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
Do you ride Mountain Line? (Pre-COVID-19 or currently)
What would you add or change about the DCC to improve your transit experience (examples include more seating, larger waiting area, food/ beverage)?
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Shaded areas to wait with Solar Panels Awnings to provide power to the EV charging station (grid-tied system that feeds into Utility lines), rotating food trucks for quick meals / snacks, FULLY ELECTRIFY the bus fleet - NO MORE noxious diesel fuel exhaust! On-site E-bike rental system (dock system) this promotes multi-modal transportation and aligns with the city's CAP plan, city's e-bike share program could have main location at DCC. It's time that NAIPTA get with the program and electrify its fleet & provide infrastructure for multi-modal electrified transportation.What transit and multi-modal amenities would you like to see available at the new DCC?
If there is capacity to serve additional community purposes, what would you like to see?
Please descibe in next question.
Partnership with private entity for cafe style service
Please describe any preferences in next question.
Publically rentable meeting space.
Leasable retail space.
Hardscaped, public areas.
Please provide specific suggestions on items above. (i.e. For public art, do you prefer sculpture versus mural or other details? For retail, what type would you like to see? Etc.).
3D art i.e. sculpture & murals equally prioritized. Light retail that includes food trucks on-site that rotate. Dedicated Trash & Recyclable receptacles. leave on-site glass recycling bins as is.Would incorporating any of the previous ideas convince you to take transit more often?
If so, what?
When NAIPTA transforms to a Multi-modal e-transportation model I'll ride both e-buses, e-bikes more. My opinion of NAIPTA will positively change once it overhauls the fuel source it uses. Allowing covered bike parking for winter / rainy day temporary parking is key. Installing solar panel arrays that act as awning will illustrate NAIPTA is committed to sustainabilty.Which, if any, designs below do you like?
Please explain what you like and dislike about the above options.
Solar panels & the presence of cyclists in the illustration.Is there anything else you would like to be considered in the design?
Covered bike parking, dedicated space for e-bike rentals, food outlet (food trucks) or food outlet space that could be rented/operated by a LOCALLY BASED catering/restaurant business. exterior kiosks for ticketing / pass renewal, user based login / account based system that can easily be renewed/filled by day/month/year - let's get digital!