Last June, members of city council and administration met directly with residents of the Hart neighbourhood for this council's first neighbourhood conversation. Another was held in the VLA neighbourhood in July, as part of a community parade and barbecue.
While these were just two events for this council over the past year, they are a manifestation of one of council's key priorities: reconnecting with citizens and partners. In the Hart, we heard a wide range of views ranging from a grandfather concerned about a street light on the corner, to a group of teenagers campaigning for a new skate park.
It was democracy in action - it was wonderful.
And it's just the beginning.
Soon after the Hart and VLA events, city staff planned even more public engagement activities. We decided the best time to meet with residents would be in the fall, before our budget discussions begin in earnest: October.
Or Talk-tober as staff refers to it!
During Talk-tober, council and administration will host one neighbourhood conversation per week in community halls throughout the city to talk to residents about what they like, what they don't like, and everything that matters to them in the areas of municipal responsibility.
These include parks, recreation, roads and transportation, utilities, transit and trails, planning and development, and housing.
Conversations will also shine a spotlight on city initiatives currently underway such as the city's budget and proposed smoke-free bylaw (please participate in a survey about that at www.princegeorge.ca).
Information we collect will be used to inform our priorities as a council, our budget planning, and our overall corporate plan for 2016. It will also connect to the myPG Community Goals established in 2010, which lay out a framework for Prince George to realize sustainability and prosperity in economic and social development, city government, and the environment.
So join us:
Oct. 1 East Bowl (includes the Crescents, Millar Addition, VLA, Seymour/Harwin, and Downtown neighbourhoods) - South Fort George Family Resource Centre
Oct. 7 Blackburn - Blackburn Community Centre
Oct. 14 Vanway/Beaverly/Haldi - Vanway Elementary School
Oct. 21 College Heights (includes the UNBC area) - Columbus Community Centre
Oct. 28 West Bowl (includes Heritage, Spruceland, Lakewood, Otway, Westwood, Van Bien, Pinecone, Pinewood, Highglen, and Foothills neighbourhoods) - Kinsmen Hall
Each session will take place from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. and conclude with a question and answer period involving me and council.
You can also see the information we collect from each session on www.princegeorge.ca/talktober within five days of each conversation.
Neighbourhood conversations are only one of the ways we have been engaging with residents.
At tonight's meeting of city council, a report will be presented that summarize results of two recent surveys that captured feedback from nearly 1,000 residents, exploring priorities for the budget as well as customer service overall.
There were many common findings in these surveys that reflect how we have been doing and where there is room for improvement. For example, roughly 80 per cent of respondents found city staff to be responsive and addressed a concern either immediately (35 per cent) or within one day (50 per cent). Further, 83 per cent of you believe there is a strong connection between taxes collected and services provided.
But as with any survey, the results present us with an opportunity to learn from successes and failures. We're clearly hearing we can respond more quickly and communicate better.
We are listening and trying to improve.
The city has also launched a new website, Citizen Budget, as part of our Talk-tober initiative.
It's an interactive budget simulator to help us understand your priorities and gather feedback on various civic services. Citizen Budget uses your property value to explain your tax bill and how it is allocated. You can use Citizen Budget to let us know which functions should get more funding, or less.
Visit www.princegeorge.citizenbudget.com and share your opinions with others.
Neighbourhood conversations, surveys, and web-based products such as Citizen Budget all serve to help us gain information from you about what matters to you. Please consider how you might participate in these engagement opportunities.
-- Lyn Hall, Mayor of Prince George
