Our Approach to Community Engagement

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Why We Need You

Local government has the advantage of being closest to the people it serves. Local government provides basic needs from sidewalks and water to cultural enrichment, festivals and healthy natural spaces. The City of Fort Collins believes that community engagement is a crucial part of our service delivery, and that our community members are one of our most valuable resources for making our city a more equitable and vibrant place to live, work and play.

"Community members are an extension of our efforts and should take part as collaborative problem solvers." -City of Fort Collins Public Engagement Guide


Why the Our City Fort Collins Platform

The City of Fort Collins has a variety of avenues for community members to share requests, inquiries, concerns and input. This flow of information is most effective when it works both ways and is fostered at each step. We strive to create inclusive, equitable and accessible methods for participation. Our City Fort Collins is intended to help you find the information you need or are curious about and get involved in the conversations happening on the City's major projects and initiatives—we also hope this platforms enables you to let us know how to serve you better.

This platform will serve as your one-stop-shop for big picture, long-term projects in Fort Collins. We will provide key background info, updates and educational resources to help you learn about projects, as well as a range of tools to help you participate. These may include discussion boards, Q & A’s with project leaders, questionnaires, event schedules and more.


Why Do I Have to Register to Use Our City Fort Collins?

Registration is required to weigh in on some of the feedback tools on this platform. We've made our registration the most basic that this platform will allow and it can be done anonymously. We only ask users for an email address and zip code.

We ask that you register for a few reasons:

  • When you register with your email address, we can keep you updated on the status of projects we know you are interested in. We can also send you notices when new surveys or forums become available regarding other projects, so you can stay informed and engaged with your local government.
  • Once you've registered, we don't have to keep asking you for your zip code or other demographic information each time you post to a forum or complete a survey, since those simple questions are part of your registration process.
  • Your registration information helps us to ensure that we are getting feedback from a good cross-section of city residents and/or visitors, providing a more accurate picture of public opinion, or showing us where we need to focus our community engagement efforts. It also limits the likelihood of someone taking a survey multiple times, which can skew the results.

Rest assured, we will never provide any other entity or organization with your personal information or email address, and you can always select an anonymous screen name.


How We Plan Engagement

Our approach to community engagement is informed by the methods and best practices created by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)—their principles also helped to develop this tool. Numerous City staff are trained through IAP2, and we constantly research and connect with other communities to learn about new ideas. We work closely with CSU's Center for Public Deliberation, Poudre School District and other local organizations and community partners to help us better connect with you.

7 Principles of Public Engagement

  1. Careful Planning and Preparation
  2. Inclusion and Demographic Diversity
  3. Collaboration and Shared Purpose
  4. Openness and Learning
  5. Transparency and Trust
  6. Impact and Action
  7. Sustained Engagement and Participatory Culture


Why We Need You

Local government has the advantage of being closest to the people it serves. Local government provides basic needs from sidewalks and water to cultural enrichment, festivals and healthy natural spaces. The City of Fort Collins believes that community engagement is a crucial part of our service delivery, and that our community members are one of our most valuable resources for making our city a more equitable and vibrant place to live, work and play.

"Community members are an extension of our efforts and should take part as collaborative problem solvers." -City of Fort Collins Public Engagement Guide


Why the Our City Fort Collins Platform

The City of Fort Collins has a variety of avenues for community members to share requests, inquiries, concerns and input. This flow of information is most effective when it works both ways and is fostered at each step. We strive to create inclusive, equitable and accessible methods for participation. Our City Fort Collins is intended to help you find the information you need or are curious about and get involved in the conversations happening on the City's major projects and initiatives—we also hope this platforms enables you to let us know how to serve you better.

This platform will serve as your one-stop-shop for big picture, long-term projects in Fort Collins. We will provide key background info, updates and educational resources to help you learn about projects, as well as a range of tools to help you participate. These may include discussion boards, Q & A’s with project leaders, questionnaires, event schedules and more.


Why Do I Have to Register to Use Our City Fort Collins?

Registration is required to weigh in on some of the feedback tools on this platform. We've made our registration the most basic that this platform will allow and it can be done anonymously. We only ask users for an email address and zip code.

We ask that you register for a few reasons:

  • When you register with your email address, we can keep you updated on the status of projects we know you are interested in. We can also send you notices when new surveys or forums become available regarding other projects, so you can stay informed and engaged with your local government.
  • Once you've registered, we don't have to keep asking you for your zip code or other demographic information each time you post to a forum or complete a survey, since those simple questions are part of your registration process.
  • Your registration information helps us to ensure that we are getting feedback from a good cross-section of city residents and/or visitors, providing a more accurate picture of public opinion, or showing us where we need to focus our community engagement efforts. It also limits the likelihood of someone taking a survey multiple times, which can skew the results.

Rest assured, we will never provide any other entity or organization with your personal information or email address, and you can always select an anonymous screen name.


How We Plan Engagement

Our approach to community engagement is informed by the methods and best practices created by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)—their principles also helped to develop this tool. Numerous City staff are trained through IAP2, and we constantly research and connect with other communities to learn about new ideas. We work closely with CSU's Center for Public Deliberation, Poudre School District and other local organizations and community partners to help us better connect with you.

7 Principles of Public Engagement

  1. Careful Planning and Preparation
  2. Inclusion and Demographic Diversity
  3. Collaboration and Shared Purpose
  4. Openness and Learning
  5. Transparency and Trust
  6. Impact and Action
  7. Sustained Engagement and Participatory Culture
Page last updated: 09 Aug 2023, 02:09 PM