"Typically, cities and counties devote a great deal of time and effort to the planning and delivery of public engagement processes. However, given the press of daily responsibilities, local officials often spend relatively little time assessing how these processes worked for the local agency and the community.

The assessment of local agency-sponsored public engagement is important as it enables local officials and others to gauge participant satisfaction, identify lessons learned, and make refinements and improvements in future efforts. These assessments can be helpful for public engagement efforts that are developed and delivered directly by a local agency as well as when they are managed and facilitated by consultants."

The Institute for Local Government has created a resource that can help local government officials assess their public involvement process, as well as guide improvements. These worksheets compare information from both participants and those local officials involved in the public engagement process. 

Find the Institute for Local Government's Rapid Review Worksheets here.

Traditionally, the levels of public participation have been viewed as a ladder.  From "Inform" being one of the lowest rungs on the ladder to "Empower" or "Decide" being the highest rung of the ladder.

This article challenges the concept of the ladder and proposes a wheel of participation.  Each quadrant breaks out in even more detailed levels from "minimal communication" to "good quality information" and provides examples of what each of these levels looks like.  Take a look!