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AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
May 4, 2021
4:00 PM, City Council Chambers
130 S Galena Street, Aspen
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I.WORK SESSION
I.A.Strategic Communications Plan Update
I.B.Funding the Clean River Program
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WORK SESSION MEMORANDUM
TO:Mayor and Members of City Council
FROM:Denise White, Communications Director
THROUGH:Alissa Farrell, Administrative Services Director
MEMO DATE:April 29, 2021
MEETING DATE:May 4, 2021
RE:Strategic Communications Plan Update
REQUEST OF COUNCIL:
Staff will provide an update on the Strategic Communication Plan project’s progress. Staff seeks
direction from City Council on what refinements are needed to ensure that the final plan will
align with the identified Council goal and meet the City’s and community’s communications
needs.
Specifically, staff seeks feedback on strategies and priorities, summarized in this memo. The
following questions will guide the discussion:
1. Does Council suggest refinement to the identified focus areas of the draft strategic
plan?
2. Does Council suggest refinement to the short-term priorities?
3. Are there other refinements that need to be made for Council to support plan adoption
later this year?
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
In 2020, City Council identified the need to “create and implement a strategic and
comprehensive communications plan” as one of their goals. Initial work on this goal was
delayed by a need to divert resources to COVID-19 response and recovery effort during the
pandemic. In fall 2020, the City hired a new Communications Director and Communications
Manager, which allowed the department to increase focus on the Strategic Communications
Plan’s development.
Staff since has partnered with the Quality Department on several public engagement efforts,
including two eChats and a community survey titled:Communications Satisfaction and
Preferences Survey. Staff provided to Council an analysis of the data collected in the April 27,
2021 Information Update. Additionally, staff has researched and analyzed industry best
practices and trends to identify key strategies and action items for the plan.
While conducting a current situation analysis, staff has concentrated on:
1. Creating an inventory of the City’s communications channels and assets;
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2. Identifying, establishing, and documenting standard operating procedures for
consistency and process improvement opportunities;
3. Defining internal organization levels of service;
4. Clarifying staff roles/needs to maintain quality service; and,
5.Auditing the City’s current email, social media, and website presence and practices.
The result of this work, combined with the analysis from the eChats (Exhibit 1)and
Communications Satisfaction and Preferences Survey (Exhibit 2), has allowed staff to identify
potential focus areas and short-term priorities. Staff also determined following this analysis
that additional outreach to Aspen's harder-to-reach community members is needed and will
address this in May and June 2021. Conversations also continue with various community
partners and internal customers to ensure their input is heard and incorporated.
DISCUSSION:
The Strategic Communications Plan will describe broadly shared aspirations about the future of
the City of Aspen’s communications and outline key strategies and action items that will help
the Communications Department achieve these goals together with the community. The final
plan will guide how the City of Aspen communicates internally, externally, and in an emergency
or crisis. It will foster organizational consistency and alignment, nurture expectation setting
with our community, enable opportunities for collaboration, and outline a path for continuous
improvement.
The sections below identify topic areas where staff understanding would benefit from Council’s
input to ensure alignment with the identified goal in creating the City’s Draft Strategic
Communications Plan.
Identified Focus Areas
Focus areas are the foundational themes that answer the question: What is it time to
focus on now? These themes emerge from community feedback, the business purpose
of the Communications Department for the City, industry research and trends, and staff
expertise. Focus areas emphasize the ongoing and essential work needed to fulfill
communication objectives and help staff and the community concentrate on key issues
and opportunities.
Once the focus areas are finalized, staff will develop specific outcomes, action items,
and measurements as part of the Draft Strategic Communications Plan.
Recommendation:
Staff continues to refine the specific focus areas; however, based on engagement and
research to date, staff proposes to continue to pursue the following:
1.Strengthen our Foundation
Our communications foundation is based on communication tactics that include
written materials, like press releases and flyers, media relations, digital outreach,
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online engagement, pre-COVID in-person engagement, and personal
relationships. Recent metrics and input contribute to an overall understanding
of the department’s strengths and areas for improvement. Analysis of the eChats
and communications survey indicated that most respondents relied on outside
sources, such as local newspapers and Pitkin Alerts, for information. The City’s
communications channels include the website containing 2,764 pages, more
than 50 social media accounts, CGTV, and over ten direct email lists. Between
March 10, 2020 and 2021, the website had 354,279 total visits and 592,221 total
unique page views.
While a vast amount of information exists and is distributed, our community
generally remains unaware or struggles to locate the information they seek from
the City. The engagement feedback also indicates that few are aware of Aspen
Community Voice (ACV) as a resource for City information or opportunities to
engage. Currently, there are close to 2,500 active accounts on ACV. Staff sees an
opportunity to enhance the effectiveness and awareness of the City’s current
platforms and channels to bridge the disparity between the amount of
information produced and reaching larger audiences.
Objective and action items under this focus area may include: cultivating strong
relationships with local, regional, and national media; ensuring city platforms
and channels are easy to find, navigate, and share accurate, timely information;
identifying new channels to better reach audiences where they already go for
information such as text; prioritizing accessibility in communication; marketing
the City’s official channels; developing compelling content; and, building the
capacity of communications department to plan, message, and deliver
information through potential addition of communication specialist, visual
communications, and digital engagement support.
2.Cultivate a Culture of Transparency and Listening
Feedback provided also indicated that many community members think the City
is better at sharing information than listening. Similarly, analysis shows that even
when the City asks for input, participants are unsure how their input is used or if
it makes a difference. Respondents also noted that transparency could be
improved if the City shared the “whole story” – both the good and the bad. Over
the past few years, the City has started to incorporate best practices of
engagement; however, a consistent engagement framework has not been
established to help set expectations for what the City is asking of the community
in a process or feedback loops on how input is incorporated. Additionally, while
specific projects or initiatives have developed engagement plans, community
members lack clarity on how to engage with the City on a day-to-day basis and
have their voices heard. The opportunity exists for the City to build trust by
creating communication strategies and deliverables to support transparency and
foster an environment where community members feel the City listens to them.
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Objective and action items under this focus area may include: developing a
citywide Strategic Engagement Framework; cultivating solid relationships with
partner agencies, community organizations, non-profits, and the media; ensuring
city communication efforts are accurate and timely; and, enhancing internal
communications, so all employees have the information they need to provide
excellent customer service and be ambassadors for City projects and initiatives.
3.Serve a Diverse Population
Through staff's situation analysis and results of the engagement opportunities,
the City serves a diverse population that requires various means to reach our
community members. The types of information and outreach people wanted
varied depending on their age and life stage. Additionally, every community has
harder-to-reach members, which can also vary per the community issue.
Participants in the engagement efforts expressed concerns over the City, often
listening to the "loudest voice in the room." Staff sees an opportunity to dive
deeper into the barriers, perceived or actual, our community members face in
receiving information or participating in engagement opportunities.
Objective and action items under this focus area may include: creating
community connections into harder-to-reach groups; identifying new channels
that remove barriers to reach specific audience members better; prioritizing
accessibility in communication; creating and implementing a language access
plan for the City; and, developing a citywide Strategic Engagement Framework
that outlines intentional thought to audience members and how to reach them.
Question for Council:
Does Council suggest refinement to the identified focus areas of the draft strategic plan?
Identified Short-Term Priorities
In support of improving current communication efforts and the proposed focus areas,
staff has identified several near-term priorities that will create a foundation for longer-
term success. These efforts make up Communication Department’s current work plan
for 2021 with an extension into 2022 based on staff capacity in addition to the day-to-
day support of various City department communication support needs.
Recommendation:
With input from the community, Council, and staff, strategies will be prioritized to
understand which will be addressed first.
1.Website Strategy
The City’s website is an essential resource for our community to find accurate
information and opportunities to engage. It is also a tool to establish credibility
and increase trust, but it needs to be easy to navigate and understand the
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information sought.
2.Social Media Strategy
Developing an intentional social media strategy will ensure the City’s social
media efforts effectively support our broader communication goals. We are
building a plan that will incorporate a mix of content to inform, engage, and
inspire our community.
3.Community Engagement Framework
A Community Engagement Framework is developed as a practical resource to
identify priority actions that must be taken to improve community engagement
in the City. As we further embrace listening as part of the City’s communication
efforts, the development of a consistent framework for engagement is essential
in building trust in the City’s process, making sure the community is heard and
setting clear expectations for all.
4.Internal Communications
A comprehensive and valued internal communication framework will build a
team of strong City ambassadors with consistent messaging and foster an
informed and engaged workforce.
5.Crisis Communications
The City needs to be a reliable source of information in times of crisis and in risk
management to ensure public safety and to protect the organization’s
reputation.
Question for Council:
Does Council suggest refinement to the short-term priorities?
As staff continues the work that needs to be done for a comprehensive Draft Strategic
Communications Plan, including developing specific goals, actions, and measurements, we will
consider and incorporate City Council’s feedback.
Question for Council:
Are there other refinements that need to be made for Council to support plan adoption later this
year?
NEXT STEPS:
Staff will consider City Council’s feedback and revise the Strategic Communications Plan
process. Staff anticipates sharing a draft plan with Council, internal stakeholders, partners, and
our community in September 2021 for feedback. Staff will incorporate feedback and refine the
plan over the summer, culminating in a request for final approval by City Council in November
2021.
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ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit 1 - Findings and notes from City eChat sessions.
