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By Sarah Rubin, public engagement program director, Institute for Local Government

The Institute for Local Government (ILG) has developed a framework any special district can use to plan and execute their public engagement efforts. The TIERS Framework supports special district officials and staff as they look to use deliberative planning to execute better public engagement activities. ILG also provides individualized coaching and training on this Framework through the TIERS Learning Lab.

8 Ways Special Districts Can Benefit from Public Engagement:

• Better understanding of the public’s values, beliefs and priorities
• More informed residents
• Improved special district decision-making
• More community buy-in and support, with less contentiousness
• More civil discussion and decision making
• Faster project implementation with less need to revisit again
• More trust in each other and in local government
• Higher rates of community participation and leadership development
  
  

TIERS Public Engagement Framework

The TIERS Public Engagement Framework for Local Governments contains five ‘pillars’: Think, Initiate, Engage, Review and Shift. Each pillar provides step-by-step directions and companion resources to build and execute a thorough public engagement plan.

Think
The first pillar, Think, walks through the initial planning stages of a public engagement effort. This includes conducting a self-assessment, considering the appropriate public engagement approach and building connections within your community.

Initiate
In the Initiate pillar, special districts begin to develop their public engagement approach and outreach plan. It is important to consider a mix of in person and online activities to ensure representation from target audiences.

Engage
In the Engage pillar, special districts implement the outreach plan, prioritizing outreach and implement the public engagement plan, ensuring roles are clear and adjusting as appropriate. It is important to consider potential internal, organizational and external challenges that may arise.

Review
After conducting a public engagement effort, it is imperative to review the effort. Begin by evaluating the public engagement approach and outreach plan considering what worked, what could have been better and what, if any, training is needed to improve. This is also a time to reflect on the barriers that you faced and share lessons learned with others in your special district.

Shift
The final pillar, Shift, encourages organizational changes that the agency believes would help it succeed, shifts in external relations and the implementation of public engagement related policies or resolutions.

• Learn to utilize the TIERS Framework to successfully plan and implement public engagement – whether it is a one-time event or an ongoing, holistic approach.
• Discuss strategies to overcome a wide variety of barriers and challenges often seen in public engagement work.
• Work through a relevant, local public engagement example to better understand resource related choices (e.g., staffing, money, time).
• Connect with other special districts, cities and counties in the region to provide mutual support for successful public engagement efforts.
• Benefit from customized technical assistance and coaching before, during and after the Learning Lab.

The TIERS structure provided Fallbrook Regional Health District the tools we needed to launch our community engagement activities prior to the selling of the hospital. I was able to be proactive to help us get the word out and be in control of our message. We are looking forward to using this effective structure again as the District anticipates the purchase of land for a Wellness Center, ‘Health Under One Roof’. – Bobbi Palmer, Executive Director, Fallbrook Regional Health District

Special Districts Share Their Experiences from the TIERS Learning Lab

In addition to customized coaching and training on public engagement best practices and techniques, the TIERS Learning Lab is designed to provide peer-to-peer learning and team building opportunities.

"Attending TIERS was a great learning experience for the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) team. The training helped us understand why our traditional methods of public outreach were not as effective as we hoped, and it provided insight into how we could enhance those efforts in the future. Spending time together as a team was helpful, and the exercises and tools presented were enlightening. The methods we learned at TIERS have already changed our public engagement process. Using many specific techniques that we learned and working as a team, RTD increased our annual Unmet Transit Needs responses from 12 last year to over 1,350 this year!" - Donna DeMartino, Chief Executive Officer, San Joaquin Regional Transit District

In 2015, ILG conducted a survey of local government officials and staff. Participants identified a number of challenges including:

• Always same people who participate
• Lack of staff and/or financial resources
• Those who participate are political extreme compared to community
• Residents aren’t adequately informed about issues
• Lack of time
• Lack of procedures for assessing and learning from PE experiences
• Lack of knowledge on best practice