked to vote for the issues (or issue) they felt was most pressing. After
discussion, the group decided on three areas of focus: economic development, communication and volunteerism.
Citizen engagement was felt to be a part of both communication and volunteerism and housing was felt to be a
sub -category of economic development.
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Potential Areas of .Focus
Economic Development
Communication
Volunteerism
Citizen engagement
Housing options
Packet Pg. 42
2.D.b
Once the three issues were identified, NRC provided some examples of how local governments across the nation
use survey results to improve communities. The presentation encouraged thinking innovatively to address
community issues. Participants were then asked to work in their groups again. Each group was randomly
assigned one of the issues to discuss more depth and brainstorm the types of strategies Buffalo Grove might use to
move ahead on the key area of focus. After the brainstorming sessions, each group presented back to the larger
group for comments and additional suggestions.
Focus Area*
Strategies
The group felt a good economic development plan had been completed and decided to focus more on
how to
Economic
communicate and engage residents in the implementation process.
Development
Education/Outreach
-Do a better job engaging with vocal minority
-Provide education on the new plan to those not as involved in government
-Work to dispel the "rumor mill" through newsletter, newspaper, social media, web page (e.g.
the Village does not have control over the car dealerships)
•
Identify and recruit champions/ambassadors/neighborhood liaisons to help communicate the
plan across the community
•
Develop and communicate data to demonstrate potential financial impacts of new plan on
residents, businesses, etc.
•
Work to dispel the rumor mill
•
Redesign the web site to make attractive to greater variety of users
•
Focus more on video -based programming
•
Add in the "human face" to government by having departments provide monthly spotlights on
various departments and activities.
•
Work with schools and PTOs to get more Village content out
•
Map out connections/relationships that exist in the community with various resident sub -groups
Communication
(including residents in ethnic/minority groups)
•
Increase connections with ethnic/minority groups in the village
•
Develop a more productive feedback loop for resident opinion. (Herald Facebook page should
not be the one setting tone and content). Manage the message in advance. (For example,
have employees take "selfies" with residents while solving community problems and ask
residents to comment.)
•
Consider methods to gather resident opinion while avoiding "survey fatigue"
•
Consider increasing the resources for communication staff and activities
•
Work through communications to reduce the "we verses them" mentality that can exist in the
community based on geography
•
Use social media to present data on equity of services
Volunteerism
Work to increase the diversity of residents serving on boards and commissions
-Change board policy to encourage rotating chairs (1-4 year term limits) so participants can
see opportunities for leadership and change
-Clearly define roles and responsibilities of boards and member roles within
-Encourage chairs to collaborate on community issues
-Host a volunteer recruitment dinner where chairs discuss their boards and recruit
-Work with schools and PTOs to recruit more board members
-Note: Village Board needs to set new policies — not staff
•
Expand the citizen's academy to be more than public safety
•
Educate residents about lower rates of volunteerism in community
•
Make sure volunteer activities are meaningful/beneficial
B uffab Grove NSW Re u t g
Packet Pg. 43
2.D.b
Broader themes from the conversation are listed in the graphic below. Common to the strategies were a need to
better educate and engage the community through the mapping and cultivation of community networks to
identify champions and liaisons. Increasing the representation of the residents involved in local governing as well
as providing new modes and increased variety in communication content was felt to be important steps to
increasing community engagement.
Communication Develop Redesign Volunteerism
Relationships Boards
Packet Pg. 44
Attachment D
2.D.b
VII L,AG ', OF
BUFFALO GRO ➢
MEMORANDUM
TO: Jennifer Maltas, Deputy Village Manager
FROM: Evan Michel, Assistant to the Village Manager
DATE: July 25, 2018
RE: Follow Up to Next Steps Workshop
Policy Issue
What actions are required to advance the strategies developed during the Next Steps
Workshop?. In February, the workshop participants identified twenty strategies to address the
three focus areas: Economic Development, Communications, and Volunteerism. Staff has
incorporated eight of the strategies in the Communications Plan. Staff is currently requesting
direction from the Village Board regarding prioritization of the remaining strategies identified as
part of the Next Steps Workshop.
Next Steps Workshop Background
The Village of Buffalo Grove conducted the Resident Survey in June of 2017. The survey,
conducted by National Research Center, Inc., was developed to provide the village an
accurate method to assess and interpret resident opinions. The findings of this survey offered
keen insight into residents' perspectives about the community as a whole, including local
amenities, services, public trust, resident participation, and other aspects of the community, in
support of the Village's budgeting, land use, strategic planning and communication efforts.
Eleven department heads, administrators, and elected officials assembled on February 5, 2018
to review the survey results, identify areas of community focus and develop potential strategies
to pursue to increase the quality of life in Buffalo Grove. The group's discussions centered
around three areas of focus: economic development, communication, and volunteerism. The
group then discussed potential strategies the village could utilize to address the focus areas.
Focus Area I: Economic Development
The group discussion focused on engaging residents throughout the implementation of the
recently adopted Economic Development Strategic Plan. Three strategies were identified
through these discussions.
Packet Pg. 45
2.D.b
Identify and recruit champions/ ambassadors/ neighborhood liaisons to help communicate the
plans across the community: This strategy relies on working with leaders in the community to
reach out to their networks to provide information on timely issues, dispel rumors and discuss
what the Village is doing to address economic development issues.
