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City presents public engagement review, says research reached 700+ residents; plan will use IAP2 model
Summary
City staff briefed the Ward 6 NAB on a public engagement review that reached more than 700 residents and 300 survey submissions; staff recommended one-topic meetings, online tools and a soft internal launch of a plan grounded in the IAP2 model, with a public ADA-compliant version to follow.
Cynthia Suarez, Director of Community Engagement and Services for the City of Reno, and Cynthia Para, an MSW intern at the University of Nevada, Reno, presented a public engagement review to the Ward 6 Neighborhood Advisory Board on March 2 that summarized outreach methods and community preferences.
Para said the review included more than 15 in-person and virtual sessions and a month-long online survey that yielded “over 300 submissions” and that staff collectively connected with “over 700 community members.” Staff highlighted that residents prefer focused, single-topic engagement events (workshops, town halls, coffee with council) and that online surveys and tools are often the most effective way for residents to provide feedback.
Suarez said the public engagement plan is built on the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) model and will be soft-launched internally before a consolidated, ADA-compliant public version is posted on reno.gov. Staff emphasized practices to preserve a feedback loop so residents know what happened with their input and noted Reno Direct as a common first point of contact for city services and requests.
Board members asked about scheduling events to maximize turnout (testing morning, noon and evening slots) and how staff will measure and adapt when turnout is lower than expected. Staff described a trial-and-error approach—using multiple time slots and virtual options when feasible—and said communications staff would continue to push event notices and that internal piloting would guide eventual public roll-out.
Suarez invited board members to share feedback by email and noted staff will provide guidance materials to help meeting leaders close the feedback loop so community participants know where their input went.