Exhibit 2 –Communications Satisfaction and Preferences Survey results
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Strategic Communications Plan
Update for City Council Work Session
Denise White, Communications Director May 4, 2021 8
OVERVIEW
The Communication Department
•Engages the public in civic dialogue
•Provides in-person and
online feedback opportunities
•Communicates City news
to the community
•Serves as a liaison between
City departments, the community,
and the media
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OVERVIEW
Organizational Chart
Denise White
Communications Director
Mitzi Rapkin
Communications Manager
Parks and Recreation
Cultural
Arts/Wheeler
Kids First
Utilities
Jami McMannes
Communications Manager
Police Community
Development
Cole Haselip
PIO
Social Media
Special Projects
City Manager APCHA Finance Administrative
Services Capital Assets Engineering Streets
Transportation
Parking
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OVERVIEW
Key Services
•Strategic Communications
•Internal Communications
•Media Relations
•Writing and Editing
•Digital Communication
•Community Engagement
•Video Services Consultation
•Graphic Design Consultation
•Marketing and Advertising
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COMMON LANGUAGE
Communications is the broad term for what the City
does to share news and information. It has a specific purpose
in mind and can occur without engagement.
Engagement creates dynamic, two-way communication,
which fosters listening and invites an audience to participate.
It is a process and conversation, but cannot happen
without communication.
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STRATEGIC PLAN
City Council Goal
Create and Implement
a comprehensive
communications plan
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STRATEGIC PLAN
Plan Progress
•Public Engagement
•Best Practices
and Trends Research
•Inventory Assets
•Identify Processes
•Define Levels of Service
•Clarify Roles
•High Level Audit of
Digital Channels
•Develop Communications Team
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ENGAGMENT FINDINGS
eChats and Survey
•Better at Sharing Information
than Listening
•Inconsistent Awareness of Methods
and Sources of Information
•Challenges in Finding
the Right Information
•Diverse Audience Needs
•People Don’t Feel Heard
•City Needs to Listen to a
Broader Group of People
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ENGAGMENT FINDINGS
What We Do Well
•Opinion Polls and Surveys
•Actively Seek Input and Reach Out
•Desire to Improve Communications
•Use of Local Media
•Virtual Meetings
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DISCUSSION
Identified Focus Areas
Strengthen
Our Foundation
Cultivate a
Culture of
Transparency
and Listening
Serve a Diverse
Population
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DISCUSSION
Identified
Short-Term Priorities
•Website Strategy
•Social Media Strategy
•Community Engagement
Framework
•Internal
Communications
•Crisis Communications
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QUESTIONS FOR COUNCIL
Questions
1.Does Council suggest refinement
to the identified Focus Areas
for the draft strategic plan?
2.Does Council suggest refinement
to the Short-Term Priorities?
3.Are there other refinements
that need to be made for Council
to support plan adoption later this year?
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EXHIBIT 1:
ECHAT SUMMARY REPORT
AUGUST 2020
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City of Aspen
Communication Exploratory
AUGUST
2020
eCHAT® FINDINGS
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Aspen Communication Exploratory 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background & Methodology …….………………….……………………………………...3
Topline Findings & Recommendations..…………………....……………..………….7
Quant Survey Recommendations…………………………………………..………….….10
Feedback/Survey Input by Topic……………………………………………………………13
Communication Trends –Channels/Preferences………………………….14
Impressions / Perceptions of City Communication……………………….17
Sharing Info / Outreach………………………………………………………………..22
Accessing Info –Website …………………………………………………………..…28
Listening & Engagement ………………………………………………….….………30
Demographics……………………………………………………………………………………...33
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Background &
Methodology
323
Community Engagement
Strategic Objectives
Ensure a trusted dialogue and relationship
in the community that encourages
participation and meaningful engagement.
Project Background
The City of Aspen is updating its strategic communication strategy in order
to better meet citizen needs and increase community engagement.
Effective communication is especially critical this year with Coronavirus
and the need to keep residents both safe and informed.
The 2019 Citizen Survey highlighted an opportunity for the City of Aspen
to better communicate about major issues and ensure that resident input
is utilized/considered when making decisions.
Given budget cuts due to the Coronavirus, the Citizen Survey has been
eliminated for this 2020 calendar year. An outstanding research credit of
$6,500 is available for the City of Aspen to apply towards getting citizen input
to communication strategy updates.
This research credit is being applied to assist the City in conducting a survey on
communication. Prior to developing the survey, two exploratory online eCHAT
sessions were conducted among residents to better understand the issues and
inform the development of the quantitative survey.
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Communication
Research Objectives
➢Better understand current perceptions around how the City communicates
about major issues
-Explore possible improvements; how the City could better meet needs
-Review options for alerting residents about key issues, including text
alerts, website, social media posts, etc.
➢Further explore perceptions around how the City of Aspen incorporates
community feedback when making decisions.
-Uncover how to best communicate about decision-making and where
resident input comes in
➢Clarify desired channels and frequency for receiving information from the
City of Aspen
-Specifically explore social media options
➢Explore possible communication formats –i.e. infographic vs. text, amount
of detail desired
➢Understand barriers and triggers for community involvement;brainstorm
how to best motivate involvement among residents
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What is an eChat®?
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Elevated Insights’ proprietary eCHAT® method provides instant insights from
participants to qualitative questions via a hybrid quant/qual approach. An eChat®
is a text-based chat session that combines the rich feedback of qualitative
research with a slightly larger sample size.
Elevated Insights and the City of Aspen developed a discussion guide with
questions aimed to answer key research objectives (listed on Page 4 of this
report) and specific amounts of time were allocated to each topic. Questions
were formatted as uninfluenced (to minimize group think).
The client team observed the live chat via an online backroom and provided
some follow-up questions to the moderator for probing respondents.
Who?
What?
19 Aspen Participants
19 residents participated in a portion of the eChat®. Residents
used their first name (and last initial if two participants had the
same first name) as their display name in the chat session.
Web-based text chat session
Participants sign-in at a prescheduled time to participate in a live
text chat using a laptop, providing real-time feedback via open-
end and polling questions.
Invitations to participate in the eChat® were
emailed to residents who opted-in to participate
in discussions about key community topics in the
2019 Aspen Citizen Survey
About 250 invitations were distributed, directing participants to
access a 3-question survey online for residents to provide their
availability and update their contact information.
The eChats® were conducted on Wednesday,
August 19th
The first session was in the afternoon from 11:30am –
1:00pm and the second session was in the evening from
5:00pm –6:30pm
How?
When?
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Topline Findings
&
Recommendations
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•Both the 2019 Citizen Survey and these eChats® highlight that residents feel
the City of Aspen is better at sharing information than listening.
-Limited understanding of how resident feedback is being used makes
residents feel they aren’t being acknowledged and their input
doesn’t make a difference
•There was inconsistent awareness of communication methods/sources of
information among residents.
-Most relied on newspapers and Pitkin Alerts
-Few were aware of Aspen Community Voice
•While there are a vast amount of resources available for residents, many
are unaware of which resource(s) to utilize for different topics/questions
-Some shared challenges locating the right information
•Residents have different desires for outreach based on age, life stage, the
type of information they are seeking
•Residents shared a general perception that Pitkin County does a better job
with communication than the City of Aspen
-Pitkin Alerts was widely used –with many desiring similar text
communication from the City of Aspen
•Different types of people provided input at the two different eChat® times:
-Afternoon participants (11:30am –1:00pm) were older, 20+ year
residents, and less likely to use social media
-Evening participants (5:00pm –6:30pm) were younger and more likely-
to use social media
•Learning objectives on perceptions, awareness, usage, and desires when
accessing, receiving, giving feedback, and engaging with the City were too
expansive to cover in a single research session.
Topline Findings
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•Ensure engagement opportunities are provided both during day and in evening
–yield different audiences
•Incorporate possible integrated communication with Pitkin county into the
strategic communication plan.
•Review Pitkin County approach and include best practices as possible tools for
City plan.
•Link outreach and format desires by type of information; not all information
needs to be promoted on each possible platform –learn which make most
sense in different spots
•Ensure budget enables innovative approaches
•Clarify the definition of the City –who it includes –and explore who the
residents want to hear from
•Consider touching base and getting updated interests from residents on a
regular basis; possibly at end of the annual Citizen Survey
•Make a concerted effort to acknowledge input and share impact of this
forthcoming communication survey input;
-Clearly share input in a transparent way; consider posting brief citizen
scorecard or one-page infographic of survey results on website; consider
pushing survey results out
-Strive to learn how to best share how the survey results will make a
difference/be incorporated into the communication strategy
Potential Next Steps for Consideration
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Quant Survey
Recommendations
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•Reduce research objectives to focus on action-oriented input from quantitative
survey.
-To encourage ongoing participation in outreach efforts, this strongly
recommends a maximum survey length of 10 minutes
-Since the City tracks satisfaction within citizen survey, focus on action to
get closer to resident desires vs. seeking impressions/perceptions
-More important to know how they want to be informed vs. awareness of
current tools
•Truly begin with the end in mind –what components will the Strategic
Communication Plan include? Are the options being presented feasible? (i.e.
mayor’s blogs are very popular in some cities … but don’t include as an option
if it’s not feasible for some reason).
