Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times 

Grand Junction City Council members are considering an expanded, more-personal approach to public engagement that emphasizes flexible, direct communication between elected officials and residents.

During a June 30 workshop, Kelsey Coleman, the city’s new communications and engagement manager, presented a detailed framework called the “Meet You There Initiative.” The plan is designed to help council members engage with community members in more informal, accessible ways.

“This framework is really flexible, intentional and relevant,” Coleman said. “It enables council members to participate meaningfully in public outreach while recognizing that you all have very different time commitments.”

Coleman said the city developed the plan based on direction from council.

“We are here tonight, because Council said we want more engagement. We want more opportunities to have that deep connection with our communities. So we took that and ran with it,” Coleman said.

Neighborhood Dialogues, Community Plug-Ins

The plan includes four core components: neighborhood dialogues, community plug-in, a digital series and a media plan.

“We were thinking through how can we rotate council going around the town to different community members,” Coleman said. “We thought bi-monthly made sense for these town hall-style gatherings. We really wanted it to be intimate, more conversational … opening up these town halls to just really what’s on their minds, what’s on their hearts, and then having council listen and respond in real time.”

City Manager Mike Bennett said the format will focus on broader geographic areas.

“Meeting people in/across neighborhoods … we can identify different areas within the city and find the right gathering space,” he said.

Coleman said the community plug-in concept builds on events council members already attend.

“We have parades. We have markets. We have service clubs, senior centers. A lot of you are doing this already,” she said. “If we’re not talking about it as a city, the public doesn’t actually know.”

Digital Series, Email Campaigns

The digital series includes web and social media components.

“We can really utilize (the Engage GJ website) way more and involve council in this platform,” Coleman said. “People are there already. Why not bring you into their homes?”

She said social media could include Q&As, agenda updates and videos: “Less of a time commitment, but still an engagement opportunity.”

Coleman said the city will post a quarterly calendar online.

“We would really hone in on trying to figure out which ones are you attending ahead of time and putting those on there,” she said.

Media Plan, Council Storytelling

The media plan will spotlight council members and their priorities.

“Why not tell your guys’ individual stories and what you care about and what you’re interested in and what you’ve been up to?” Coleman said to the council members.

Bennett emphasized the plan should be manageable and flexible.

“We definitely don’t want to go overboard … but I think because there’s so many options, we can spread that out and try and get a couple (members to attend),” he said.

Addressing Gaps in Trust, Representation

Councilmember Scott Beilfuss raised concerns about reaching marginalized residents.

“How do you reach those people that don’t trust government, that feel left behind?” he asked. “We have a lot of low-income people around this town. And they don’t believe we’ll do anything for them. And that’s an opportunity for us to show them the things that we are doing for them. But we got to get to them first.”

Coleman said, “One of them is simplifying the language … I think by opening up this window into government and using the language that everyday people use … we can expand our reach.”

Bennett said the city is developing a list of overlooked communities, adding, “This is trying to show a different way for us to go reach out.”

Exploring New Tools for Public Input

Council member Anna Stout proposed exploring citizens’ assemblies.

“It is a way that you can get random folks … and then the citizen assembly gets the opportunity to make a recommendation to the council.”

Bennett said the city is studying how other municipalities have used the model.

“There are components of it that can be applied in smaller ways or in larger ways,” he said. “We can start with this plan and build on it. This is a good start.”