Hamilton County Community Compass

I Want...

Campaign to Build Collaborative Decision-making

PRIORITY INITIATIVES

Initiative 9 | Collaboration on countywide issues (Priority 4)

Strategy 9.1 Identify and prioritize important issues that need to be addressed countywide or in multiple jurisdictions and identify essential collaborating partners (may include projection of trends and forecasting of crisis conditions).

Strategy 9.2 Identify and apply actions, policies and programs, tools, and methods (past and current), locally and nationally, that are models of positive collaborative decision-making.

Strategy 9.3 Identify existing structure and opportunities for government collaboration in Hamilton County and evaluate effectiveness

Strategy 9.4 Develop a communication program for increasing level of awareness of important issues and trends requiring collaboration. (may include partnerships with news media, web sites, periodic Countywide Town Meetings, etc.)

Strategy 9.5 Identify critical issues that require public, private and civic sector collaboration and develop strategies to address them.

Strategy 9.6 Build consensus on a unified, comprehensive community vision for Hamilton County.

Strategy 9.7 Improve existing structures for collaborative decision-making and initiate additional structure where desired (may include development of incentives for government collaboration).

Strategy 9.8 Hold regular community forums on specific issues to continue dialogue within and across political jurisdictions and agencies.

Strategy 9.9 Create a forum to lobby for Hamilton County’s collaborative interests to regional, state and federal decision-makers.

Strategy 9.10 Create a resource center for problem-solving and conflict resolution (For example – to deal with conflicts that arise in the “critical issues requiring collaboration” mentioned in strategy 9.5).

Initiative 10 | Incentives for better collaborative decision making (Priority 8 [tie])

Strategy 10.1 Establish incentives, and identify the benefits, to reinforce the desired countywide development framework (defined as the adopted strategies of the Community COMPASS plan).

Strategy 10.2 Provide funding to support implementation of elements in updated community and agency comprehensive plans that coordinate the economic, environmental, and social aspects of development.

Strategy 10.3 Provide rewards/recognition to individuals and organizations for “best practices” in accomplishing this objective (i.e., public input throughout the planning and decision-making process).

Strategy 10.4 Create local and statewide incentives and motivators to promote participation, planning and goal setting.

Strategy 10.5 Promote consideration of local and countywide comprehensive plans in private, public, civic, and institutional sector decision-making.

Initiative 11 | Increased Citizen Participation (Priority 8 [tie])

Strategy 11.1 Identify and promote new ways to seek public input and encourage civic participation.

Collaborate with news media and other mechanisms of public communication

Develop and maintain interactive web site, including links with other websites

Involve schools, churches, i.e. social capital groups, to encourage ongoing citizen input.

Need civic activist education program, including outcomes, teaching best practices about civic involvement

Promote/support citizen organizations through civic education programs as an outlet for civic involvement efforts – a place to use what you learn

Strategy 11.2 Encourage adequate and timely notice of public meetings.

Strategy 11.3 Ensure public meetings are held in accessible places and promote scheduling them at times of day at which stakeholders can attend.

Inquire of citizens about the best times and places (which might rotate)

Ensure meetings are accessible (handicapped accessible, accessible by public transportation, time of day), rotate meetings around to various communities, including website and cable participation

Strategy 11.4 Develop other means of communicating issues and decisions to general public.

Develop and maintain web sites

Collaborate with local papers – develop weekly section specifically for government information

Establish and award or recognition by the Planning Partnership of the broadcast media and print media

Disseminate information through flyers in utility billings

Email to known citizens who have shown interest in that issue

Movie theatres

Church bulletins

Civic organization newsletters, email, websites, etc.

Strategy 11.5 Improve communication between planning commissions and planning officials at all levels and forms of government and public, private and civic sector stakeholders.

Strategy 11.6 Establish processes for incorporating citizen input when decisions are made during the implementation of Community COMPASS.

Strategy 11.7 Encourage the citizens of Hamilton County to become informed on and involved in regional issues.

This regional stewardship concept is based on the notion that residents in the region enjoy the benefits of the whole region and, in collaboration with elected and appointed public officials, civic groups and the private sector, should participate in its planning, maintenance, improvement, and governance

Examples of such collaboration include the Planning Partnership, the Mill Creek Watershed Council, Little Miami, Inc., Citizens for Civic Renewal and the League of Women Voters among others.

As an extension of this concept, Hamilton County elected officials should be encouraged to foster strong working relationships with the leaders of surrounding counties in order to better address regional issues that impact the multi-county area