Cost: Low Time: Mid
Education/Outreach about economic development: This strategy focuses on educating
interested parties who may not have active involvement in local government. This includes
engaging and providing information to those who may not actively participate in local
government. Although there are few direct costs associated with this additional engagement, it
will require a great investment of time by elected officials and staff to build new relationships in
the community.
Cost: Low Time: Long
Develop and communicate data to demonstrate potential financial impacts of projects on
residents, businesses, etc: To implement this strategy all projects of an established size should
have a fiscal impact statement that addresses the specific revenues and overall financial
impact to the Village. This impact statement will be easily readable, incorporate infographics,
as well as short and digestible information that can be shared on all communication mediums.
There are minimal costs associated with the implementation of this strategy. The most pressing
obstacle to implementation is the lack of in-house, expertise in graphic design in order to
develop high -quality infographics. Staff would rely on Vicarious Productions for this content
generation; however, there would be the additional cost for this uncontracted work.
Cost: Moderate Time: Short
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Packet Pg. 46
2.D.b
Focus Area II: Communication
The majority of the group's conversation centered on the focus area of communication.
Thirteen strategies were identified through this process and the many have already been
incorporated into the Communications Plan.
Identify and build community champions: The Communications Plan outline the following steps
to implement this strategy:
i. Reach out to Neighborhood Nextdoor leads
ii. Reach out to leaders from outside organizations (HOAs, Neighborhood
Watch, places of worship, schools, service clubs)
iii. Target at least one community champion per identified geographic area
This process has few direct costs but will require a large commitment of time by staff to build a
lasting relationship with these various groups. It will necessitate multiple years to properly build
these champions in the community.
Cost: Moderate Time: Long
Focus more on video -based programming: This strategy has been included in the
Communications Plan. Short, mobile -friendly video content has become a popular
communications method many municipalities have utilized. The Public Works, Police, and Fire
Department have begun experimenting with this new communications method with great
success. There are minimal direct costs as well as staff time required in the production of video
content.
Costs: Low Time: Short
Add the "human face" to government by having departments provide monthly spotlights on
various departments and activities: This strategy has been included in the Communications
Plan. The plan seeks to familiarize residents with the Village of Buffalo Grove's workforce by
featuring employees in the e-News, print newsletter, and social media channels. This will include
the use of employee spotlight videos. These videos will communicate who the employee is as a
person, and what services he/she provides for the Village. There are minimal direct or staff costs
associated with the implementation of the strategy.
Costs: Low Time: Short
Increase connections with ethnic/minority groups in the village: The Village of Buffalo Grove
contains a diverse tapestry of ethnic and minority groups. The Communications Plan outlines the
following actions to implement this strategy:
i. Identify places of worship, service groups, news publications in different
languages where information is being shared and distribute information
directly to these locations and through these channels
ii. Include minority publications on the Village's media list
iii. Reach out to the Japanese Consul General's office for information sharing
3
Packet Pg. 47
2.D.b
This process has few direct costs but will require a commitment of staff and elected leaders' time
to build a lasting relationship with these ethnic and minority groups.
Cost: Moderate Time: Mid
Develop a more productive feedback loop for resident opinion: This strategy has been included
in the Communications Plan. The plan seeks to improve the two-way communication between
the village and its residents. The plan to address this strategy by having employees take photos
with residents when solving problems out in the community and posting them on social media.
There are minimal direct or staff costs associated with the implementation of the strategy.
Costs: Low Time: Short
Use social media to present data on equity of services: There are many groups in the
community competing for village resources. The village shows no favoritism to any group,
however, perceived adversarial relationships have developed based on beliefs about how the
Village allocates resources. This strategy endeavors to eliminate any perceived preference. This
can be accomplished through the use of data that illustrates the allocation of funds, resources,
and time for residents. Much of this data is currently collected in Cartegraph and can be
represented through infographics and distributed through social media. There are minimal direct
or staff costs associated with the implementation of the strategy.
Costs: Low Time: Short
Work to dispel the rumor mill: This strategy is being executed as part of the ongoing website
refresh. Staff intends to develop a blog or standing page on the new website specifically
designed to correct misinformation in the community. An example blog entry would clarify the
Village of Buffalo Grove's ability to redevelop the car dealerships on Dundee Road.
Cost: Low Time: Short
Redesign the website to make attractive to a greater variety of users: This strategy is at the
center of the current website refresh. The current website does not meet the standards of a
modern, user -focused website. It lacks robust search functions, contains erroneous information,
as well as non -intuitive information architecture. The village's website development team is
designing the new website to be structured in a way that is focused on a greater variety of users.
Cost: Moderate Time: Short
Work with schools and PTOs to get more Village content out: Some of the most prestigious school
districts in the State of Illinois are located within Buffalo Grove. These districts interact and
communicate with residents on a regular basis. Many Buffalo Grove parents are hyper -aware of
what is going on in their child's school but have little interaction with village communications.
There is an immense opportunity to collaborate with these other units of government to reach
the residents of the village. There are few direct costs associated with this potential partnership,
however; it will require an investment of time by staff to build relationships in the communications
teas of each district.
Cost: Low Time: Mid
4
Packet Pg. 48
2.D.b
Map out connections/relationships that exist in the community with various resident sub -groups:
The Village of Buffalo Grove has a complex network of relationships between various community
organizations and groups. These networks can be leveraged to increase the range and scope
of village communications. In order to implement this strategy a great deal of engagement
needs to take place. This requires staff and elected officials to map the major community
groups in the village as well as their memberships. Once the mapping process is complete, staff
must identify overlapping networks and identify strategies to engage them in village activities.
