Citizen Engagement invest in infrastructure and programs, and to also develop policies and procedures. “Community members have been really excited to see that their concerns are not isolated,” Wells explained. Sometimes, apprehension to speak up publicly stems from the fear of being rejected. This public portal alleviates that fear when citizens can see their neighbors and peers shed light on similar issues and invite new voices to participate in city government. “There’s a collective action piece where people don’t feel so alone in their concerns, they can actually identify other people who can work together with them to advocate for what they need.” Biegder identified a way that Be Heard Durham reduces fatigue in Durham citizens who feel as if they have had to repeat their concerns or address the same issues in multiple public forums. With the recording, transcribing, and categorizing of these conversations, participants can be assured that their voices are truly being heard and shared across the City of Durham. Since Be Heard Durham’s implementation, various city officials across multiple municipal departments have been able to be directly informed on residents’ wants and needs, instead of starting from scratch each time. Like Kaminske described in the City of Hickory, Durham wants to avoid guessing or assuming what its community would like to see. This program provides an invaluable resource in informing those decisions, without the expending research and data collection resources. The public nature of Be Heard Durham’s portal allows and encourages city officials to utilize and reference those voices in their decisionmaking process. “Maybe [information] was gathered related to a specific street project, but that data can now help us with the next parks project in that area… or just general budget planning in the next year,” says Biediger. By collecting and sharing these conversations, community engagement has a lasting and much more profound impact. Citizens of Durham can see their conversations, concerns, hopes, wishes, or whatever that is important to them being considered. Building community relationships through innovative approaches increases trust between residents and their local governments. This causes the creation of programs and processes that have lasting positive impacts on the community. If your municipality is working on creative ways to engage citizens in local government, please reach out to Ben Brown at bbrown@nclm.org so the League can learn about what unique practices our cities and towns are utilizing. continued from page 26 SOUTHERN CITY Quarter 1 2024 28
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