Last fall, we blogged on the requirements around Comprehensive Plans. With the promise of Christiansburg providing a better web site after Jan. 30, will it be used as one means of soliciting citizen input as well as communicating out to residents?
Over at Depot Dazed, a recent post picks up the thread about an absence of Christiansburg seeking citizen input aligned to the town's Comprehensive Plan or revisiting the 1995-2005 Parks & Recreation Master Plan.
All Christiansburg households should be aware of what is contained in these two documents. Take the time to read them, and point them out to your friends, co-workers and neighbors.
Whether you have lived in Christiansburg your entire life or just arrived in the last year or so, think back about if you were ever asked for input on the direction of the town (through growth) or amenities and services (through taxes and fees).
If you were provided such an opportunity, but didn't take it, ask yourself why not. Did you think it didn't matter or the questions seemed irrelevant and unconnected to any outcomes?
If you were provided such an opportunity, ask yourself if the feedback seems to have been used in such a way that you understand and can see the results. After all, just collecting data and not using it for planning doesn't serve any purpose.
If you were unaware of opportunities being present for providing input into the Master or Comp plans, think about why. What were the town's constraints to getting this information to you? What were your constraints for receiving it?
You can also ask why such opportunities have traditionally been so infrequent in Christiansburg, and yielded such small response rates.
With new technology such as the town's internet (which is presumed will provide relevant community calendars and updates), and the ability to distribute information to all water and sewer customers without any extra expense, think about the type of feedback the town could be compiling. The data should be linked to at least these two key town documents. Help in designing good surveys is just a phone call away at either or both of the two neighboring major state universities, if not present within the town's staff expertise.
For examples of how this is being done, look at Blacksburg as just one local example. They are currently conducting a survey asking citizens to help define how Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement funds should be used. Click on the link. You can complete it even if you are not a Blacksburg resident. Think about what your responses would be if being asked these questions about Christiansburg.
This is only one feedback instrument Blacksburg deployed -- they had many other surveys and sponsored numerous community forums over the past year, too. And then there was the NRV PDC MPO bus survey.
Entitlement funds and their being passed over in Christiansburg is another thing town residents need to think and learn more about. More research on the history of these funds and their use or non-use will be coming soon, timed just right for when the Town Council is preparing a 2009-2010 budget.