This strategy requires an immense amount of time dedicated to its implementation. It will likely
be a multi -year process to realize fully the benefits.
Cost: Moderate Time: Long
Consider methods to gather resident opinion while avoiding "survey fatigue": The Village of
Buffalo Grove has made a concerted effort in recent years to collect resident opinions through
various methods. These methods have included steering committees, open houses, and formal
surveys. The most prominent examples are the open houses associated with the Lake Cook
Corridor Plan and the 2017 Buffalo Grove Resident Survey. The Village recognizes residents'
potential survey fatigue. The implementation of this strategy requires staff allocated time to
research best practices and methodologies to minimize the effects of over -surveying and the
best ways to get community feedback.
Cost: Moderate Time: Short
Consider increasing the resources for communication staff and activities: Currently, the village
utilizes a third party communications consultant to manage the village's e-newsletter, social
media, press releases, and a bi-monthly newsletter. The next step for communications is
engagement activities (some of the strategies identified above are engagement versus
communications). Many of the "high touch", high time -committed activities within this
document would be best approached by a community engagement representative directly
responsible for this task.
Cost: High Time: Long
Reduce the "we versus they" mentality that can exist in the community based on geography:
The Village of Buffalo Grove resides in both Lake and Cook Counties. Although the village shows
no favoritism to either county, this geography has created a perceived adversarial relationship
in the eyes of some residents. This strategy strives to minimize this conflict through the use of data
that illustrates the allocation of funds, resources, and time to residents of both counties. Much of
this data is currently collected in Cartegraph and can be represented through infographics and
distributed through existing communication mediums.
Cost: Low Time: Mid
5
Packet Pg. 49
2.D.b
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Focus Area III: Volunteerism
Volunteerism was an area of the survey that workshop participants identified the responses as
lower than expected. Village staff and elected officials have historically prided themselves on
the spirit of volunteerism in the community. The following strategies were identified to increase
the prevalence of volunteerism in the village.
Work to increase the diversity of residents serving on boards and commissions: The
demographics of the Village of Buffalo Grove have evolved over time. However, the current
volunteer corps does not reflect the diverse racial, ethnic, and generational makeup of the
village. In order to implement this strategy, village representatives must build relationships with
underrepresented groups in the village. This process will require first the research of best
practices targeted to each unique demographic in the Village and then implementation of
those strategies.
Cost: Moderate Time: Long
Expand the citizen's academy to be more than public safety: The Buffalo Grove Police
Department hosts an annual Citizens Police Academy which allows residents to experience
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Packet Pg. 50
2.D.b
what it is like to be a police officer. Similarly, the Fire Department previously hosted a Citizens Fire
Academy. Expanding these established programs to all village services would give residents a
firsthand experience in the scope and work of their village. This strategy would require the
allocation of funds to support the expanded scope of the academy as well as a commitment of
staff time to manage the program. The Police Department has found that many of the
graduates of their program become volunteers of the department.
Cost: Moderate Time: Mid
Educate residents about volunteerism in the community/highlight existing volunteers: This
strategy seeks to educate residents about the positive impacts of volunteerism. Staff
recommends highlighting volunteers within our community and the impact they have though
volunteer spotlights in our existing communications mediums. Staff also recommends creating
volunteer profiles for all of the volunteer positions within the village.
Cost: Moderate Time: Mid
Make sure volunteer activities are meaningful/beneficial: This strategy seeks to ensure that the
village's volunteer activities enrich the lives of all those involved. This would involve analysis of
each of the volunteer board and commissions, including interviews with existing members
regarding how to make the volunteer experience better.
Cost: Low Time: Short
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2.D.b
Required Actions
Staff is seeking comment regarding the prioritization of the Implementation Strategies to address
the key focus areas identified in the Next Steps Workshop. Based on the board's comments,
staff will begin incorporating the initial short term / low cost strategies as part of the 2019
strategic goals and budget.
Packet Pg. 52
Attachment E
2.D.b
FROM: Jennifer I. Maltas, Deputy Village Manager
Evan Michel, Assistant to the Village Manager
DATE: September 25, 208
RE: Next Steps Workshop Strategic Priorities
Overview
Following the Next Steps Workshop three key areas were identified for improvement including
communications/engagement, economic development, and volunteerism. Several strategies associated
with each area were developed and presented to the Village Board at the August Committee of the
Whole meeting. A survey was then developed to allow the Village Board to prioritize the strategies and
direct staff's implementation efforts.
Below are the top six strategies, in order of priority, that were identified by the Village Board through
the survey. It should be noted that Trustee Stein indicated that he could not rank the items 1 through 20.
Trustee Stein did note that his number one priority was the website and number two was outreach to find
volunteers for Commissions and Boards. Those two items were included in the analysis that identified
the top six strategies.
Redesign the website to make attractive to a greater variety of users: This strategy is at the
center of the current website refresh. The current website does not meet the standards of a
modern, user -focused website. It lacks robust search functions, contains erroneous information,
as well as non -intuitive information architecture. The village's website development team is
designing the new website to be structured in a way that is focused on a greater variety of users.
