GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city of Grand Rapids is bringing back neighbor engagement sessions for the first time in over two years.
The first "Commission Night Out" is being held Tuesday night, August 23, 2022, at Sibley Elementary in the first ward, on the west side of the city.
The goal of the meetings is to create community engagement, according to Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.
She said she hopes city officials can proactively address any concerns, wants or misunderstandings residents may have.
"We have action items to review and vote on, and the public comment section is for individuals from the community to come and be heard by their elected body so people can come and give comments, but it's not really a back and forth dialogue, so what we're doing differently this time is having that good hour and a half to share information, but also to have smaller conversations," said City of Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.
The meetings were announced around the same time as the city's police chief announced departmental review and recommended policy changes for the Grand Rapids Police Department.
The city said "Commission Night Out" will feature a unique meeting protocol:
5 p.m.
- Doors open with food and beverage available.
- City resource tables featuring leaders of various City departments and educational material.
- Free childcare check-in begins.
5:30 p.m.
- City Commission meeting called to order.
- After a general welcome, there will be a brief presentation about what the NCS results showed by that particular ward. From there, facilitators will engage residents at tables set up by livability factor as defined by the survey. Those in attendance can visit and participate in the livability factor table that most interests them – Economy, Mobility, Community Design, Utilities, Safety, Natural Environment, Parks & Recreation, Health & Wellness, Education, Arts & Culture, and Inclusivity & Engagement.
- The City anticipates two 25-minute sessions to allow attendees to discuss a variety of topics of interest.
- Facilitators will monitor a discussion focusing on four questions:
- What does [this factor] mean to you personally?
- What does success in this area look like for your neighborhood?
- Are there specific projects or areas where investments could make a positive difference?
- Are there other groups or organizations that can contribute to success?
- Those in attendance can verbalize their thoughts on the topics and/or can write out their feedback on placards available at each table.
- Worksheets will be gathered and used to create a report out after each meeting.
- Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, the six City Commissioners and City administrators will circulate and visit tables to observe and engage with residents on the various livability topics.
- Although each engagement session date will focus on NCS results for a particular ward, the meetings are open to all residents/non-residents.
7 p.m.
- Meeting moves to the more traditional business items of the City Commission.
Some of the top-line items the city said they're expecting to hear about are community-police relations and housing.
Mayor Bliss said she's looking forward to being able to have more in-depth conversations on community issues that the public cares about, compared to a typical city commission meeting.
"My hope is that people come and they reconnect, especially if they haven't done it for a couple years since COVID, but also to learn about what's happening in the city. There's a lot of good things happening. It's hard to get all the information out because we're such a big city and there's a lot going on, but despite the challenges that we're facing, there's a lot of really good work that we're doing, and I hope that people recognize that," said Mayor Bliss.
The first "Commission Night Out" is being held Tuesday, August 23, 2022, at Sibley Elementary (943 Sibley St. NW, Grand Rapids, 49504) at 5 p.m.
Free childcare will be provided during a portion of the meeting.
CLICK HERE to register for children ages 0 to 3.
CLICK HERE to register for children ages 4 to 12.
Two additional "Commission Night Out" events are scheduled for October and November in wards two and three. Those location details and times are still being finalized.
The city of Grand Rapids said they hope to have additional sessions each quarter beginning next year.
