“2015-2016 Web Transparency Report Card”

Public engagement is at the heart of inclusive governance. It should be the responsibility of each agency to give full consideration to public input before making decisions that affect the community-at-large. The Grand Jury agrees with agency leaders that public engagement need not be a “one size fits all” strategy; it should vary based on the needs of the community. Whatever engagement approach an agency chooses, we believe that simply having good intentions to engage is not sufficient – each agency should formally state its public engagement plan or guidelines. A published statement (in the form of a municipal resolution, for example) would ensure that the staff, the public, and community-based organizations work to solve common problems using transparent processes. In fact, the process of developing and publishing such a statement is another opportunity to understand the needs of the community. Agencies should also collaborate with community-based organizations (CBOs) to help reach traditionally disenfranchised groups. Such groups are often unaware of issues likely to affect them until last-minute decision-making. Collaboration with civic leaders and CBOs can increase both the amount and quality of public engagement. Consistent public engagement is a goal that requires agency commitment and adaptation. Public engagement is not something done to simply “calm the public” over controversial issues. PE must be used early and effectively to build trust, achieve community buy-in and support for agency decisions with less contentiousness. The PE Plan or Guidelines should be revisited often to ensure that it continues to “work” for everyone. Otherwise, PE becomes just another box that an agency must check-off rather than a beneficial experience for all involved. A fundamental premise of engaging the community is providing clear, consistent, easily available modes of communication. Many of the residents responding to our survey reported being unaware of available resources for obtaining and communicating information. Over a quarter of respondents reported not knowing whether their local government agencies provided any avenues at all to engage the public. It is important that the public understands the availability of these avenues and whether agencies are doing what is needed to make it known that such avenues exist. Equally important is the participation of the people of Marin in the public engagement dialogue. Residents frequently become involved in their community when a specific issue arises that is of particular interest or consequence to them personally. When that issue is resolved, how active or concerned or even interested do they remain in other areas of their community? At its most effective, public engagement is a path to inclusive governance. June 15, 2017 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Page 36 of 61 Public Engagement In Marin