2. Education/Outreach about economic development: This strategy focuses on educating
interested parties who may not have active involvement in local government. This includes
engaging and providing information to those who may not actively participate in local
government. Although there are few direct costs associated with this additional engagement, it
will require a great investment of time by elected officials and staff to build new relationships in
the community.
3. Work to dispel the rumor mill: This strategy is being executed as part of the ongoing website
refresh. Staff intends to develop a blog or standing page on the new website specifically
designed to correct misinformation in the community. An example blog entry would clarify the
Village of Buffalo Grove's ability to redevelop the car dealerships on Dundee Road.
Packet Pg. 53
2.D.b
4. Develop a more productive feedback loop for resident opinion: Strategies to address this item
have been included in the Communications Plan and are also related to enhanced engagement
with residents. The plan seeks to improve the two-way communication between the village and
its residents versus the one way communications we use now such as social media, e-news, etc.
5. Work to increase the diversity of residents serving on boards and commissions: The
demographics of the Village of Buffalo Grove have evolved over time. However, the current
volunteer corps does not reflect the diverse racial, ethnic, and generational makeup of the village.
In order to implement this strategy, village representatives must build relationships with
underrepresented groups in the village. This process will require first the research of best
practices targeted to each unique demographic in the Village and then implementation of those
strategies.
6. Focus more on video -based programming: This strategy has been included in the
Communications Plan. Short, mobile -friendly video content has become a popular
communications method many municipalities have utilized. The Public Works, Police, and Fire
Department have begun experimenting with this new communications method with great
success. There are minimal direct costs as well as staff time required in the production of video
content.
Implementation Actions
Based on the feedback by the Village Board, staff will prioritize these six items over the next two years.
As the Village Board is aware, the Village is currently under contract with CivicLive to provide a new
website which is scheduled to launch at the end of this year. The goals of this redesign are to utilize
data driven decision -making; create fresh, clean, and modern design; develop searchable content with
the user in mind; and a focus on service over hierarchy. As part of this process, staff has begun to
research and develop a method to facilitate two-way communication to dispel rumors in the community
through a discussion forum module. Likewise, the creation video programing has been incorporated in
the design of the new website.
Additionally, based on the rankings of the items above, staff has programmed funds for enhanced video -
programming into the 2019 preliminary budget. Staff has also included the position Community
Engagement Manager in the preliminary budget that would specifically tasked with enhancing two-way
engagement with residents (strategy 4) and would be integral in working on all items listed in this
memo.
Please let Evan or Jennifer know if you have any questions about the information included in this memo.
Packet Pg. 54
Attachment F
2.D.b
Legislative Support
Agenda Preparation
60
60
100
N
220
Board Meetings
60
60
60
N
180
Action Item Follow -Up
48
24
24
N
96
Village President Meetings, Prep &
Follow -Up
100
20
50
N
170
Village Board Item Follow Up/Meetings
200
100
50
N
350
Volunteer Coordination
20
40
40
N
100!
Quarterly Trustee Meetings/Prep
40
40
10
N
90
_
C
Meetings/Follow Up State Legislators
20
20
N
40
Weekly Board Report
60___.
20__..
10
N
_.90
11
•Z
Community Outreach
External Agency Relations
V
(Chamber/Gout. Agencies)
80
40
20
Y
140
+�+
Resident Concerns
40
40
300
N
380
d
Special Events Attendance
40
20 -
30
Y
901
E
d
Communications
R
Website
10
200
N
210
E-News
10 !
10 i
N
20
LI
W
Social Media
20
10
N
30
Village News
20
20
N
40
�=
Strategy/Contract Admin
40
N
40
=
3
Emergency Communications
20
N
20
E
E
General Administration '
O
Staff/ Leadership Development
200
200
200
N
600
V
Human Resources Matter's
200
300 -
175
N
675'
Finance (Budget, Audit, Projections,
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Bond Ratings, and Rates)
120
100
220
N
440
y
Labor/Collective Bargaining
10
100
0
N
110
Strategic Plan Management
10
80
80
Y
170
Economic Development Assistance
150
100
20
N
270
3
Corporation Counsel
40
80
0
N
120
O
Process Improvement Projects
100
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Procurement
100
100
50
N
250
Y
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Shared Services
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Northwest Central Dispatch (Dane-
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Board)
48
0
0
N
48
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Joint Emergency Management System
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(Dane - Board)
24
0
0
Y
24
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Northwest Water Commission (Dane -
Treasurer)
100
0
0
N
100
w+
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Suburban Liability Insurance Pool (Dane-
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Chair)
48
0
50
N
98
Northern Illinois Benchmarking
Cooperative (Jenny -Vice Chair)
0
60
0
Y
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Inspections......
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GovITC Consortium (Jenny -Chair)
72
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New Shared Services Projects/Research
40
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Professional Development / Outreach
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Metro Management Association (Dane -
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24
4
5
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33
Illinois City County Management
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Association/IAMMA (Evan- Board)
100
50
75
Y
225'
Northwest Municipal Conference
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Managers Committee (Dane)
24
0
0
N
24
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Lake County Municipal Conference
12
2
0
y
14
Q
Northwest Municipal Conference
Legislative Committee (Jenny)
24
0
Y
24
ICMA/AICP - Certification Maintenance
80
40
0
N
120
Paid Time Off
Holidays
88
88
88
264
PTO
200
160
120
N '
480
Packet Pg. 55
Attachment G
2.D.b
In 2018, the National Civic League added
separate
more details on the civic engagement strategies fo,
civic infrastructure," to highlight and share tM
important process of decision -making.
