Analysis

BEST supports Lane Transit District being more responsive to the public it serves

By Rob Zako
April 7, 2024

A draft Community Outreach Framework aims to build community trust and confidence in LTD’s efforts to serve the public, making LTD a more effective organization for the region.

Draft Guiding Principles for Community Engagement
Draft Guiding Principles for Community Engagement. Source: LTD

BEST has long urged Lane Transit District (LTD) to engage more effectively with the public it serves. Indeed, BEST formed in 2012 in response to LTD’s failure to gain sufficient public support for its plans to extend EmX bus rapid transit to west Eugene.

Under the leadership of CEO Jameson Auten, who joined the agency in November 2022, LTD is taking concrete steps to be more responsive to the public. In particular, LTD recently released for public review a draft Community Outreach Framework. The core of the Framework is a set of guiding principles for building trust and confidence in LTD’s efforts to serve the public, making LTD a more effective organization for the region. The Framework is not set in stone. Rather the Framework is intended to be “a living document” that is “community driven” and “inherently flexible.”

BEST applauds LTD’s direction and supports the LTD Board of Directors later this spring adopting the Framework to guide LTD’s work going forward. If the Framework is a recipe, then the proof will be in the pudding of how it is carried out.

Purpose

“This Community Outreach Framework (‘Framework’) is a foundational guide for how LTD will conduct community engagement around its projects, policies, and programs. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to public involvement for LTD’s work, the Framework is envisioned to better standardize LTD practices and make its engagement efforts more effective. The Framework will be shared with staff, collaborating consultants and community partners as projects are kicked-off and specific engagement plans are developed, allowing a check on the completeness and integrity of future LTD engagement efforts. The framework is intended to build community trust and confidence in LTD’s efforts to serve the community, making LTD a more effective organization for the region.”

Source: “What is the framework?” draft Framework, p. 3.

Challenges

The Framework identifies and aims to respond to several challenges LTD faces:

  1. EmX bus rapid transit: Since the success of the first segment between the downtowns of Eugene and Springfield, some have questioned the value of additional segments.
  2. Board accountability: Appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate without clear constituencies, some have questioned how accountable LTD board members are to the public.
  3. Use of funding: As LTD is substantially funded by payroll taxes on employers, some businesses have questioned how effectively LTD uses public monies.

Source: “Why is this needed? Why now?” draft Framework, pp. 3–5.

Principles

The core of the Framework is a set of guiding principles for engaging with the public.

Style

LTD will use these approaches to engage with the public:

  • Two-Way Dialogue: LTD will foster engagements and commit to communications where both parties, such as LTD and stakeholders, actively participate in a conversation.
  • Accessible: LTD will make information and meetings easy to understand and attend, especially for people with different abilities or language proficiency.
  • Respectful: LTD and the community will be sure to treat one another with courtesy, dignity, and consideration, value and consider diverse perspectives, and maintain a respectful tone during interactions.
  • Active Listening: LTD and the community will both employ active listening, a communication skill where one focuses on understanding and empathizing with the speaker.

Content

LTD will provide these types of information to the public:

  • Data-Driven: LTD and the community will strive to be data-driven in engagement by using timely data and evidence to inform decisions and discussions, and analyzing and sharing that data collectively, enabling both LTD and the community to operate with the same level of information.
  • Clarity of Purpose: LTD will maintain a clear and well-defined reason or objective for engaging with stakeholders.
  • Fiscally Transparent: LTD and the community will be open and transparent with one another about the financial implications of decisions and choices.
  • Outcome Oriented: LTD engagement will focus on achieving specific results or goals, rather than simply checking a box by completing the task.

Process

LTD will use these methods to engage with the public:

  • Feedback Loop: LTD will provide a feedback loop as a method of effective engagement with consistent two-way engagement.
  • Adaptable: LTD will work towards adaptable and timely engagement, meaning they will adjust strategies and approaches based on changing circumstances, feedback, or evolving community needs.

Intent

LTD has these goals for engaging with the public:

  • Meaningful: LTD will approach engagement with the aim of creating a genuine and significant benefit for the community and/or project involved.
  • Community-First Mentality: A community-first mentality prioritizes the needs and interests of the community above other considerations.

Source: “Guiding Principles,” draft Framework, pp. 7–10.

Use

The Framework is not set in stone. Rather the Framework is intended to be “a living document” that is “community driven” and “inherently flexible.”

Source: “How should this be used?” draft Framework, pp. 6–7.

Timeline

Comments on the draft Framework are due by April 9, 2024. Later this spring, the LTD Board of Directors will consider a final Framework for adoption.

Community Outreach and Communications Assessment timeline, Source: LTD

External links

Further reading

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