Children under 5 = 5.5%

Age 18 to 64 = 62.6%

Over 65 = 16.7% According to an article in the Huffington Post, “An estimated 54 percent of adults 25 and older in Marin have a bachelor’s degree and 22.5 percent have an advanced degree, more than in any other California county and among the highest rates nationwide, according to new survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.”61 The average number of adults in the U.S. with at least a bachelor’s degree is 22%. View from the County In January of 2012 Marin County adopted the County of Marin Public Communications Plan.62 With a clear vision, mission and strategy, the plan speaks to specific strategies and actions. As stated on the first page, “The County’s approach to public communications is grounded in its mission statement and input from Board of Supervisor members, community partners and staff.” The County’s mission statement, which appears both on the County website and in their Plan, is “…to provide excellent services that support healthy, safe and sustainable communities; preserve Marin’s unique environmental heritage; and encourage meaningful participation in the governance of the County by all.” An ongoing commitment to public engagement is also stated in the County of Marin 5 Year Business Plan 2015-2020, which among other things focuses on being a responsive government.63 Clearly, PE is important to and actively practiced by our county representatives and employees. However, some of the County’s PE processes differ in scope from the individual cities and towns discussed above. Because of the size of their constituency, PE efforts are executed and spread out among supervisorial districts, departments, and agencies embedded within Marin’s government. Therefore, Marin County discourages posting information in more than one location on their website. As a strategy that may effectively serve a single city or town, the County feels doing so only serves to sow confusion when navigating their intricate site. Likewise the question of whether or not (and how) an agency publishes a regular newsletter is more complicated for the County. With many different departments as well as the Board of Supervisors and their respective districts reporting to the public, multiple newsletters get curated and distributed, most of them online. The County commented that, “Above all, a resident's level of involvement in a County decision- making process greatly depends on that resident's personal investment in that topic or issue.” In 61 Jason, Will. "Marin named California's most educated county." Marin Independent Journal. 21 April, 2013 62 “County of Marin Public Communications Plan.” County of Marin. Jan. 2012. 63 “County of Marin 5 Year Business Plan 2015–2020.” County of Marin. Jan. 2012. June 15, 2017 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Page 32 of 61 Public Engagement In Marin addition, the County said, “…decisions made by the Board of Supervisors tend to garner higher rates of engagement from the public.” The County cited its recent engagement process around medical cannabis dispensary bids as very successful. “Using targeted neighborhood outreach via Nextdoor.com combined with traditional outreach tactics (media outreach, mailers, etc.), residents in those potentially affected communities have been very engaged in the various public meetings held around the County and have been submitting relevant public feedback through the appropriate comment channels (letter and email).” Views from the Residents A total of 451 residents of both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the County responded to our survey. By the numbers: Meeting Attendance 43.2% have attended at least one meeting annually Engagement Interest 55.9% want to be engaged more PE Satisfaction 37.3% are at least “somewhat satisfied” by efforts Informs, full consideration, and advance Detailed PE Issues information are ranked worst PE Tool Awareness Website, email, and social media are most familiar Some of the views expressed by County residents were: The county continuously selects Unincorporated Marin for any regulation that is likely to be opposed by the cities. This singles out Unincorporated Marin for all the bad or trial regulation instead of working with the Incorporated areas to make sure everyone is served consistently. The time of the Board of Supervisor meetings is challenging for those of us who work! Please consider making them at a later time during the day. Thank you! I get most of my County updates on Nextdoor, and appreciate the notifications and information. If I didn't subscribe to the Marin IJ I doubt that I would have much real information on actions under consideration by the county. Perhaps better outreach to the public is in order. Three minutes before the Board of Supervisors is inadequate. There should be extensive workshops in all locations of the County, not just in southern Marin County. County is in a tough place. They are the City Council to the unincorporated areas but for those who have a City Council…outreach from the County is not as vital. June 15, 2017 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Page 33 of 61 Public Engagement In Marin View from the Media ✵ Since the IJ’s December 2016 article urging the County to obtain more public involvement in setting annual goals, recent articles note that the County has begun public meetings with residents in the Ross Valley Flood Control District64 and launched an Open Data Portal.65 ✵ In addition, two County supervisors called for public input and discussion regarding the effects of climate change on Marin by announcing three public meetings on the subject. “There will be no progress without public engagement,” stated the authors in an April 2017 submission to the Marin Independent Journal.66 ✵ Officials again had their say in the IJ in March, stating, “We believe now is the time to step up and get more fully engaged, right here, where we live. Civic engagement. At the local level. Serving our neighborhoods and cities and towns. Attending a city or town council meeting or a Board of Supervisors meeting may not be glamorous but it matters. Or, attend a local flood control zone meeting – you can learn a lot about what we’re doing and what needs to be done to protect our future. Call or email your elected officials – we want to hear from you and we can do our jobs better if you’re in touch with us.”67 Summary ➢ Marin County has both a formal PE Plan and a 5 Year Business Plan that focus on public communication and government response, respectively. Engagement efforts are relatively more complex at the county level. ➢ Less than half of survey respondents reported having attended at least one meeting per year but over half say they want to be engaged more. PE satisfaction is low. ➢ Reports in the IJ show the County is making efforts to encourage the public to engage more and is creating opportunity to do so. 64 Rojas, Raul. “Public participation an important part of flood-control planning.” Marin Independent Journal. 15 Feb. 2017. 65 ”Marin launches online trove of public data.” Marin Independent Journal. 20 Feb. 2017. 66 Sears, Kate and Connolly, Damon. “Marin Voice: The county moves forward with climate action.” Marin Independent Journal. 17 Apr. 2017. 67 Sears, Kate and Fryday, Josh. “Marin Voice: Whatever cause is important to you — try to engage locally.” Marin Independent Journal. 11 Mar. 2017. June 15, 2017 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Page 34 of 61 Public Engagement In Marin Sharing Our Data As stated in our public PE surveys, “The Marin County Civil Grand Jury is seeking your input. The information provided will be treated confidentially by the Grand Jury for its research and report: Your name and email will not be shared with anyone, and your responses will not be attributed to you.” With the rise of the Open Data Movement (examples include: Data.gov, the Data Foundation, OpenGov, Marin County’s Open Data Portal, and the City of Sausalito’s Budget Transparency Tool), we wanted other organizations – including future grand juries – to be able to leverage our public data. Therefore, we are sharing all the public survey responses (removing all personal identification) in two spreadsheets (one for Unincorporated Marin and one for the towns and cities of Marin) online here: https://goo.gl/hdWGf8. June 15, 2017 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Page 35 of 61 Public Engagement In Marin