The 2018 All -America City finalists and winners stepped up to
the challenge of the new application section. They described a
culture of engagement in their communities based on the
fon,nation of partnerships with all local institutions and
residents that mitigated barriers to engagement, acknowledged
the expertise that residents have to offer on decisions affecting
their lives, recognized the equity gap in who males decisions
and turned tally into meaningful actions with positive effects.
Packet Pg. 56
Meeting Residents in Their Spaces
With so many time demands on residents these days, it's
.2
crucial to make engagement easy and less time consuming. By
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meeting residents where they go for other needs, local
institutions can maximize their outreach and make good use of
residents' time. To gain more input from different voices,
strategies that physically meet residents are necessary. For LU
example, many cities around the country have mobile of
hours. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina's city manager hosts 0
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drop -in mobile office hours at various locations around Town. 0
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This includes riding a local bus route to speak with people CD
during their Commute and allows the manager to hear from
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people experiencing homelessness on their needs and ideas for
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the town.
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Meeting residents where they are takes sustained practice.
Longmont, Colorado leaders learned from experience in 1990
when an ordinance concerning RV parking was met with
contempt from residents. They knew they had to be more
intentional about including residents outside of the "regulars,"
who did not represent the full demographics of the community.
Partnering with community groups, the City of Longmont now
makes it easier for residents to have a place at the table by
meeting them where they are, whether it's at the El C'omit6® a
grassroots organization dedicated to providing advocacy and
social services for Latinx, the local Peruvian festival, a teen
mom support group, or various Chamber of Commerce events.
This inclusive approach to public engagement has led to
I Packet Pg. 58 1
several community successes, among them, bringing a
community college to Longmont, establishing a community
theater, creating a more visually appealing downtown, and
building an educational center for teens who perform poorly in
traditional school settings.
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2.D.b
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experts when it comes to understanding their own lives and
their own barriers to engagement. To get the full picture of
barriers and to find what would encourage more engagement,
it's best to ask the residents, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina,
began its Government Outreach Strategy with an online
survey, which asked respondents to rate their current
engagement level, identify their preferred engagement method
and to provide their opinion of potential engagement tools.
This step ensured its outreach strategy was rooted in the
information provided by those who would be aff.ected by the
Placentia, California discovered that access to transportation
was a barrier to engagement, but so were the safety concerns of
traveling over opposing gang lines to get to transportation.
Placentia provided safe transportation to those identifying this
need to ensure their voices were heard in planning processes
that would directly affect them.
When El Paso, 'rexas' Neighborhood Services staff began
meeting with various residents and neighborhood associations
to understand the issues they faced, it became clear that some
residents and associations were more effective at
communicating their needs and championing their causes than
others. Some associations even expressed their perception that
a handful of associations garnered a greater amount of
attention and response from local government. Analysis of the
situation suggested that the neighborhoods with the strongest
and best -informed leaders were significantly more capable of
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getting their issues addressed. The City developed the
Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA) to train more
effective leaders throughout the community to ensure equity in
service provision.
The National Civic League is working to set a different
expectation for engagement. "We tried to engage `therm,' but
no one showed up" is not a high enough standard. Engagement
of racial and ethnic minorities and others traditionally excluded
from decision -making conversations is not going above and
beyond. It must become the new expectation; the baseline for
legitimate engagement efforts. Many of the 2018 All -America
City finalists and winners described the innovative work they
are doing to ensure equity in their engagement and decision -
making.
El Paso, "rexas requires those effected by policies to help shape
them. For example, the Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) Steering Committee is charged with providing
recommendations to City Council for the selection of
infrastructure and social service prqjects that support low to
moderate income neighborhoods. To ensure that the voices on
that committee are representative of the interests of the
population they seek to serve, appointees to the steering
committee must reside in a low to moderate income
neighborhood, or be over the age of 55, disabled, or homeless.
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Beaverton, Oregon ensures those experiencing homelessness
are part of creating solutions to housing affordability, The
Voices of Beaverton project uses stories of residents to
illustrate issues associated with housing affordability that are
faced by any members of the community. The effort
acknowledges that while data- informed decision -making is
crucial, housing begins and ends with people. It highlights
potential solutions offered by community members based on
their life experiences.
Getting the Full Picture - Targeted Outreach and. th
Importance of Multiple Avenues I
Setting the expectation of gathering input from those directly
affected by decisions and aiming for input to be representative
of the community's broad demographics is no easy task.
Improving targeted outreach strategies and using a multi®
pronged approach to gather input can help reach that
expectation, as seen in the El Paso and Beaverton examples.
The San Antonio Office of Equity and the SA2020 partnership
applied an equity impact assessment to seven high -impact city
government initiatives, including street maintenance, civic
engagement to inform the budget, and boards and
commissions. One assessment resulted in new outreach
strategies. SA Speak Up reduced the gap between white and
Latina respondents by attracting 200 people to its first
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Spanish -language Community Night, a family -friendly event
held in a park with food, activities, and health screenings.
Following a report on economic inequity in the city and a fatal
r_
officer -involved shooting in late 2016, Charlotte, North
Carolina looked to engage the community in meaningful ways 0
through its Community Letter Engagement Initiative. The
Charlotte -Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee and
the Community Building Initiative provided a space for
employees and community members to engage and share their
points of view about race and police community relations and
0
have open dialogue about matters that impact them and the 0
0
community. Peer Perspectives (for city employees) and Can
We Talk? dialogues (with the larger community) were forums
offered in various locations with the goal of building trust and P
understanding.
