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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8369 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8369 December 4, 2001 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 1 of 3 xuys SUBJECT: 2002 Council Community Meetings Background Each year the Fort Worth City Council holds public forums open to the residents of Fort Worth. The past approaches included Roving City Council meetings, Quarterly Town Halls, Community Forums and Policing Forums. In addition, the City Council also attends Comprehensive Plan update meetings each year. From April of 2000 through November of 2001, there were 12 Community Forums/Policing Forums, 6 Town Halls and 14 Comprehensive Plan Workshops. Obiectives of Council Community Meetings: );, Residents interact with and are heard by their City Councilmember or the entire City Council > Residents interact with department leaders to ask questions and receive information > All City Council members are exposed to different parts of the city the request of the City Council's Governmental Relations Committee (GRC), a survey was sent out to al of the neighborhood association contacts asking for their feedback on the most effective way for the City Council to interact with and hear from them. There was a 17% response rate of the distributed surveys. Here are some of the results: ➢ 93% agreed or strongly agreed that public forums are informative and worthwhile and that the City Council should continue to have public forums > Of the various public forums that the City Council has held, 45% consider the Community Forum as the best approach for communicating with citizens; 32% said Town Hall; and 23% said Roving City Council meetings > 70% thought the City Council should host public forums in their council district twice a year; 30% said once a year > 63% prefer a forum with the Mayor and all City Council members present and 33% prefer a forum with only the Council member from their Council district present Based on the results of the survey and direction provided by the GRC committee, the following three options have been developed. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8369 December 4, 2001 j^TE4, &V To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 2 of 3 SUBJECT: 2002 Council Community Meetings Option #1 Hold 6 public forums with the Mayor and City Council present. The format will include direct interaction with the City Council and department staff. • Hold 4 public forums located in different regions of Fort Worth. o Begin with an open house of City services and programs. Department heads and key staff will operate the booths. Examples of programs: Commercial Corridors update, Changes in Code Compliance, Trends in Crime, Update on Capital Improvement Projects, The City's Strategic Goals and the Comprehensive Plan, etc. o Next, hold the public forum to give residents the opportunity to address the City Council. Appearance cards will be used. The City Secretary or moderator will call residents up to address the City Council. Council will have the opportunity to respond or ask staff to respond. • The 5 1h public forum will be a city-wide Town Hall held in September, and will be focused on the Comprehensive Plan. o Highlight the City's accomplishments in the Comprehensive Plan for the last year o Share the City's strategic goals and values for the next year o Review population and employment trends, and existing land use and future land use o Receive public comments and input • The 6 1h public forum will be a Youth Town Hall*. Option #2 Hold 4 public forums between January and August with the format mentioned in Option 1, followed by 4 Town Halls focused on the Comprehensive Plan in September and October (one every two weeks). Hold one Youth Town Hall* per year. Option #3 Continue the Community Forums and add one large Town Hall and one Youth Town Hall. • Hold 8 Community Forums per year—one held in each council district. o The Councilmember, an Assistant City Manager and 3-5 key department heads sit at the head table. o The Councilmember addresses the group and then each department head briefly highlights their department's activities in that specific council district. o The floor is then opened up to the residents in attendance to ask questions. Other departments are also represented in the audience in case questions arise regarding their programs. • The Town Hall will be a city-wide event held in September, and will be focused on the Comprehensive Plan (as mentioned in Option 1). o Highlight the City's accomplishments in the Comprehensive Plan for the last year o Share the City's strategic goals and values for the next year ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8369 December 4, 2001 Akt To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 3 of 3 1475 SUBJECT: 2002 Council Community Meetings • Review population and employment trends, and existing land use and future land use • Receive residents comments and input • Hold one Youth Town Hall* per year. Proposed format for the Youth Town Hall - Target date: February 27 or 28, 2002 The GRC Committee gave staff direction to move forward on planning a Youth Town Hall for the 2002 spring semester. The proposed Youth Town Hall meeting would be conducted during the school day at City Hall, with representative groups of students from public and private high schools. Schools will be asked to send a representative sample of students, not just the student council leaders. The goal for attendance would be 20 students per City Council District. The format for the Youth Town Hall meeting would be similar to the one held in May of 2000. It would feature both an opportunity for a small group discussion so that students can meet with their Council Representatives, and a large group session in the Council Chambers or Convention Center. rr "'pics for discussion would focus around issues that the City Council can impact. If the Council wants to have a larger town hall meeting or wants to have school district representatives or other elected officials attend, then staff would propose waiting until September or October 2002 to hold a large public event, held on a Saturday, and invite schools to send delegations, as well as open it up to all youth. A presentation on 2002 Council community meetings is scheduled for discussion at the December 4, 2001, City Council Workshop. The staff will seek City Council input and direction at that time. ry r ac y 0 City Manager rrl- ' ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS