Seeking Public Comment: WCRC Community Engagement

By May 17, 2018Articles

The Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) is seeking public input on the draft community engagement policy being considered by the Board of Road Commissioners of Washtenaw County. Please review the policy below and provide your feedback in the form at the bottom of the page.

Public comment period is May 17 – June 30, 2018.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POLICY – DRAFT

DIRECTIVE

The purpose of this policy is to formalize community engagement processes that have been in place for years and to provide clear direction to staff on how and when to engage with the community regarding road improvement projects.

GOAL

  • It is the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC)’s goal to continue to engage with the community, including elected officials.
  • This policy and procedure will clarify specific community engagement tactics related to a road improvement project, determined by the project’s scope/scale.

REPRESENTATIVES

The managing director, director of engineering, director of operations and communications coordinator will work with the Washtenaw County Board of Road Commissioners and the community to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of this policy.

PRINCIPALS

  • Provide as much information as possible.
  • Share project information on WCRC channels in a timely and professional manner.
  • Respond to community inquiries about specific projects in a timely and professional manner.
  • Communicate consistently about projects of comparative scope/scale.
  • Strive for continuous improvement in all community engagement.

PROJECT SCOPE DETERMINATION

WCRC will categorize projects into three different tracks based on the following criteria:

  • Project cost
  • Type of work
  • Duration of road closure
  • Environmental impact (such as degree of tree removals)
  • Other special circumstances determined by WCRC

The level of community engagement will be determined by the track the project fits into (click here to review the draft procedure with communication tracks).

WCRC CHANNELS

WCRC staff will use a variety of channels to engage the community depending on what track the road construction project fits into.

The current channels available to WCRC include:

  • Project webpage within www.wcroads.org
  • Email updates
  • Weekly road work updates
  • Social media (Facebook and Twitter)
  • Media advisories
  • Public meeting(s)
  • Mailings
  • Electronic sign boards

External channels that may share information related to road construction include:

  • Township newsletters and meetings
  • Community groups
  • Local print and electronic media

Click here for a pdf of the draft policy