More than 1,374 people participated in the dialogues over a
six-month period. In addition to the dialogues, the city
launched the second part of its Community Letter Engagement
Initiative. Called TakelOCLT, City staff and civic leaders
shared information and materials about the content of the
Community Letter and City goals, engaging in meaningful
connections through personal conversations and receiving
valuable feedback. They held ten-minute conversations to talk
about important community issues. Notes on the conversations
were compiled and analyzed to be used for decision -making
and broader understanding. Residents were also connected
I Packet Pg. 64 1
with existing city resources when needs and opportunities were
identified.
City staff also seized the opportunity to use the customer
r-
service phone ambassadors (part of Charlotte's 311 call
center), the Charlotte Youth Council and resident leaders from 0
the Civic Leadership Academy to share infon-nation about the
Community Letter and ask Charlotteans about what mattered
most to them and their families when it came to safety, trust
and accountability, affordable housing, and jobs. They also
asked for their ideas on how to make Charlotte a better place
0
for all people. The City of Charlotte reached nearly 8,000 0
0
residents with Take IOCLT and continues to capitalize on this
engagement infrastructure and build on the relationships
formed. The Community Letter Engagement Initiative, which P
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comprised these two linked engagement efforts, facilitated.
dialogues and one-on-one conversations, reached almost
10,000 diverse residents, spanned racial demographics, and.
held conversations in multiple languages.
The City of Decatur, Georgia, has a long history of civic
engagement practices. Its 2010 Strategic Plan was an update to
the 2000-201.0 Strategic Plan and, was conducted over 12-
months with more than 1,500 individuals participating in
hundreds of individual meetings (many of them led by one of
the 51 volunteer facilitators) and shared thousands of ideas to
I Packet Pg. 65 1
DECATUR RESIDENTS PARTICIPATING IN A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
'rhe process began with a series of roundtables, citizen
dialogues in which participants talked about what they liked
about Decatur and where the city should improve. From the
five themes that emerged, a series Of Community academies,
such as "Going Mobile — Managing "rransportatioil Choices"
and "Decatur For Life — Aging in Place, Affordability,
Diversity," were convened to educate the public about the
tradeoffs related to issues over which compromise was needed.
Input was expanded through the use of civic dinners, a cross
between a roundtable focus group and a dinner party.
Continuing from the engagement foundation previously laid, in
2014 Decatur engaged a diverse group of residents and
business people more deeply, creating the Better Together
Community Action Plan for Equity, Inclusion and
I Packet Pg. 66 1
Engagement. 'rhe plan was designed to make Decatur a more
welcoming, inclusive and equitable place to live, work, and
visit. A leadership circle of l 9 participants worked together to
design a visioning process to engage the community more
deeply in conversations across differences and to intentionally
reach out to include everyone — particularly residents who
might feel marginalized and not welcome at the "table" to
collaborate and create a Community Action Plan for Equity,
Inclusion and Engagement.
RESIDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE CREATION OF THE BETTER TOGETHER ACTION PLAN
Community members and city staff chosen to serve on the
leadership circle brought different perspectives to the table.
For example, the police chief was one of the circle members,
as was one of the community members who had accused the
police of racial profiling. Other perspectives included a middle
school guidance counselor who is also Jewish; a Black,
I Packet Pg. 67 1
Muslim mother of teenagers who is a program director for a
leadership program for teens; a Caucasian city staff member
who is a native of Decatur and was at Decatur High during
integration; a communications and marketing director married
to a Latino immigrant; an African American male who is also a
paraplegic; and more. All 19 had different backgrounds,
stories, and strengths discovered and shared during the process.
Trust Can Be Eliminated in a Single Action, but Takel
Establishing regular communication between historically left
out groups and leaders can build trust and improve community
capacity to address challenges. In Springdale, Arkansas,
Welcome WA (Northwest Arkansas) and EngageNWA held
several community and stakeholder forums to encourage
dialogue. In 2017, Engage held Multiple forums that
brought residents and leaders together from all walks of life to
discuss race, LGBTQA, disability, language, gender, and age
as it relates to the community and how people are treated,
including their access to important services. The results of
these forums were shared with local government officials and
community leaders to help guide the work to address these
issues in Springdale,
Stockton, California has been using engagement strategies to
rebuild trust between residents and the police department. All
police officers are trained in procedural justice and implicit
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bias, and the police chief has hosted more than 70
reconciliation sessions and "use of force listening tours,"
listening to various community members speak about harms
done to them by the police department and ways the
department can rebuild. community trust.
WE"=
In an authentic engagement relationship, not only do local
institutions initiate projects to address community concerns,
they also recognize and support work the residents themselves
are initiating to build stronger comnrUnities. In 2010, The
Westside School Alumni Foundation (WSAF) was founded to
preserve the historic Las Vegas Westside School site, educate
the public on its history and value, and encourage the
development of the vacant school as a cultural destination. The
Westside School, which opened in 1923, was the first Las
Vegas school to open its doors to African American and Native
American students.
In 2016, the City passed a community development plan with
the intention of revitalizing the Westside School community.