•City communicates with multiple audiences-residents, Press, Stakeholders,
Businesses, Visitors, Employees; Decide which the strategic communication
plan will address and how to incorporate feedback from each of these groups
•Since desired sources are impacted by type of info, link these two questions
within the survey
-Isolate desires by type of information –i.e. emergency information vs.
police/fire updates, construction updates, budget decisions
•As age/stage yields significantly different desires, be sure to focus on getting
feedback from all groups
•Pick top few strategic areas to focus on i.e. trust, transparency, Don’t ask
whether it’s transparent/truthful now, but what would communicate
transparency.
Recommendations for Quant Survey
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Quant Survey General Outline
Accessing Information About the City of Aspen:
Frequency of visiting the City website
Types of information they expect to find on the City website
Preferences within the website
What information is most useful
Preferred navigation tool (search vs. tab functionality)
Expected location of different frequently-desired info
Online services offered (e.g. calendar, meeting/event notices, et
Receiving Information from the City of Aspen
What they want to hear/know
Who they want to hear this from
How they want to hear this (channel)
Desired format
Desired frequency
Preferences –tone, length, etc.
Expressing opinion/providing feedback
How do they want to share feedback
How should feedback be acknowledged
How share impact of feedback
Community Engagement/Involvement
How involved are they now?
How much do they want to be involved?
Barriers to community engagement (among those involved less than desired)
What would motivate them to be more involved
What areas they’d like to be involved in?
What type of involvement are they interested in
Aligning communication with strategic objectives
What would best provide transparency in communication
What would best clarify trustworthiness/truth of communication?
How to be accessible to all
How best educate them on options to be informed, provide feedback, and get engaged
Where /how to reach them; what media / platforms using weekly or more often
How to break through/encourage engagement
Demographics
Gender Age Income
Household Composition Neighborhood/Zip Code Ethnicity
Language Spoken # of Years in Aspen # of Months/Year
Relationship with Aspen (commute to/from; live in; business owner, etc.)32
Feedback /
Survey Input
by Topic
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Communication Trends –
Channels/Preferences
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Who Does a Good Job Keeping them Informed & How they Communicate
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Who How
•Pitkin Alerts
•Center for Western Priorities
•Aspen Chapel (Nicholas Vesey)
•Aspen Music Festival and School
•Aspen Community Foundation Non-
Profit
•Theater Aspen
•Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers
•Aspen Historic Society
•Boston Athletic Organization
•Pitkin County Government
•Aspen Golf Club
Channel Utilized
•Email
•Text
•Newspaper ads/stories
•Handwritten notes
•Website
•Social media
•Flyers
•Mailouts
Why They’re Good
•Timely updates of all pertinent information
•Keep public informed about their plans,
schedules, and arrangements during COVID
•Providing incremental information as they have it
•Timely
•Follow-ups on community issues
•Let me know what they are doing and how we
can help
•Not too many messages, but keep me informed
•Key information –no fluff
•Focus on just a couple issues/points per
message, not overwhelming
•Weekly updates
•Invite people to participate in fulfilling
community needs
•Organized
•Regular communication
•Anticipate questions
•Open-door policy
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
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Types of Media Interact with Regularly; Specific Sources/Outlets
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Best Way to Reach Them -General
•Text alerts (e.g. Pitkin County Alert)
•Email
•Direct mail
•Briefings
•Newspaper articles
General Notes/Comments –Information Sources
•Some channels seem less credible than others –i.e. social media isn’t trusted by some
•Social media is polarizing
•Website has a lot of info but you need to know where to look
•Some confusion over CGTV /Grassroots and whether this is still available/accessible
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
Best Way to Reach Them -Emergency
•Phone (call or text)
•Text alerts
•Website (real-time with time stamps)
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Impressions / Perceptions of
City Communication
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Overall Impressions
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How Informed they Feel Overall
•Very informed
–Follow Grassroots TV meeting
–Like the online resolution portal
–Will call/drop-in to talk to officials if
needed
•Somewhat informed
–Knowledgeable about news/read the paper
–Attend public meetings online (better than
in-person)
–As informed as the newspaper is –no
more
–Articles are long-winded and not precise
–Not informed on what is happening
internally
–Learn information when it’s publicly
available, but not connected enough to
know information before it’s announced
–Get meeting feedback from one Council
member
–Harder to keep up when living in Aspen
seasonally
•Poorly informed
–Feel ‘lagged’ –learn information after the
fact
–Have to actively search for information I
want/need
–Never hear from anyone personally
–No response to questions about COVID
Satisfaction with Outreach from Aspen
•Many noted desiring a City Alert system with
links to more information; similar to Pitkin alert
•Desire more regular correspondence –weekly
recaps
•Bullets/lists; FAQs
•Desire precise, factual, no fluff content
•Desire clear communication and firm decisions
•Desire consistent location to find needed
information –a spot on the website, a specific
column in the paper, a weekly email, etc.
•Desire more integration between City of Aspen
and County communication
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
Satisfaction with Ease/Availability of
Accessing Needed Info
•There are many places to seek information on
COA matters, but it feels like my full-time
occupation to look for it. Putting the information
in one place, with accurate, short information on
a regular basis will help get the word out.
•Harder to stay in touch and informed if you’re a
seasonal resident.
•Less information is available in Spanish language
Satisfaction with Listening & Engagement
Opportunities
•Some feel they want to provide the appearance
of listening, but don’t always incorporate the
input
•Some feel involvement/engagement is primarily
available by attending meetings
•Some feel Council listens to
outspoken/complaining residents or a few
industry leaders
•Appreciate the surveys –especially those where
they can share a link
•City is reaching out / engaging now more than in
the past
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Perceptions within Specific Areas
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Accessibility
•Hard to access if don’t have cell phone, computer, or TV
•Information exists, but can better inform public on where to find it
•TV show/news is no longer available (Grassroots)
•Not enough Spanish-language information
•Ensure website is very mobile friendly since some only have a mobile
device/no PCs
Transparent •Yes –it’s their job since they work for taxpayers
•Not always timely enough –feels like some information lags
Trustworthiness
•Most likely to trust facts from a variety of sources
•More likely to trust if it includes #s, facts
•Don’t know all city employees, so it is difficult to know where they are
coming from
•Trust the individuals they know personally
Truthfulness
•Sometimes seems protected/has a PR spin
•Do there best to be truthful, even if it’s something we don’t want to
hear
•Admit a mistake if you make one
Innovation •Not necessarily innovative
•Take advantage of social media and post a lot of content
Tone •Don’t like excuses or rambling
•Some experience a public servant attitude when dealing with individuals
Inclusivity
•Assume Spanish-speaking community is underserved
•Ensure opportunities to participate fall both during the day and evening
•Include seasonal residents with both information and engagement
opportunities
Timeliness •Current / no lag ; small bites of information are desired
•Include timestamps
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
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How The City of Aspen Could Most Improve
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Improve Ability to
Access Info
•Include timestamps of date/time of updates
•Place information in very consistent places; make it easier to
find
•Fix local broadcast TV outage (?)
Improve with
Sharing Information
•Continue sharing –do not go silent
•Add an alert approach with links for more information
•Brief/concise communication
•Regular communication –weekly updates
•Include links for further information
•Try to anticipate questions
•Follow Pitkin county’s lead with multiple newsletters, amped
up website, and requests
•Integrate communication with County info
Improve with
Listening to Residents
•It’s OK to say ‘We don’t know yet, but we’re working on it’
•Don’t only listen to those who talk the loudest or are most
critical
•Acknowledge when you receive input
Improve with
Engagement
•Ensure there are easy opportunities that don’t involve
attending meeting
•Ensure meetings are available and easily accessible virtually
•Provide both daytime and evening opportunities
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
40
What They Would Do Differently if They Were in Charge of Communication
21
More
•Regular communication from departments on what they are doing
•Incremental communication –little bites at a time
•Integrated communication –integrating with Pitkin County
•Involve large groups of residents / committees in making decisions
•Survey asking residents about upcoming issues/concerns they are
working on and what we would like to be updated on
•Humility –don’t pat yourself on the back
Less
•Politically charged
•PR Spin
•Time delays
•Ego stroking
Different
•Open-door policy (like Pitkin County)
•Add timestamps to information –know what’s ‘fresh’
•Provide a comprehensive list of all sources of information
•Blitz residents with important information (e.g. COVID)
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
41
22
Sharing Info / Outreach
42
Awareness & Utilization of Aspen Info Sources
23
Awareness of Info Sources
•Newspaper articles
•Newspaper ads
•Facebook posts
•Instagram posts
•Twitter
•City of Aspen website (general)
•City email newsletter
•Aspen Chamber Newsletter
•Mailed postcards
•Open houses
•City meetings
•Radio
•Pitkin Alert
•Road banners/signage
•Webcasts/online council meetings
•Word of mouth
•City police website
•Aspen Community Voice website
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
Utilization of Info Sources
•Pitkin Alert
–Easy
–Accurate
–Breaking information
–Lets me know when my attention is needed
–Direct
•Road signs
•Direct mail/post
•Newspapers
–Simple
–Easy
–Accurate
•KAJX
•Word of mouth
–Circle of local friends
•Website
–Wealth of information
Info Sources Noted in Other City Surveys
•Mayor blogs
•Website
•Social media
•Email
•Mobile app
•Postal mail
•Neighborhood meetings
•Newsletters
•Specific columns
•Specific #s/311
•Specific Channels
•Phone call
43
Most & Least Helpful Communication; General Preferences
24
Most Helpful Information from Aspen
•Pitkin Alerts
•Ann Mullins for the Council Table personal
email
•Meetings
•Open-door policy from Torres (shares email
and phone number too)
•Some like the Monday with the Mayor video
from Torre on Instagram
General Preferences with
Communication
•Brief/concise/no fluff
•Links to expand information if desired
•Multiple sources
•Small bites of information; incremental
information
•Let them choose what information is
relevant/desired
•Consistent delivery –location, timing
•Not slanted/editorialized
Least Helpful Information from Aspen
•None –all information is helpful
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
44
Topics / Types of Information Desired
25
Desired Topics
Mentioned by Aspen Residents
•Road closures/construction
•Current issues/policies/decisions
•Summaries/recaps of City Council decisions
•Health/safety
•New development projects
•New ordinances
•Water main breaks
•Voter information
•Information on public hearings (e.g. dates,
times, etc.)
•Snow closures
•Airport plans
•Changes to regulations
•Environmental concerns
•Changes in historic/planned events (e.g.
cancellations, time changes, etc.)
•Citizen’s Academy
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
What’s Missing from City
Communication?
•Public access TV –gone dark for a year
•Easy, simple summaries
•FAQs
•Emails with bullet points
•Text with links to articles
•Set spot in newspaper to share City updates
•Information on what employees are working
on and how to reach them
•Integration with County communication
•Spanish language translation
•Decisiveness
•How to get involved on issues/topics of
interest
Desired Topics –Included in Other
City Communication Surveys
•Upcoming town events/City events
•City budgets
•Recreation events or news
•Road construction
•Waste collection
•Fire bans
•Severe weather
•Employment opportunities
•Fire bans
•Emergency alerts
•Bylaw information
•Resident use of facilities
•Volunteer opportunities
•Zoning changes
•Neighborhood-specific information
45
Format & Frequency Preferences
26
Desired Formats
•Text alerts
•Online newspaper
•Physical newspaper
•Instagram
•Podcast
•Television
•FAQs
•Lists
•Headlines with links
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
Disliked Formats
•Social media –not trustworthy or don’t use
•Blogs –not trustworthy
•Telephone –don’t answer if don’t recognize, too
much spam
Formats Referenced in Other City Comm
Surveys
•Blogs
•Mobile Apps
•Alert
•Calendars
Desired Frequency
•Weekly
•As needed with alerts
•Depends on the type of information
Frequency Noted in Other City Comm
Surveys
•Never, rarely, occasionally, frequently
•1+ time/day, a few times a week, weekly,
monthly, few times a year, about once a year,
less than once a year
Sharing of Information During Emergency
Times
•Call the appropriate department
•Call dispatch
•Call the city
46
General Preferences with Communication from Organizations
27
Good Communication
•Clear messages
•Consistent
•Transparent
•Opportunity to be heard in response
•Active listening
•Consideration of multiple opinions
•Prompt
•Precise
•Efficient
•On-point
•Simple
•Honest
•Relevant
•Concise
•Accurate
•Timely
•Feeling of caring/empathy
•Easy to understand
•Information on topics that matter to me/my family
•All information needed to understand the issue
•Straightforward
•Address concerns from multiple groups
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
47
28
Accessing Info -Website
48
Accessing City Information -Website
29
Website Impressions
•Many places to seek information, but hard to
know where to look for what/difficult to find
information
Website Uses/Improvements –Other Cities
•How easy/hard to find
•Event notices
•Improved search function
•Clear/accessible calendars
•Share information on: utilities, garbage collection, taxes,
recreation facilities, recreation fees, council agendas, City
news, public meetings, bylaws, career opportunities,
department contacts, permits/development/zoning,
requesting snow removal
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
Types of Information They Seek Out
•Upcoming City Council discussions
•How City changed its operations in light of COVID
•Breaking news from the city
•Information in times of emergency
•Look for a brief summary of City Council meetings
on the website
49
30
Listening/Engagement
50
Awareness & Utilization of Engagement / Sharing Opportunities
31
Awareness of Feedback Opportunities
•Mailed/emailed surveys
•Public events, such as open houses
•Community gatherings, such as the community
picnic
•Serving on a commission or group
•Individual communication with a council
member
•Individual communication with staff
•Public meetings, such as Council Meetings
•Q Aspen –request/complaint system
•Aspen Community Voice website
•Emailing a question through the website
•Sending messages/comments through social
media
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
Utilization of Feedback Opportunities
Most
•Mailed/emailed surveys
•Individual communication with staff
Many
•Public events, such as open houses
•Community gatherings, such as the community
picnic
•Individual communication with a council
member
Some
•Public meetings, such as Council Meetings
•Aspen Community Voice website
•Serving on a commission or group
•Emailing a question through the website
•Sending messages/comments through social
media
•Q Aspen –request/complaint system
Feedback approaches included in other
city surveys
•City Council meetings
•Email
•Social media post
•Social media message
•Neighborhood meetings
•Online discussion
•Phone call with leader
51
Acknowledging Input; Informing of How Input is Utilized
32
Whether the City Acknowledges Input
•Some decisions come to a resident vote
•Unsure if resident input effects decisions
Desired Improvements –
Acknowledgement
•Acknowledgement of messages shows they are
listening/care
Desired Improvements –Sharing Impact
•Explanation of how decisions are made based on
input
•Follow-up report shared with residents who
participate in surveys
•Publish impact in newspapers
•Publish impact on website
List includes a full range of responses noted –do not highlight a frequency of being mentioned;
frequency will be determined from quantitative survey)
How Well the City Shares Impact of Citizen
Input
•Not very well
–Unsure if input impacts City decisions
•Have to go into city department related to the
topic to talk about concern/issue
–But they are responsive/interested in
hearing from them
52
DEMOGRAPHICS
53
Evening Group
Afternoon Group
Demographics
34
Males –4
Females –6
Gender
40 –49 years old –1
50 –59 years old –2
60 –69 years old –4
70+ years old –2
Age
0 –2 years –1
6 –10 years –1
11 –20 years –3
20+ years –4
Years Lived in Aspen
Year-round resident –8
Business owner –1
Second homeowner –1
Type of Resident
Males –2
Females –5
Gender
30 –39 years old –2
40 –49 years old –2
50 –59 years old –1
60 –69 years old –2
Age
3 –5 years –1
6 –10 years –1
11 –20 years –4
20+ years –1
Years Lived in Aspen
Year-round resident –5
Seasonal resident –1
Second homeowner –1
Type of Resident
54
THANK YOU
Office (719) 590 –9999 info@elevatedinsights.com
Elevated Insights is a full-service market research agency headquartered in
Colorado Springs that provides qualitative and quantitative research,
evaluation, and data mining for both the private and public sectors. EI prepared
this report under contract to and in collaboration with the City of Aspen.
Note: Elevated Insights is a dba for Balch Consulting, a 100% female-owned S-Corp registered in the
state of Colorado since 2000.
55
EXHIBIT 2:
COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY DATA REPORT
FEBRUARY 2021
56
Communications Community Survey
Results
February 2021
This project was a collaboration between Elevated Insights and the City of Aspen Administrative Services,
Communication, and Quality Office staff.
57
Page | 2
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
SURVEY DESIGN AND DISTRIBUTION ....................................................................................................................... 3
RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Demographics ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Current Information Sources .............................................................................................................................. 5
General Community Information Sources ...................................................................................................... 5
City of Aspen Information Sources .................................................................................................................. 5
Communication Preferences ............................................................................................................................... 9
Topical Interests .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Preferred Information Formats ..................................................................................................................... 10
Preferred Information Sources ..................................................................................................................... 10
Preferred Frequency of Information ............................................................................................................. 11
Ways to Strengthen Communication ................................................................................................................ 15
Improving Transparency ............................................................................................................................... 15
Fostering Trust .............................................................................................................................................. 17
Improving Accessibility .................................................................................................................................. 17
Improving the Website .................................................................................................................................. 21
Ways to Strengthen Community Engagement .................................................................................................. 21
Understanding Current Levels of Engagement ............................................................................................. 21
Offering New Ways to Provide Input ............................................................................................................ 24
Setting the Stage for Engagement ................................................................................................................ 25
Identifying Topics of Interest ........................................................................................................................ 26
Finding Appropriate Engagement Methods .................................................................................................. 26
Sharing the Results of Community Engagement ........................................................................................... 30
Understanding Barriers to Engagement ........................................................................................................ 30
Closing Comments from Respondents .............................................................................................................. 31
What Respondents Like Best About City Communication ............................................................................ 32
What Respondents Want to Improve About City Communication ............................................................... 33
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INTRODUCTION
One of the City Council’s top goals is to improve communication with the community. To that end, the
Communications Department is charged with creating and implementing a community engagement strategy
that incorporates participation data to inform and increase future public participation in policy decisions.
The City will use several methods of gathering community input to inform the planning effort. Two of these,
eChat sessions with focus groups and a community survey, have been completed. This document provides a
summary of the survey results. Staff will use it, along with research and information from other feedback
methods, to formulate the communications strategic plan in 2021.
SURVEY DESIGN AND DISTRIBUTION
The objectives of the communication survey were to:
Learn more about community perceptions and practices when it comes to consuming City information and
participating in City outreach
Identify more effective options for sharing how the City uses input and feedback in decision-making
Clarify on what topics, with what methods, via what sources and how frequently the community prefers to
have information from the City
Understand how habits and preferences vary between key demographics, particularly age groups
Understand barriers and triggers for community involvement with the City
The City and Elevated Insights used information from market research, other community surveys, and existing
patterns of City of Aspen community requests and web site use to inform question development.
