Resilient Community Advisory Commission Update Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Action Items # 3.
ITEM TITLE: Resilient Community Advisory Commission Update
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval to proceed with the
community engagement process that will inform the
development of a Resilient Community Advisory
Commission.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Resilient Community Advisory Commission Update- City Manager Memo
MVM Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
THE CITY OF Dubuque
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Update on Resilient Community Advisory Commission Engagement
Process
DATE: January 27, 2016
During their Fiscal Year 2016 annual goal-setting process, the City Council added the
creation of a Community Resilience Advisory Commission to their Top Priorities list.
Since then, Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan, who is the staff person for the
existing Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission, Community Engagement
Coordinator Nikola Pavelic, and Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach have
met to develop a work plan to complete the two actions identified for completion in
2015-2017:
1. City Council approval of process to transition to new commission format.
2. Comprehensive community engagement effort to define purpose and role of
commission and to recruit candidates.
Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach is recommending City Council
approval to proceed with the community engagement process that will inform the
development of a Resilient Community Advisory Commission. This is an aggressive
timeline that staff will attempt to meet.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Micliael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
THE CITY OF Dubuque
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erica .i
Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
SUBJECT: Update on Resilient Community Advisory Commission Engagement
Process
DATE: January 27, 2016
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to provide an update on the community engagement
process that will inform the development of a Resilient Community Advisory
Commission.
BACKGROUND
During their Fiscal Year 2016 annual goal-setting process, the City Council added the
creation of a Community Resilience Advisory Commission to their Top Priorities list.
Since then, Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan, who is the staff person for the
existing Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission, Community Engagement
Coordinator Nikola Pavelic, and I have met to develop a work plan to complete the two
actions identified for completion in 2015-2017:
• City Council approval of process to transition to new commission format.
• Comprehensive community engagement effort to define purpose and role of
commission and to recruit candidates.
This memo presents a proposed community engagement process to achieve the
second bullet, and collect information to help inform the process identified in the first
bullet.
DISCUSSION
Key issues to be addressed in the development of the Resilient Community Advisory
Commission (RCAC) include the following: purpose and role of the commission, size
and diverse representation on the commission, determination of staff support and
funding needed to assist the commission in fulfilling their purpose, and relationship of
the commission to other existing commissions and key partners. Based on the
information collected during the community engagement process, City staff will draft an
ordinance and recommended action plan to be delivered to the City Council for
consideration in May 2016.
During the development of the community engagement process, the following goals
were identified:
1 . During community engagement, stakeholders will define 'resilience" for the
ordinance.
2. Community engagement will involve representatives from all three Sustainable
Dubuque pillars (economic prosperity; environmental and ecological integrity;
social and cultural vibrancy) with a variety of demographics.
3. During community engagement, staff will gather stakeholder perspectives on the
purpose, reasons and structure of the commission.
4. A significant parameter is that the new commission needs to respect the policy-
making authority of the City Council and the administrative and statutory
responsibilities of the City Manager, including the need to implement the goals
and priorities established by the City Council.
The proposed timeline for the community engagement process can be found at the end
of this document. Key actions in the engagement process include the following
strategies:
1 . Staff complete research on best practices, using other communities focused on
sustainability and resiliency as models.
2. Host a series of small group discussions and stakeholder input sessions to
gather input regarding the goals listed above.
3. Staff process the information into a potential recommended ordinance and
commission operations/procedures guidance. The ordinance would identify the
core mission and responsibilities of the commission, as well as other critical
details like composition of the commission members. The operations/procedures
guidance document is meant to ensure that all stakeholders, including City staff
and future commission members, have a clear understanding of required time
commitment, tasks, annual timeline, and relationship with the City Council, City
Manager, and staff.
4. Develop and distribute a survey to the public, for individuals who were not able to
attend meetings/dialogues.
5. All stakeholders are brought together to provide input on the potential
recommendations and operations/procedures guidance based on the input
gathered by staff. This will be an opportunity to gather feedback and build
consensus, and will be open to the general public as well.
6. Staff adjust recommendations as needed, and provide final recommendations to
City Council. The same report will be made available to all stakeholders.
A list of stakeholders was thoughtfully selected to meet the three goals identified above.
Staff propose reaching out to the following stakeholders to gather input:
• Human Rights Commission • Arts & Culture Affairs Advisory
• Parks and Recreation Commission Commission
• Housing Commission • Transit Advisory Board
• Zoning Advisory Commission • Chamber of Commerce
• Community Development Advisory • Environmental Stewardship Advisory
Commission Commission
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• Long Range Planning Advisory • Dubuque Initiatives
Commission • Friends of Mines of Spain
• Community Foundation of Greater • County Boards of Supervisors
Dubuque • Crescent Community Health Center
• Greater Dubuque Development Corp • Sierra Club
• Purchase of Service recipients • Mental Health Alliance
• Green Dubuque • Dubuque Arts Collective
• Tri-College Sustainability Group • High school student councils
(Loras, Clarke, University of • Dubuque Community School Board
Dubuque) • PTA/student advisory councils
• Local college presidents and student • Partners engaged in STAR
government/associations Communities data collection process
• Wellness Coalition • Others as identified
• Neighborhood Associations
• Inclusive Dubuque network partners
• DRA Board
It is also important to understand the intersection of this resiliency work with two other
potential opportunities which the City will be notified of in the near future:
1 . In December, the City submitted an application to the 100 Resilient Communities
international competition. We expect to hear in March 2016 whether we were chosen
as a 100RC participant. If selected, the City would receive funds to hire a Chief
Resiliency Officer (CRO) to develop a community-wide resiliency strategic plan over a
two-year time period. The community engagement process outlined above would help
inform that strategic planning process and help launch the CRO workplan quickly. The
addition of a grant-funded CRO and the technical assistance that comes with the
100RC designation would likely help us move resiliency efforts forward more quickly
than we could with current capacity.
2. In February, the City will be partnering with the Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque to apply for a Funders Network Partners for Places (P4P) grant focused on
building more resilient, equitable neighborhoods that are better prepared to respond to
natural disasters, economic stresses, and civil unrest. The grant would support the
development of a resilient neighborhood strategy, piloted in the Washington
Neighborhood, and build on the data developed through the Inclusive Dubuque Equity
Profile. If successful, the P4P funded-work would provide a strong
neighborhood/resident connection for the RCAC, but no direct work plan link has been
identified at this time. A decision on P4P funding is expected in late March 2016.
REQUESTED ACTION
City Council approval to proceed with the community engagement strategy outlined
above to inform the development of the Resilient Community Advisory Commission is
respectfully requested.
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Cc: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
Nikola Pavelic, Community Engagement Coordinator
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
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Project timeline:
December January February 1st: March April May June-July August/
Staff plan & Staff plan & Present Staff begins Staff finishes Staff Design September
research research community meetings with all stakeholder recommends RCAC Recruit&
engagement stakeholders group mtgs ordinance to recruitment orient
strategy to City City Council process commissioners
Council Staff creates Hold 1 all- for adoption
outreach plan for stakeholder/
Schedule all-stakeholder public input
public input meeting and input meeting
sessions process
Intersection:100 Resilient Communities notice
expected.
Impact: Grant would fund a Chief Resiliency Officer to
develop a community-wide resiliency strategic plan
over two-year period. RCAC development could inform
that process. RCAC could serve as advisory committee
to CRO.
Intersection:Partners for Places notices expected.
Impact: Grant would develop resilient neighborhood
strategy,piloting in Washington Neighborhood.
Similar topics of work for RCAC and grant
implementers, but no direct work plan link identified
now.
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