The community was highly engaged in the visioning process
and strongly encouraged to attend meetings and contribute
ideas. The resulting plans from this process were incorporated
into the Las Vegas 2035 Downtown Master Plan, making it an
official city council -approved document to be incorporated
0
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into future development. Today, the school site stands as a
testament to Las Vegas' ongoing efforts to facilitate racial
healing and community dialogue.
RECENTLY RESTORED HISTORIC WESTSIDE SCHOOL
In Pasco, Washington, a police -involved shooting of an
undocumented Latino resident captured on video garnered
several weeks of national news coverage. The community
er-upted in protests and the City of Pasco responded by helping
to plan a demonstration; Pasco police escorted the protesters,
and officers later blocked off an entire intersection for the
peaceful event.
City government's support for peaceful protests helped
establish a level of trust, and the police department updated its
use of force policy through a community -based process,
increased. training for officers, hired, more Latina and Spanish -
I Packet Pg. 70 1
speaking officers and moved to use more mental health
professionals in the field.
Gaining stakeholders' input is only half of the engagement
equation; making decisions and seeing outcomes based on that
input is also crucial. Demonstrating how the input led to action
helps keep people engaged. This doesn't mean each suggestion
needs to be implemented, but it does mean you need to show
residents that you listened, considered and came to consensus
on decisions.
Kershaw County, South Carolina was diligent in turning its
visioning process into tangible outcomes. In 2015, the County
developed VisionKershaw 2030 through a comprehensive
visioning process that collected infon-nation from county
residents, community leaders and business owners. The public
engagement process lasted several months and included over
32 outreach events held at volunteer fire stations, churches,
government buildings and schools. Staff offered workshops to
a diverse cross section of organizations, including the local
NAACP chapter and youth leaders.
Materials were available in Spanish, and staff answered
questions during the annual multi -cultural festival, Taking
what they learned from this visioning process, they developed.
an action plan outlining eight core long-term goals. Although
it's early in the l 5-year plan, many actions have been
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accomplished, including improved existing recreation-,
planning for a new permanent downtown farmers market-,
reestablishment of the county's Human Relations Board-,
completion of a detailed pedestrian, bike and greenway plan,
finishing the first connector trail; passing a $129 million
school board facility bond referendum and penny sales tax just
two years after it tailed; starting a mobile food pantry to serve
food deserts; and expanding the number of EMS stations in
underserved areas.
In Tacoma, Washington, sustained outreach to the Latinx
community resulted in several positive actions. While Tacoma -
Pierce County is only 10 percent Latinx, this population is
growing, with many foreign -born residents. In 2016, Latinx
activists worked with the City of Tacoma to produce two
Latinx Town Hall meetings that attracted more than 250
attendees. As a result of the Latinx Town Halls, organizers
formed. Latinos Unidos del South Sound to continue working
towards the goals from the two Town Halls. The group has a
dedicated liaison with the Tacoma City Manager's Office to
serve as a conduit between the Latinx Community and the
City. Another result of the town halls was an action by the
Tacoma City Council in late 2017 to create the Commission on
Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.
The variables of community decision -making are ever
evolving - residents change, leaders change, issues change,
new advances come along. Therefore, civic engagement world.
for local institutions is never truly done. Communities'
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responses to the new "Describe Your Civic Engagement"
section to the All -America City Award has reaffirmed the
League's mission and purpose, 'rhe sustained investment by
these communities in creating a culture of engagement has
resulted in more sustainable and. more equitable solutions to
the i-nost complex issues. Continuing to advocate for strong
civic engagement practices in communities across America,
the League has released the 2019 All -America City Awa d
application with a focus on creating healthy communities
through inclusive civic engagement.
Sarah Lipscomb is Program Director, All -America City
Awards and Community Assistance at National Civic League
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2.E
Information Item : Discussion Regarding the Upcoming
Comprehensive Plan Project
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Recommendation of Action pp
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Staff recommends discussion.
Last fall, staff introduced the Village Board to the process for updating the Village's current
Comprehensive Plan (2009). This project fulfills recommendations outlined in the 2016 Economic
Development Strategic Plan and the 2018-2023 Village Wide Strategic Plan. As staff is in the process of
preparing the Request for Proposals (RFP) and wants to provide the Village Board with a summary of the
project's objectives, scope and timeline.
ATTACHMENTS:
• BOT Memo (DOCX)
Trustee Liaison
Ottenheimer
Monday, January 7, 2019
Staff Contact
Chris Stilling, Community Development
Updated: 1/3/2019 9:45 AM
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Packet Pg. 74
2.E.a
'IL...AGE OF
BUFFALO GRON/f
MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 3, 2019
TO: President Beverly Sussman and Trustees
FROM: Nicole Woods, Principal Planner
SUBJECT: Future Comprehensive Plan Project
BACKGROUND
Last fall, staff introduced the Village Board to the process for updating the Village's current
Comprehensive Plan (2009). This project fulfills recommendations outlined in the 2016 Economic
Development Strategic Plan and the 2018-2023 Village Wide Strategic Plan. As staff is in the
process of preparing the Request for Proposals (RFP), we wanted to provide the Village Board
with a summary of the project's objectives, scope and timeline.
PROPOSED PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The project's objectives are described below and are intended to help communicate our
expectations for the project and its process.
Objective 1: Establish 'Buffalo Grove 2040"
The project's first goal is to help Buffalo Grove establish a long-term vision for the community.