On Dec. 5, 2020, the City sent an announcement email to interested community members who provided their
names and email addresses during the 2019 Citizen Survey. The announcement asked that recipients watch for
an email from Elevated Insights, verifying that subsequent email’s legitimacy as a City project. Elevated Insights
handled all aspects of the email list management during survey execution, as well as the electronic setup of
the survey. This process assured anonymity of the results and took advantage of the consultant’s software
tools’ advanced capabilities. The consultant distributed English and Spanish versions of the survey; however,
no Spanish versions were completed by respondents. Appendix 1 includes the survey instrument.
In addition to sending the survey out via email, the City provided a link to the survey on its homepage, social
media channels, Aspen Community Voice, and in emails distributed through partner organizations. Forty-four
percent of the responses were returned via email, while fifty-six percent were entered via the online channels.
The results presented here are the combined results. Should it be requested to separate the results at some
point in the future, an additional analysis could be completed.
More than 600 people initially opened the survey. However, many stopped at the first question (which asked
whether they preferred an English or Spanish version of the survey). Three hundred sixty-one respondents
continued to complete at least a portion of the survey. The number of respondents varied fairly between
questions, with more respondents dropping later in the survey. To help assure the reader is aware of how
many people answered each question, the number of respondents is often included in graphs and tables.
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Page | 4
RESULTS
Demographics
The demographic questions were asked at the end of the survey, and response rates were lowest for this set of
questions. Approximately 190 respondents provided demographic information, whereas 361 people started
the survey. Therefore, the demographic findings should be used with some caution.
Based on the US Census, survey respondents appear to differ somewhat from the “average” Aspen resident:
The respondents tend to be older on average than the Aspen population, based on 193 responses. The
median age was 58 years old, meaning half the respondents were younger than 58, and half were
older.
More females were represented in the respondent group than in the Aspen population group. 59% of
the respondents indicated they were female, 36% that they were male, and 5% elected not to respond
to the gender question.
The respondents included few minority representatives. Eighty-seven percent were white, 8%
preferred not to answer, and 3% were Hispanic, Latino or Spanish. Other ethnic groups had 1% or
fewer representatives.
Ninety-six percent of respondents speak English at home.
Seventy percent of the respondents completed the survey using a laptop/desktop, 3% using tablets, and 28%
using smart phones.
The survey asked respondents whether the liv or work in Aspen (Figure 1). Seventy-one percent live in Aspen
year-round, with 39% both living and working in Aspen. Twenty percent own or operate businesses in Aspen.
Figure 1.
Most of the respondents did not have children at home. Only 22% indicated children 18 or younger live in the
home full- or part-time. (Figure 2)
71%
10%
24%
12%
39%
20%
I LIVE IN ASPEN
YEAR-ROUND
I OWN A SECOND
HOME IN ASPEN
(VACATION HOME,
RENTAL PROPERTY,
ETC.)
I LIVE IN
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING IN THE
ASPEN AREA
I COMMUTE TO
WORK IN ASPEN
BUT DON'T LIVE IN
ASPEN
I BOTH WORK AND
LIVE IN ASPEN
I OWN OR
OPERATE A
BUSINESS IN ASPEN
Which of the following apply to your living and working in Aspen?
% of All Respondents (Count=190)
60
Page | 5
Figure 2.
Current Information Sources
The survey asked respondents two questions about how they currently get information. The first question
asked about their use of information sources in general (how they get all types of information), while the
second was specific to how they use sources to obtain information regarding the City of Aspen.
General Community Information Sources
Figure 3 illustrates that when it comes to obtaining information about the community in general, the four most
used sources are the local newspapers, email, texts, and Facebook. The local newspapers and email were the
most used by far, with 9 of 10 using the newspapers and more than 8 of 10 using email.
While these sources are generally consistent between age groups, some variations occur. In particular, the
younger cohort is more likely to use Instagram in comparison with other age cohorts. (Figure 4) The use of
Twitter and Podcasts drops with age, while local radio and television are used more often by the older cohorts.
In all cases, the local newspapers and emails are used more frequently than other sources.
City of Aspen Information Sources
When looking more specifically at how respondents receive information from the City of Aspen, the results are
the same as above for the two most frequently used sources, and regardless of age: newspapers and email.
(Figures 5 and 6) However, the City’s website is the third most used source of information. Nearly a third have
also attended meetings online or in-person or have received information via text. More than one in five have
received information via Department newsletters, radio, or Facebook. The youngest cohort tends to use the
City website, Facebook, recorded meetings, and Instagram more than the other cohorts.
When asked how informed they feel about City of Aspen news and decisions at this time, most respondents
indicated they felt somewhat or very informed. (Figure 7)
Yes
22%
No
78%
Do any children 18 years old or younger live in your house
full-time or part-time?
% of All Repondents (Count= 190)
61
Page | 6
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
1%
3%
6%
13%
13%
18%
32%
32%
34%
42%
55%
82%
90%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
I DON'T USE ANY OF THESE
REDDIT
NEXTDOOR
TWITTER
PODCASTS
LOCAL TELEVISION
LOCAL RADIO
POSTAL MAIL –POSTCARDS, LETTERS
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK
TEXT
EMAIL
LOCAL NEWSPAPER
Generally speaking, which of the following information sources do you use at
least once a week?
% of All Respondents (Count=325)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Generally speaking, which of the following information sources do you use at
least once a week?
% of Respondents by Age Cohort
Percent of 20-44 Age Cohort Percent of 45-64Age Cohort Percent of 65 and over Age Cohort
Number of
Respondents
20-44: 47
45-64: 87
>=65: 76
62
Page | 7
Figure 5.
0%
1%
2%
2%
8%
10%
11%
11%
12%
17%
19%
24%
24%
25%
31%
32%
44%
65%
79%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
REDDIT
PODCASTS
NEXTDOOR
TWITTER
PHONE CALL
LOCAL TELEVISION
INSTAGRAM
RECORDED MEETINGS/SESSIONS
PUBLIC GATHERINGS (FORUMS, NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, …
ONLINE FORUMS (SUCH AS ASPEN COMMUNITY VOICE)
POSTAL MAIL –POSTCARDS, LETTERS
LOCAL RADIO
FACEBOOK
CITY OF ASPEN DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTERS
TEXT
LIVE MEETINGS/SESSIONS (ONLINE OR IN-PERSON)
CITY OF ASPEN WEBSITE
EMAIL
LOCAL NEWSPAPER
Thinking of the year 2020 so far, in which of the following ways have you
received information from the City of Aspen?
% of All Respondents (Count = 320)
63
Page | 8
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Thinking of the year 2020 so far, in which of the following ways have you
received information from the City of Aspen?
% of Respondents by Age Cohort
Percent of 20-44 Cohort
Percent of 45-64 Cohort
Percent of 65 and Over Cohort
Number of
Respondents
20-44: 47
45-64: 87
>=65: 76
3%
16%18%
48%
15%
NOT AT ALL INFORMED NOT VERY INFORMED NEUTRAL SOMEWHAT INFORMED VERY INFORMED
How informed do you feel about City of Aspen news and decisions right now?
% of All Respondents (Count=315)
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Communication Preferences
The survey delved into several dimensions of respondents’ communication preferences. First, respondents
were asked which topical areas interested them the most. Then, within their top three topics, they were asked
to elaborate on 1) how they would like to see information formatted and 2) where they would like to find that
information (information sources). This section of the report provides those findings.
Topical Interests
When it comes to topics of interest, respondents at this time are most interested in local COVID-19
information, with 83% selecting it. (Figure 8) More than two-thirds indicated an interest in general city news
and parks, trails, and recreation information. More than half were additionally interested in a wide range of
topics, from road construction/closure information to information on local events and things to do.
Figure 8.
6%
33%
33%
44%
44%
45%
46%
47%
52%
55%
56%
59%
62%
63%
64%
68%
74%
83%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
BUDGET INFORMATION
SNOWPLOWING
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY (LAND USE/PERMITS)
TAXES, FEES, CODES, ORDINANCE UPDATES
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (E.G. OPEN HOUSES, ONLINE …
COUNCIL MEETING AGENDAS
HOUSING INFORMATION
LOCAL EVENTS -THINGS TO DO
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
ELECTION INFORMATION
COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARIES
SAFETY UPDATES
UTILITY CHANGES OR OUTAGES
ROAD CONSTRUCTION/CLOSURES
PARKS, TRAILS & RECREATION
GENERAL CITY NEWS
LOCAL COVID-19 INFORMATION
In general, which of the following types of information do you want the City of
Aspen to have available for access?
% of All Respondents (Count = 301)
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Page | 10
While Figure 8 above asks what information people want to have available, Figure 9 takes the question a bit
further, asking what respondents want the City to share proactively. It implies a higher level of active outreach
on the part of the City to assure that information is received (as opposed to, for example, sharing information
passively on the web site with no outreach about it). Note that while COVID-19 information and general city
news remain in the first two slots, safety information, as well as Council summaries, increase in importance. In
general, it appears that items that directly and immediately impact residents cluster at the top when the
question is asked in this manner.
Figure 9.
