City staff outline new public-engagement framework to Ward 3 advisory board
Loading...
Summary
City staff described a draft public engagement plan informed by 700+ touchpoints and 358 survey responses; residents prefer familiar venues, single-topic meetings and expanded online tools. Staff will soft-launch the framework and seek further feedback.
City staff presented a draft public-engagement framework at the Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board meeting on Feb. 3, describing outreach conducted in 2025 and next steps for a soft rollout. Cynthia Esparza, director of community engagement and services, and Cynthia Parra, an intern, summarized findings from more than 700 in-person touchpoints and a month-long online survey that yielded 358 responses.
Staff said respondents preferred familiar and accessible locations (libraries 19%, parks 18%, city hall 17%) and that 44% of survey respondents favor meetings focused on a single topic to avoid long agendas. The presentation also emphasized a mix of online and in-person channels, naming Reno Direct as the city’s nonemergency service center and noting the city’s social media presence across five platforms.
"Public engagement is extremely important in shaping local policies, programs, and initiatives," Parra told the board. Staff explained they used the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) model to structure engagement and plan a soft internal rollout before broader implementation.
Board members praised outreach but urged care in survey design. "My only concern about some of the surveys is often enough whenever you create a survey, the way that you draft the question really drives what the answers often might be," said board member Anthony Dispenzieri, who recommended more free-form response fields to capture ideas not anticipated in fixed questions.
Members suggested practical outreach steps, including profiling NAB members in the Ward 3 newsletter and hosting an informal "coffee with a council member" to increase awareness and participation. Staff invited continued feedback and said details, resource guides and contact information would be available on reno.gov and via Reno Direct.
The presentation closed with staff asking for the board’s feedback on the draft framework and noting next steps for internal rollout and departmental adoption.
