Proposals to Strengthen the Voice of Charlottesville’s Neighborhoods
Kristin Szakos and Dave Norris, Democratic nominees for City Council
Charlottesville, VA – October 6, 2009
Above, Dave Norris and Kristin Szakos present proposals on improving Charlottesville's neighborhoods.
The various communities within the city differ from one another in their relative affluence, ethnic diversity and the problems they face with regard to development, traffic, noise, transportation needs, the impact of county and university growth and other issues. Local residents are experts on these issues affecting their neighborhoods. Without their participation, the city can misstep and miss opportunities to make this a community that is responsive and livable for all. Many problems can be avoided and money saved by involving more residents from the start.
A major challenge we face is to improve the two-way flow of information between citizens and the city government. The city has made some significant efforts through use of City Notes in utility bills, the Charlottesville.org website, notification of neighborhood association contacts of projects affecting them, expanded comments periods at City Council meetings, and visits to neighborhoods by city planners and police.
But many residents still go unheard, especially in low-income neighborhoods. We must build on those efforts in order to more fully involve the people of Charlottesville in the decisions that affect them. Here are some concrete suggestions for how we can begin, gleaned from conversations with numerous neighborhood leaders throughout the city:
City Government
- A key step is to establish a full-time position for a Neighborhood Advocate to help strengthen the voice and participation of neighborhoods in the decisions that affect them. The City of Portland, Ore., has a Director of Neighborhood Involvement which provides a good model to explore (Promoting a culture of civic engagement by connecting and supporting all Portlanders working together and with government to build inclusive, safe and livable neighborhoods and communities.). Establishing a Neighborhood Advocate for Charlottesville could be done through the realignment of a current position or by filling a previously vacant existing staff position.
- The city should also encourage volunteers to work for the city in neighborhood advocacy, historic preservation and other areas. Sources for volunteer help include AmeriCorps, student interns, student community service participants, non-governmental organizations like the Historical Society and skilled retirees.
- The name of the Department of Neighborhood Development Services should be changed to reflect the focus on serving neighborhoods and their residents, not just on facilitating development.
- Regular meetings between City Council and residents should be held in locations throughout the city, in schools and community centers, where residents can voice their concerns and offer suggestions on issues facing the city. A light dinner and childcare should be provided to stress that Councilors want people to come and to make it easier for people to participate.
- City departments should initiate more local, neighborhood-based, meetings to inform residents of proposed projects in their neighborhoods and take effective measures to inform residents in advance of the meetings.
Neighborhood Associations
- Our neighborhood associations have the potential to help residents to speak out and to be heard on issues that concern them. Some of our neighborhoods have strong and active associations, while others have inactive groups or none at all. The city might offer resources, such as reimbursement of mailing costs, or the use of copy machines and mailing lists, etc., to neighborhood associations that hold regular meetings and have elected officers, or whose leaders participate in leadership development activities.
- The city should encourage and support the Alliance of Neighborhoods in its efforts to organize in areas of the city currently without active neighborhood associations.
- We should support and build upon the efforts of the Public Housing Association of Residents, Quality Community Council and other organizations working to strengthen the voice of people in lower-income neighborhoods.
Communication
- The City should take steps to improve responsiveness to citizens by making city government more user-friendly and accessible. The city website should post up-to-date plans for neighborhood projects and any changes to the plans should be highlighted. Current minutes for the Planning Commission, the Board of Architectural Review and other groups whose work impacts neighborhoods should be posted. An easily-accessible telephone directory for City staff should be posted on the website as well.
- Current neighborhood association officers and contact information should be listed, along with events and projects sponsored by neighborhood associations. There is currently a “neighborhoods calendar”, but it’s blank. The “Neighborhood News” section has only one article for 2009, and had only one the last year. Many of the Neighborhood Association contacts are years out of date. The Neighborhood Capital Improvements page was last updated in 2007. Minutes for the BAR were last posted in September 2008. More recent agendas have notes typed into them, but are not listed as minutes on the website.