Preferred Information Formats
After selecting their top three topics of interest, respondents provided feedback on how they would prefer to
have information on those topics formatted. Table 1 below summarizes this information. For each topic, the
top five most frequently mentioned formats are shown, along with the number of respondents who picked
that format. A prominent pattern emerges from Table 1, with “headlines to links to more information” the
most selected choice across most topical areas.
Preferred Information Sources
Just as respondents can have favored ways to have information presented, they can also have favored places
to look for that information. Table 2 below provides information on the top sources of information that people
2%
3%
4%
6%
7%
7%
10%
10%
10%
12%
14%
16%
17%
19%
20%
26%
28%
58%
0%20%40%60%80%
SNOWPLOWING
OTHER
BUDGET INFORMATION
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (E.G. OPEN HOUSES, ONLINE …
ELECTION INFORMATION
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY (LAND USE/PERMITS)
COUNCIL MEETING AGENDAS
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
HOUSING INFORMATION
TAXES, FEES, CODES, ORDINANCE UPDATES
LOCAL EVENTS -THINGS TO DO
PARKS, TRAILS & RECREATION
ROAD CONSTRUCTION/CLOSURES
UTILITY CHANGES OR OUTAGES
COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARIES
SAFETY UPDATES
GENERAL CITY NEWS
LOCAL COVID-19 INFORMATION
Which of the following do you most want the City to share proactively?
% of All Respondents (Count = 295)
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would like to use to find the information the City prepares. The results are consistent with those earlier in this
report: the local newspapers and emails are the most favored information across topics. The City’s website is a
third preferred choice. For road closures, texts are another source of note.
Preferred Frequency of Information
When it comes to how often people want to hear from the City regarding topics of most interest, clear
patterns emerge as well. (Table 3). In most cases, across topics, people would like updated information about
once a week. When it comes to COVID, most would prefer information to be provided daily or more often, as
conditions change. The same is true with utility outages or changes. No clear preference is shown for election
information.
67
Table 1.
Counts of preferred information formats by topic (top 5 formats)
Topic Meme Other
Blog
from a
City
leader
Advertise-
ment
Short
video
Invitation to
participate in
an event/
opportunity
Calendar of
events/
opportunities
FAQ
Detailed
written
article on
the topic
Short
written
summary
on the
topic
Headline
with link to
more
information
Council meeting agendas 10 11 4 10 18
Council meeting
summaries 9 10 19 32 25
General city news 12 16 16 41 48
Local COVID-19
information 20 39 51 80 111
Safety updates 7 7 7 16 13 37 49
Local events - things to
do 10 25 7 12 21
Election information 5 6 5 6 13
Parks, trails & recreation 10 20 8 18 25
Road construction/
closures 5 8 8 20 27
Utility changes or
outages 9 12 6 22 35
Taxes, fees, codes,
ordinance updates 6 9 13 19 18
Community engagement
(e.g. open houses, online chats) 3 3 9 4 10 9
Environmental issues 7 4 16 8 13
Snowplowing 1 1 1 1 2
Development activity
(land use/permits) 5 4 8 9 11
Housing information 7 7 12 12 18
Budget information 3 3 8 5 2
Other 3 3 2 4 2 6
68
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Table 2.
Counts of preferred information sources by topic (top 5 sources)
(sources that were not selected at all as preferred for any topic have been omitted
Topic Email Local
newspaper
Local
radio Facebook Instagram Twitter Text
Postal
mail –
postcards,
letters
COA
website
COA
Department
newsletters
Live
meetings/
sessions
(including
online
and in-
person)
Public
gatherings
(forums,
neighborhood
meetings,
open houses)
Council meeting agendas 18 14 6 13 5
Council meeting summaries 44 28 6 6 24 6
General city news 47 64 13 10 30
Local COVID-19 information 106 109 28 55 54
Safety updates 54 39 9 41 15
Local events - things to do 21 31 9 11 11
Election information 13 15 4 4 5 4
Parks, trails & recreation 29 31 9 7 12
Road construction/closures 26 26 10 21 13
Utility changes or outages 34 18 8 30 13
Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates 28 17 5 4 13
Community engagement (e.g. open houses,
online chats)8 9 5 5 3 3
Environmental issues 15 22 9 6 9
Snowplowing 2 2 1 1 1 1
Development activity (land use/permits) 12 11 2 2 2 8 2 5
Housing information 20 21 5 4 9
Other 8 5 3 2 2 2
69
Page | 14
Table 3.
Counts of update frequency by topic (top 3 frequencies)
Topic
About
once a
year
About
twice a
year
About
once a
quarter
About
once a
month
A few
times a
month
A few
times a
week
About
once a
week
Daily or
more
often
Other
Council meeting agendas 5 14 3
Council meeting summaries 13 19 20
General city news) 9 14 16 31
Local COVID-19 information 51 54 55
Safety updates 22 15 17
Local events - things to do 7 20 7
Election information 3 3 3 3
Parks, trails & recreation 7 7 20
Road construction/closures 1 10 12 12
Utility changes or outages 5 5 24 16
Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates 6 9 6 9
Community engagement (e.g. open
houses, online chats) 3 6 2
Environmental issues 6 7 11
Snowplowing 2 2 1 1 1
Development activity (land
use/permits) 3 3 7
Housing information 3 7 15 3 3
Budget information 2 3 4
Other 2 2 3 3
70
Ways to Strengthen Communication
The survey requested feedback regarding how to foster better communication, regardless of the topic at hand.
Respondents provided thoughts on improving transparency, promoting trust, and improving accessibility. For
each item, respondents could select up to two items. In addition, respondents provided thoughts on how to
improve the website.
Improving Transparency
When it comes to transparency, respondents indicate that sharing the whole story – the good and bad – is the
most frequently mentioned action step. Other frequently mentioned key actions include making sure that
information is shared early enough to allow for and take into consideration feedback and sharing information
in citywide sources such as the newspapers.
Figure 10.
When breaking the results out by age cohort, the same three items were mentioned by all groups most
frequently. However, some differences in the response level are apparent when looking at the younger 20-44
age cohort. A notably higher proportion of the younger cohort (60%) indicated that providing information early
enough to allow feedback was important. In addition, more than a third felt the City should post
minutes/videos from meetings.
3%
5%
6%
13%
21%
23%
29%
46%
48%
52%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
NOT SURE
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
N/A –THE CITY IS DOING A GOOD JOB BEING TRANSPARENT
ENCOURAGE MORE INVOLVEMENT AND COLLABORATION
HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY AT ALL MEETINGS AND PUBLIC
HEARINGS
POST MINUTES/VIDEOS AND DECISIONS FROM MEETINGS
AVOID ADDING A PUBLIC RELATIONS SPIN TO INFORMATION
PROVIDE INFORMATION EARLY ENOUGH FOR MY FEEDBACK TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN DECISIONS
SHARE INFORMATION IN COMMUNITY-WIDE SOURCES (SUCH
AS NEWSPAPERS) IN ADDITION TO CITY-SPECIFIC SOURCES …
SHARE RESULTS –BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
How can the City of Aspen be fully transparent with communication?
% of All Respondents (Count=252)
71
Page | 16
Several respondents added “other” comments. (Appendix 2) Suggestions included items such having a service-
orientation, keeping politics and personal agendas out of City business; being clear and brief and making
videos more accessible.
Figure 11.
0%
13%
2%
19%
19%
36%
30%
60%
43%
51%
3%
3%
9%
15%
20%
23%
18%
39%
53%
53%
5%
1%
5%
9%
20%
14%
36%
43%
54%
54%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
NOT SURE
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
N/A –THE CITY IS DOING A GOOD JOB BEING TRANSPARENT
ENCOURAGE MORE INVOLVEMENT AND COLLABORATION
HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY AT ALL MEETINGS AND PUBLIC
HEARINGS
POST MINUTES/VIDEOS AND DECISIONS FROM MEETINGS
AVOID ADDING A PUBLIC RELATIONS SPIN TO INFORMATION
PROVIDE INFORMATION EARLY ENOUGH FOR MY FEEDBACK TO MAKE
A DIFFERENCE IN DECISIONS
SHARE INFORMATION IN COMMUNITY-WIDE SOURCES (SUCH AS
NEWSPAPERS) IN ADDITION TO CITY-SPECIFIC SOURCES (SUCH AS THE
CITY WEBSITE)
SHARE RESULTS –BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
How can the City of Aspen be fully transparent with communication?
Responses by Age Cohort
% of 65 and over age cohort
% of 45-64 age cohort
% of 20-44 age cohort
Number of
Respondents
20-44: 47
45-64: 87
>=65: 76
72
Page | 17
Fostering Trust
Respondents were asked how the City can best foster trust in its communication. Sharing information early
and often was the most frequent response, with 65% indicating this was important. (Figure 12). Sharing the
bad news was third. These findings are in keeping with the findings for transparency. Numbers and facts in
communication were the second most frequently mentioned, and indicated people are interested in seeing the
evidence supporting decisions. More than a third indicated that providing multiple viewpoints was important.
Figure 12.
Breaking out the information by age cohorts yields the same priorities across age groups as above for the top
four items; however, some differences are apparent between the age groups. (Figure 13) Sharing information
early and often was particularly important to the 45-64 age cohort, with 75% of respondents selecting this
answer. Showing data and facts, and sharing bad news, was notably more important to the younger 20-44 age
cohort than the other age cohorts.
