Many municipalities shy away from engaging their communities in fear of the inevitable complaint volume that may generate. However- if done right- public engagement leads to volunteerism and a citizenry acting as your ally, and could even lead to funding.
We worked with a municipality that needed significant funding for road maintenance. They had been passed up for regional and state funding several times. One of the cornerstones to gain funding is engaging feedback from the community.
The Road to Funding: How Public Engagement Led to Solutions
Initially, a group of people showed up, ready to complain about their street, road, bike lane, or walking path. City staff guided them through the hurdles the City faced regarding planning and funding. They spread maps on the table, marked them, and highlighted key planning documents. While no promises were made, the staff ensured that voices were heard. After City staff explained the challenges and limitations, and the public shared their concerns, something unexpected happened. City staff and the public began to converge on potential solutions. Then, an amazing thing occurred: the group wanted to form an informal committee to tackle some of the problems and help secure funding for the City.
The Active Transportation Committee formed and successfully brought over $1.5 million in funding to the City. The group advocated for bike lanes, walking paths, safer routes to schools, and even a bike and pedestrian bridge over a busy highway. Today, the City boasts green bike lanes, an Active Transportation Plan, a Safe Routes to Schools Plan, and multiple infrastructure projects underway, all focused on active transportation. The most exciting accomplishment of the Committee, however, was creating a Rolling School Bus, where kids biked to school together in a fun, energetic group.
Additionally, the team reached out to various committees that serve people with disabilities and those who rely on bus transportation for their livelihood. We include this in all of our client offerings to ensure equity. The right group of citizens will support any future grant opportunity. More importantly, the community benefitted for the long haul with this amazing group.
Other projects that we started at the community level are the Sharp Solutions for Home Medicines and Fryer to Fuel projects. Reach out to us for a no-fee consultation to see if our experience can benefit what you are trying to achieve.