What should Buffalo Grove look like in 2040? More specifically, what does the community's
housing, transportation network, commercial and office development, open space look like in 20
years? What will make the community unique and special?
Once that vision is established, the comprehensive plan should provide a roadmap which details
how that vision can be achieved. The roadmap should include recommendations and action
steps that are mainly within the Village's purview, but can also include strategies that require the
participation of local and regional partners.
Objective 2: Incorporate and Build off of Previous Plans
In establishing Buffalo Grove 2040 and developing a roadmap to achieve that vision, the
comprehensive plan should consult some of the Village's most recent plans and studies
including: the Lake Cook Corridor Market Study and Plan, the Economic Development Strategic
Plan, the Annexation Plan, and the forthcoming Prairie View Metro Station Area Plan. These
plans have provided direction for the future development of specific subareas as well as laid a
framework for community and economic development priorities and policies. Consequently, the
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2.E.a
new comprehensive plan should incorporate and build off these plans to ensure consistency
amongst all planning documents as well as increase efficiency in the development of the
comprehensive plan.
Objective 3: Robust Community Engagement and Public Communication
The third project objective is to include a high-level of community engagement activities. The
approach (in-house or outsourced) will be dependent on the Village Board's decision regarding
the Community Engagement Manager but the objectives will remain the same. These activities
will ensure a diverse array of residential, business, and other stakeholder voices are heard and
incorporated. The activities will be educational as well as interactive. They can include but are
not limited to the following public engagement strategies:
• Key stakeholder interviews
• Interactive websites
• Community visioning forums utilizing visual preference surveys/key pad polling
• Design charrettes
• Public meetings
• Attendance at community group meetings
• Open Houses
A related objective will be general communication about the process with the public. The project
will have a communication strategy and plan to help increase clarity, confidence, and
participation in the process by all members of the community who wish to be involved.
Objective 4: Feasibility and Sustainably
Fourth, the project should formulate a vision and strategies that are feasible and obtainable.
Buffalo Grove will rely on the expertise of the consultant team to ensure that concepts, ideas,
and strategies are achievable and realistic. In addition, the vision and strategies must be
economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable for the community. Consequently, the
consultant team should have experience and a working knowledge of the dynamics affecting
land use, development, real estate, economic development, transportation, natural resources,
housing, and urban design.
Objective 5: Include in-depth plans for the Dundee Road Corridor and Milwaukee Avenue
Corridor.
Comprehensive plans generally focus on the big picture ideas and plans. However, the upcoming
comprehensive plan presents a great opportunity to dive deeper into Dundee Road and
Milwaukee Avenue Corridors. This effort would implement actions steps from the Economic
Development Strategic Plan as well as provides these areas with a more through examination
and guidance, which is warranted and timely. In this regard, the comprehensive plan should
provide special sections that provide more detailed analysis and plans for the Dundee Road and
Milwaukee Avenue Corridors.
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2.E.a
Objective 6: Education and Exploration
The sixth and final objective is that the project should be an educational and exploratory
process. This project should challenge our community to look beyond our typical notions of land
use, development, natural resources, transportation, housing, and open space. The consultant
team should guide the Village in thinking outside the box, educate us on innovative solutions,
and help us explore new concepts and strategies to enhance our community for future
generations.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS AND SCOPE
The process to develop a comprehensive plan update for the Village would take approximately
18-24 months. The process could be distilled into three main stages:
1. Establishing existing conditions;
2. Outlining a vision and establishing priorities; and
3. Drafting a plan that lays out policies, plans, and recommendations to
achieve this vision.
The Comprehensive Plan will cover several elements that may stand-alone, be combined, or
become incorporated under concepts or themes that run throughout the plan. Staff
recommends that the new Comprehensive Plan contain the elements shown below.
Elements
• Land Use — existing and future land use, buildings, development, and
zoning.
• Natural Resources — parks, open space, environmental sustainability
and sensitivities, and infrastructure.
• Transportation and Circulation — roads, public transportation (rail
and bus), bicycle, and pedestrian connectivity, as well as trucks and
rail.
• Housing and Neighborhoods — housing trends, preservation, and
diversity.
• Urban Design and Community Character — architecture, community
identity, place -making, and wayfinding.
• Economic Development— commercial development, workforce, fiscal
health and impacts.
a Subarea Plans — detailed plans regarding land use, circulation,
development alternatives, and plans for Dundee Road Corridor, and
Milwaukee Avenue Corridor.
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2.E.a
• Plan Implementation — a matrix detailing when and how goals under
the various elements will be achieve.
CONSUTLANT TEAM
Request for Proposals Process
The Village will be seeking a qualified and dynamic consultant team to guide the Buffalo Grove in
developing a Comprehensive Plan. With approval from the Village Board, staff will post a
nationwide request for proposals (RFP) for a consultant team. As with the Lake Cook Corridor
Market Study and Plan, staff will reach out to national and international planning, design,
engineering, and architecture associations and media outlets to advertise the RFP. The following
is the draft RFP Schedule:
Task
Timeline
A Comprehensive Plan Consultant Evaluation Committee will be established to review, interview,
and ultimately select a consultant team. The Committee will be made up of representatives from
staff, 2 Trustees, and a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC). Staff will work
with President Sussman on the selection of the Trustees and PZC member.
NEXT CTFPC
Village staff is seeking feedback from the Board regarding the project's scope, timeframe, and
RFP process.
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