Many of the "other" comments added as open-ends to this question focused on issues such as being equitable,
providing the rationale behind decisions, and being more forthcoming. (Appendix 2)
Improving Accessibility
Opinions regarding how to improve information accessibility were more widely diverse than with increasing
transparency or fostering trust. (Figure 14) However, more than one third indicated it would help to share
where to find information and details clearly. More than one in four indicated it would be helpful to share
information in more formats.
3%
4%
4%
9%
10%
18%
36%
44%
47%
65%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
NOT SURE
NOTHING –I FULLY TRUST THE CITY OF ASPEN AND ITS
COMMUNICATION
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
HELP RESIDENTS GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER / UNDERSTAND
YOUR BACKGROUND AND DESIRES FOR ASPEN
SHARE INFORMATION WITH HUMILITY
LEADERS SHOULD BE ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND GET TO
KNOW MORE RESIDENTS
PROVIDE MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS WHEN SHARING
INFORMATION
SHARE BAD NEWS EVEN IF RESIDENTS DON’T WANT TO HEAR
IT
INCLUDE NUMBERS AND FACTS WITH COMMUNICATION
SHARE INFORMATION EARLY AND OFTEN
How can the City of Aspen best foster trust in its communication?
% of All Respondents (Count = 246)
73
Page | 18
More clearly sharing where to find information was of most importance to the 65 and older age cohort (40%).
This age cohort was least interested in comparison with the others in having information be mobile friendly
(9% vs 29%).
Figure 13.
0%
0%
9%
15%
17%
22%
39%
52%
61%
61%
2%
5%
5%
5%
7%
18%
32%
40%
44%
75%
4%
7%
3%
11%
3%
20%
45%
45%
37%
57%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
NOT SURE
NOTHING –I FULLY TRUST THE CITY OF ASPEN AND ITS
COMMUNICATION
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
HELP RESIDENTS GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER / UNDERSTAND YOUR
BACKGROUND AND DESIRES FOR ASPEN
SHARE INFORMATION WITH HUMILITY
LEADERS SHOULD BE ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND GET TO KNOW
MORE RESIDENTS
PROVIDE MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS WHEN SHARING INFORMATION
SHARE BAD NEWS EVEN IF RESIDENTS DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT
INCLUDE NUMBERS AND FACTS WITH COMMUNICATION
SHARE INFORMATION EARLY AND OFTEN
How can the City of Aspen best foster trust in its communication?
% of Respondents by Age Cohort
% of 65 and over Age Cohort
% of 45-64 Age Cohort
% of 20-44 Age Cohort
Number of
Respondents
20-44: 46
45-64: 85
>=65: 75
74
Page | 19
Figure 14.
3%
5%
7%
7%
8%
10%
11%
12%
20%
20%
22%
24%
27%
36%
0%10%20%30%40%
PROVIDE CHILDCARE DURING MEETINGS/EVENTS
OTHER
NOT SURE
PROVIDE MORE SPANISH-LANGUAGE INFORMATION
N/A; CITY IS DOING A GOOD JOB PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE
COMMUNICATION
ENCOURAGE MORE SMALL GROUP/NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL
MEETINGS
HOLD MEETINGS & EVENTS AT A WIDER VARIETY OF TIMES
INVITE/ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION AMONG SEASONAL
RESIDENTS
MORE BROADLY PUBLICIZE WHERE TO ACCESS LIVE & RECORDED
MTGS
PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT/FEEDBACK
ENSURE WEBSITE IS MOBILE-FRIENDLY FOR THOSE WITHOUT
COMPUTERS
IMPROVE SEARCH FUNCTION ON WEBSITE
SHARE INFORMATION IN A WIDER VARIETY OF FORMATS
MORE CLEARLY SHARE WHERE TO FIND NEEDED
INFORMATION/DETAILS
How can the City improve the accessibility of communication for all Aspen
residents?
% of All Respondents (Count = 241)
75
Page | 20
Figure 15.
11%
9%
2%
13%
0%
9%
13%
16%
27%
27%
29%
22%
27%
33%
1%
2%
6%
9%
9%
6%
11%
13%
20%
18%
29%
28%
31%
32%
1%
4%
7%
0%
13%
13%
11%
11%
20%
25%
9%
20%
25%
40%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%
PROVIDE CHILDCARE DURING MEETINGS/EVENTS
OTHER
NOT SURE
PROVIDE MORE SPANISH-LANGUAGE INFORMATION
N/A; CITY IS DOING A GOOD JOB PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE
COMMUNICATION
ENCOURAGE MORE SMALL GROUP/NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL
MEETINGS
HOLD MEETINGS & EVENTS AT A WIDER VARIETY OF TIMES
INVITE/ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION AMONG SEASONAL RESIDENTS
MORE BROADLY PUBLICIZE WHERE TO ACCESS LIVE & RECORDED
MTGS
PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT/FEEDBACK
ENSURE WEBSITE IS MOBILE-FRIENDLY FOR THOSE WITHOUT
COMPUTERS
IMPROVE SEARCH FUNCTION ON WEBSITE
SHARE INFORMATION IN A WIDER VARIETY OF FORMATS
MORE CLEARLY SHARE WHERE TO FIND NEEDED
INFORMATION/DETAILS
How can the City improve the accessibility of communication for all Aspen
residents?
% of Respondents by Age Group
% of 65 and Over Age Cohort
% of 45-64 Age Cohort
% of 20-44 Age Cohort
Number of
Respondents
20-44: 45
45-64: 85
>=65: 75
76
Page | 21
A variety of suggestions to improve accessibility were provided in the "Other" category, ranging from redesign
of the webpage; a focus on brevity and clarity in language; being unbiased; avoiding virtual meetings;
improving the mobile experience and adding captioning. (Appendix 2)
Improving the Website
Respondents were asked an open-ended question on how to improve the City’s website. When those
responses were placed into categories, the most frequent suggestion was to improve the site’s search and
navigation. (Figure 16) Several respondents suggested a stronger focus on keeping the content current, and
others suggested having more links on the home page to current information, including Council meetings.
Figure 16.
The full list of open-ends is available in Appendix 2.
Ways to Strengthen Community Engagement
The City is interested in understanding more about how to increase the level of engagement of residents. The
survey included several questions related to interest in new ways of providing input, and reasons and barriers
to engagement, to assist with this learning.
Understanding Current Levels of Engagement
More than half of respondents indicated they were “very” or “somewhat” involved/connected with the City
(55%). (Figure 17) Thirty percent were neutral, however.
4
6
6
8
16
21
0 5 10 15 20 25
I DON'T USE IT OR ONLY INFREQUENTLY
COVID -IMPROVE INFORMATION
ADD LINKS TO CURRENT INFORMATION/MEETINGS ON HOME
PAGE
KEEP IT CURRENT
APPROVE OF CURRENT SITE AS IS
IMPROVE SEARCH AND NAVIGATION
Additional Thoughts on How to Improve the City Website
(Items with 3 or More Mentions)
77
Page | 22
Figure 17.
Broken out by age, the level of involvement appears to be highest, proportionately, in the younger 20-44 age
cohort. (Figure 18) In particular, the 20-44 age cohort was most likely to indicate that they were “very”
involved or connected with the City. It is unclear, however, if the younger group participating in the survey is
representative of the full younger cohort in the city; those who are less involved in this age cohort may simply
have declined to take the survey. Future analysis could explore, across age groups, what might motivate those
who are less involved to become more involved.
People most frequently get involved with the City because they want to make a difference in their community.
(Figure 19) Having an impact on decisions that affect topics they are passionate about ties back to this primary
reason and comes in second and third as rationales for being involved.
Some respondents also provided additional answers in the “Other” response to this question. Rationales
included providing city oversight and promoting good-decision making by elected official; civic duty and love of
the city; a desire to stay informed; and a need to represent certain groups. (Appendix 2)
Uninvolved/
disconnected
1%Not very involved/
connected
14%
Neutral
30%
Somewhat
involved/
connected
46%
Very involved/
connected
9%
How would you rate your level of involvement with the City?
% of Total Respondents (Count = 216)
78
Page | 23
Figure 18.
0%5%
20%
55%
20%
0%
11%
31%
51%
6%3%
20%
34%
39%
4%
UNINVOLVED/
DISCONNECTED
NOT VERY INVOLVED/
CONNECTED
NEUTRAL SOMEWHAT INVOLVED/
CONNECTED
VERY INVOLVED/
CONNECTED
How would you rate your level of involvement with the City?
% of Respondents by Age Cohort
% of 20-44 Age Cohort % of 45-64 Age Cohort % of 65 and Over Age Cohort
Number of Respondents
20-44: 44
45-64: 80
>=65: 70
79
Page | 24
Figure 19.
Offering New Ways to Provide Input
Respondents were asked to indicate the likelihood of their participating in several new options for providing
input. (Figure 20) The highest proportion of respondents indicated they were “likely” or “very likely” to try
emails to Council or staff, or the Aspen Community Voice forum.
