With a focus on listening, educating, and building community, the Community Conversation on Feb. 26 earned rave reviews from its 120 participants. Everyone on the waiting list and even a few walk-ins were accommodated.
Due to time constraints, we narrowed the focus on this EngageRoseville outreach effort to the three largest General Fund departments: Police, Fire, and Parks, Recreation & Libraries departments.
Attendees sat in small groups so they could discuss their priorities with other residents after each department’s presentation.
Each table had a city staff member to act as a facilitator, to answer questions and to take notes. Subject matter experts were available to move around the room answering questions and getting feedback.
City Manager Rob Jensen appreciated the work of so many people who made the event a success. “You all hit it out of the park! In my opinion, the event could not have gone any better. I am so proud of this team and our staff. Thank you so much for your time and effort.”
Mark Wolinksi (left) was one of the invaluable table facilitators at the Community Conversation.
One of the biggest hits of the night was the ability to use smartphones to answer polling questions, with the responses appearing in real time.
See the results and feedback here.
CBS13 was there to
report on how Roseville is asking its residents for input on the budget.
The Roseville Press Tribune also wrote a story about the evening. We are producing a podcast about the event to go with the video at the top of the page.
“I’ve been to literally hundreds of community meetings over the past 20 years and that was probably the best community meeting I ever attended,” said Assistant City Manager Dominick Casey.
One participant’s comment stands out from the rest. Learning about the budget and services the city provides, this person realized, “I’m much more opinionated than I am informed.”
Feedback from participants:
“Thanks for listening to residents!”
“This is hard.”
“Once again Roseville proved it is the leader in civic engagement.”
“This is what I love about Roseville.”
“Thank you for seeking our input.”
“This was very helpful.”
“We should do these on a regular basis.”
“Please extend my appreciation to all your staff for a terrific job.”
This was quite a team effort. Special thanks to Citywide Public Information Officer Brian Jacobson, and to the following staff whose roles included table facilitators and subject-matter experts.
Pam Allen
Marc Ball
Rob Baquera
Kathy Barsotti
Doug Blake
Ken Bodine
Brian Castelluccio
Maurice Chaney
Christine Dentry
Brian Diemer
Lindsay Duck
Helen Dyda
Nicole Fenton
Vonette Fontaine
Jaime Garrett
Tara Gee
Dee Dee Gunther
Carolyn Hanson
Rendi Hodge
Jessica Huff
Greg James
Kristi LaRoche
Matt Lauchner
Natasha Martin
Gina McColl
Jeff Nereson
Tom Pelster
Alexa Pritchard
Kate Rebello
Jason Rizzi
Katrina Rostam
Amy Ruiz
Julie Sparkes
Joe Speaker
Tricia Stewart
Ely Wilbur
Mark Wolinski
Capt. Marc Glynn
Capt. Troy Bergstrom
Katie Braverman
Lt. Doug Blake