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City launches Phase 2 public engagement and survey to inform climate goals and policy priorities
Summary
Planning staff told the board Phase 2 of the climate plan will start with an early public survey and focus groups to collect preferences on regulatory vs. incentive policies, prioritization criteria and equity considerations; staff plans workshops and a multi-criteria prioritization ahead of goal-and-policy drafting.
City planning staff outlined Phase 2 of Spokane’s climate plan development, beginning with early engagement that will prioritize policy types, equity outcomes and community priorities ahead of formal goals and policies.
Principal planner Martin (staff) and Casey (engagement lead) told the board the Phase 2 work stream will begin with an early online survey launching July 21 and running through Aug. 31; the survey is designed to ask residents to rate types of policies (incentives vs. regulations), prioritize topic areas and indicate trade-offs residents would accept. Staff said the survey instrument is developed, translated and includes prize incentives for participation.
Staff described complementary outreach including 4–6 focus groups (topics proposed: climate justice, food/agriculture policy, caregivers and youth, older populations), a set of drop-in community workshops (one per council district plus a downtown midday session) planned for early November, and a variety of passive outreach (newsletters, social media, partner presentations). Staff said they will run focus groups in late summer and early fall and will integrate results into policy identification and a multi-criteria prioritization exercise intended to inform a policy package for the comprehensive-plan update.
Planning staff asked for board input on focus‑group topics and for coordination on timing because board meeting timing changes (possible September cancellation) could affect joint meeting scheduling with the Planning Commission. Staff said a joint meeting with the Planning Commission in October was tentatively listed in the packet for a second‑ or fourth‑Wednesday plan commission date.
Board members asked questions about survey timing, whether the summer launch might reduce response rates and how the public would be shown policy examples. Staff said the early survey intentionally asks about policy types and prioritization rather than detailed draft language, and said additional workshops and targeted focus groups will provide opportunities to vet more detailed policy ideas with the community and the board.
