Participation Guidelines
The City of Flagstaff (the “City”) has partnered with OpenGov, a third-party online forum provider, to create a civic engagement platform that will allow the citizens of Flagstaff get more involved in City government. Flagstaff Community Forum is a forum for the discussion of proposed City projects and upcoming policy topics related to local government in the City and its partner agencies. The topics are generated by City staff, commissions, and Council for the purpose of public participation in current government decision making.
To ensure that all voices are heard and that forum participants are able to speak freely about the posted topics, participants who register to use the forum must agree to not post disruptive statements. Disruptive statements include the following:
- Statements that do not relate to the posted topic;
- Personal attacks and statements that threaten or abuse other forum participants, members of the public, City staff or City officials;
- Statements that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc.
- Hate speech of any kind;
- Statements containing any sort of commercial advertising or soliciting funds, goods, or services;
- Repetitive or meaningless messages (“spam”);
- A statement from a user who has falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence; and
- Statements that include obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.
OpenGov, acting as the forum monitor, will remove any disruptive statements that are posted on the forum. Forum participants who post disruptive statements may lose their posting privileges.
Frequently asked questions about the participation guidelines
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government and broadening civic engagement. Many people will not participate, if the forum has disruptive statements.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements on OpenGov moderated topics nationwide are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
OpenGov
- moves the statement to a different web page,
- describes the problem in an email to the author, and
- invites the author to change the statement.
Does Open Town Hall ever edit or delete statements?
Never. Only the statement's author can edit or delete a statement. If a statement is removed from the public website, it will still be seen by the City of Flagstaff and be part of the public record.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog and debate which, by necessity, includes disagreements.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Personal attacks are disparaging remarks which impute motives to a person's action. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Personal Attack v. Not A Personal Attack
He is a liar. V. He said he did X, but in fact he did Y.
She misrepresented the truth. V. I don't believe what she said.
He is greedy. V. He is making money from this project.
It is merely a power play on her part. V. She will announce her candidacy soon.
Translate
What would your ideal transit trip be like on the new Lone Tree Overpass between Butler and Hwy 66? Consider whether you are driving, biking, or walking. Consider where you might be going and what might make the journey pleasant and inviting.
Whether biking or driving, a pleasant trip would involve traffic calming so that car speeds were kept low through the area (25mph). This would reduce noise and the possibility of deadly collisions while not significantly increasing through-transit time.
Ponder traveling underneath the Lone Tree Overpass either on a roadway or on a pedestrian path. What kind of experience would you like to have?
As a pedestrian or cyclist I'd like to be separated from traffic and not have large intersections that create a barrier to travel.
Do you have a special place in Flagstaff? What is it and why?
Downtown Flagstaff, especially south Beaver/San Francisco.
Think of places where a freeway, a bridge, or other infrastructure fit well within a neighborhood. It could be local, anywhere in Arizona, the United States, or the world. If you have a link with pictures, please share it. Otherwise describe it the best you can.
This kind of infrastructure fits well where cars are on one dedicated roadway with few/no exits or intersections and biking/pedestrian are completely separate, including at intersections/bridges.
The other way I've seen work are where cars are slowed by traffic calming features (to 25mph or less) so pedestrians and cyclists can intermix safely. This only adds a few seconds of travel time and vastly improves the neighborhood walkability.
Ponder traveling on the Lone Tree Overpass in either direction. What connections do you feel to the Southside neighborhood? What connections would you like to feel?
I feel connections to the history of the area. Both the indigenous and more recent residents.
Ponder traveling on the Lone Tree Overpass in either direction. What connections do you feel to the Sawmill shopping and residences? What connections would you like to feel?
I'd like to see Sawmill more bikeable/walkable and less corporate.
Ponder traveling on the Lone Tree Overpass in either direction. What connections do you feel to NAU and the student body? What connections would you like to feel?
That are is directly connected to NAU. The overpass should respect the walkability/bikeability of the campus.
Ponder traveling on the Lone Tree Overpass in either direction. What connections do you feel Hwy 66? Specifically to this section of Hwy 66 (by EZ Drive Auto Service and Summit Spas)? What connections would you like to feel?
That's a nice main artery separated from bike routes. It's meant to move cars reasonably efficiently.
Ponder traveling on the Lone Tree Overpass in either direction. What connections do you feel to the trains? What connections would you like to feel?
Train art would be appropriate. It's the most train-centric area other than the station and the milton overpass.
Ponder walking or biking across the Lone Tree Overpass. What connections do you feel to nature, specifically the sky, the mountains, the trees, the animals/birds? What connections would you like to feel?
Not much. It's kind of industrial downtown area. It would be nice if the overpass didn't add a ton of noise (speeds slow).
Do you have a story, a history, an event that especially resonates to life in Northern Arizona to share with the design team?
No response.Consider the potential changes in the next 20 years for Flagstaff, what do you hope to see? What visions do you have for your city?
I see a city that continues to respect quality of life over moving vehicles at maximum speed. It's a healthy, beautiful city with lots of greenery and opportunities for walking and biking.
Consider the potential changes in the next 20 years for Flagstaff, what do you hope to avoid? What concerns you most about the future for your city?
That it will be sprawled, noisy, with cars wall to wall and no connection to its center.
What else would like the design team to know or learn about?
This site is a great resource for community planners: https://www.strongtowns.org/