2%
3%
5%
9%
11%
12%
14%
15%
20%
21%
27%
30%
39%
42%
45%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%
NONE OF THE ABOVE
PRESERVE MY COMPANY’S INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY
PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING / JOB CONNECTIONS WITHIN
THE COMMUNITY
DEVELOP NEW INTERESTS
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
ENSURE MY COMPANY / ORGANIZATION IS INFORMED
CREATE NEW CONNECTIONS / RELATIONSHIPS IN THE
COMMUNITY
PRESERVE MY PERSONAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
STRENGTHEN EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE
COMMUNITY
STAYING CONNECTED IS PART OF MY WORK ROLE/JOB
BROADEN MY PERSPECTIVES / DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT
KNOWING MY OPINION WILL BE HEARD/HOW MY OPINION
WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE
INFLUENCE POLICY AND DECISIONS BEING MADE
IMPACT SPECIFIC CAUSES/AREAS THAT I’M PASSIONATE
ABOUT
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MY COMMUNITY / VOLUNTEER
What is most important to you when it comes to reasons for being involved with
the City?
% of All Respondents (Count=211)
80
Page | 25
Figure 20.
Setting the Stage for Engagement
About half the respondents indicated the way to help encourage their involvement was simply to make them
more aware of opportunities that meet their interests. (Figure 21) Nearly as many indicated that more online
engagement opportunities would encourage involvement.
13%
17%
16%
14%
25%
27%
8%
10%
33%
38%
43%
45%
31%
43%
30%
38%
44%
37%
32%
33%
30%
24%
46%
37%
10%
9%
9%
8%
14%
6%
15%
14%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
ASPEN COMMUNITY VOICE ONLINE FORUM
ONLINE BULLETIN BOARDS/REQUESTS FOR INPUT
ONLINE FOCUS GROUPS, TEXT CHATS, OR COLLAB. SESSIONS
ONLINE COUNCIL MEETINGS/REQUESTS FOR INPUT
SOCIAL MEDIA/COMMENTS, READING OR POSTING
IN-PERSON FOCUS GROUPS/COLLABORATION SESSIONS
DIRECT EMAIL TO STAFF
DIRECT EMAIL TO COUNCIL
The City is considering some new ways to provide input...how likely are you to
participate in the following?
% of All Respondents (Count=230)
Not at all likely Not very likely Likely Very likely
81
Page | 26
Figure 21.
Other thoughts regarding how the City could encourage people to get involved included items such as assuring
confidentiality; making sure surveys were unbiased and short; providing opportunities to part-time residents;
and feeling like their input would count. (Appendix 2)
Identifying Topics of Interest
When asked on which topics they most would like to provide feedback, housing was mentioned most
frequently, with a broad variety of other topics being of interest to one third or more of the respondents
(Figure 22).
There was no clear dominant topic in the “other” responses. Parks, trails and open space; public works;
development; environmental stewardship; engagement of Latinos; engagement of seniors; and other topics
were mentioned as of interest. (Appendix 2)
Finding Appropriate Engagement Methods
When asked how they would like to engage, surveys and polls was the most frequent answer (57%). (Figure 23)
Being part of a small, short term task force or group was the second most selected response. Figure 24 shows
that members of the 20-44 age cohort were open to a broader range of engagement activities than those in
the other age cohorts. Respondents could select as many answers as they wished.
9%
13%
19%
32%
45%
50%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
NONE OF THESE, I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME MORE
INVOLVED
SENDING YOU A PERSONAL INVITATION FROM CITY
LEADERS
CREATING A MORE WELCOMING ATMOSPHERE FOR
PEOPLE LIKE ME
PROVIDING MORE ONLINE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
MAKING ME MORE AWARE OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT
MEET MY INTERESTS
Which of the following City actions would help encourage you to get more
involved?
(% of All Respondents =209)
82
Page | 27
Figure 22.
8%
13%
22%
30%
38%
41%
41%
42%
46%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%
I DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN CITY COMMUNICATION OR
LISTENING SESSIONS
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
CITY FINANCIALS/BUDGET
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
CULTURE/ARTS
STAYING FOCUSED ON RESIDENT NEEDS
RECREATION
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
HOUSING/NEIGHBORHOODS
Which of the following areas would you be interested in being involved/sharing
feedback with the COA in the future?
% of All Respondents (Count=204)
83
Page | 28
Figure 23.
3%
8%
14%
21%
22%
24%
33%
36%
41%
57%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
ATTENDING THE CITIZEN ACADEMY
NONE OF THESE -I'M NOT INTERESTED
ATTENDING IN-PERSON MEETINGS, FOCUS GROUPS, OR OPEN
HOUSES IN PERSON
SERVING ON A VOLUNTEER BOARD OR COMMISSION
VOLUNTEERING ON SPECIFIC PROJECT TEAMS (SUCH AS ON A
STEERING COMMITTEE)
PARTICIPATING IN ONLINE FORUMS (SUCH AS ASPEN
COMMUNITY VOICE)
ATTENDING VIRTUAL MEETINGS, FOCUS GROUPS, OR OPEN
HOUSES
BEING PART OF A SMALL SHORT-TERM GROUP OR TASK FORCE
PARTICIPATING IN POLLS AND SURVEYS
What types of communication, feedback and engagement opportunities with
the City of Aspen would you personally be interested in?
% of All Respondents (Count=206)
84
Page | 29
Figure 24.
5%
9%
2%
27%
32%
41%
52%
39%
57%
68%
4%
8%
15%
24%
23%
22%
32%
35%
39%
54%
3%
6%
17%
12%
17%
20%
28%
38%
35%
55%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
ATTENDING THE CITIZEN ACADEMY
NONE OF THESE -I'M NOT INTERESTED
ATTENDING IN-PERSON MEETINGS, FOCUS GROUPS, OR OPEN HOUSES
IN PERSON
SERVING ON A VOLUNTEER BOARD OR COMMISSION
VOLUNTEERING ON SPECIFIC PROJECT TEAMS (SUCH AS ON A STEERING
COMMITTEE)
PARTICIPATING IN ONLINE FORUMS (SUCH AS ASPEN COMMUNITY
VOICE)
ATTENDING VIRTUAL MEETINGS, FOCUS GROUPS, OR OPEN HOUSES
BEING PART OF A SMALL SHORT-TERM GROUP OR TASK FORCE
PARTICIPATING IN POLLS AND SURVEYS
What types of communication, feedback and engagement opportunities with
the City of Aspen would you personally be interested in?
% of Respondents By Age Cohort
% of 65 and Over Age
Cohort
% of 45-64 Age Cohort
% of 20-44 Age Cohort
Number of
Respondents
20-44: 44
45-64: 79
>=65: 69
85
Page | 30
Sharing the Results of Community Engagement
Respondents were also asked their thoughts regarding the best way to communicate back to the when the City
had collected input from a broad swath of constituents. All three options – ranging from consistent placement
of such input on the City’s website, to summaries in reports or newsletters, had support. (Figure 25)
Figure 25.
Understanding Barriers to Engagement
Two barriers to engagement are stand out: not having enough time to become involved, and not being aware
of opportunities to become involved. (Figure 26) Forty-one percent of respondents indicated that being too
busy with other obligations prevents them from becoming more involved, and 39% indicated that a lack of
awareness was an issue. More than a third said not feeling their opinions would be valued was a factor. About
a quarter have challenges with the times of involvement opportunities not fitting with their schedules.
For those who offered an “other” reason for barriers, concerns include health and age; difficulties finding
opportunities for part-time residents; living down valley; fear of reprisals; domination of conversations by a
limited set of people; and concern that their opinions may not be in the majority, among others (Appendix 2)
13 19 10 16
29 39 32
4
118 109 116
9
58 51 60
12
PROVIDE SUMMARIES OF INPUT
OR FEEDBACK AT A CONSISTENT
PLACE ON THE WEBSITE
SUMMARIZE CITIZEN INPUT
AND IMPACT IN MONTHLY
NEWSLETTER OR BLOG
INCLUDE SUMMARIES OF
CITIZEN INPUT IN REPORTS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
OTHER
When the City asks the community for input and hears from many people, how
interested are you in the following methods of sharing the learning and action
taken based on the input?
Number of Respondents (Count: 218)
Not at all interested Not very interested Somewhat interested Very interested
86
Page | 31
Figure 26.
Closing Comments from Respondents
The survey closed with two open -ended questions:
• What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to residents?
• And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
For this section of the report, the responses were categorized to make it easier to see themes. For the full list
of responses, please see Appendix 2.
1%
5%
10%
10%
11%
11%
15%
26%
34%
39%
41%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
NO CHILD CARE OFFERED DURING INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
NOT WANTING TO GET INVOLVED ALONE/WITHOUT FRIENDS OR
FAMILY
NOT BEING INTERESTED IN GETTING MORE INVOLVED
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
LOCATION OF INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES ARE NOT EASILY
ACCESSIBLE
NONE OF THESE ARE BARRIERS TO MY INVOLVEMENT
HAVING LIMITED WAYS TO GET INVOLVED –FEW/SIMILAR
INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
TIMES OF INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES DON’T FIT WITH MY
SCHEDULE
FEELING LIKE MY OPINIONS AREN’T BEING HEARD/VALUED
NOT BEING AWARE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED
NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO GET INVOLVED –TOO BUSY WITH
OTHER OBLIGATIONS
Which of the following might prevent you from getting more involved with the City
of Aspen?
% of All Respondents (Count=210)
87
Page | 32
What Respondents Like Best About City Communication
In response to the question regarding what the City is doing best, the use of opinion polls and surveys was
mentioned most frequently, followed closely by the City proactively taking actions to seek input and reach out
to community members. (Figure 27). Respondents were pleased with the willingness of the City to improve its
communications as well – making the effort to try to understand needs and interests, as well as how best to
engage others, was felt to be a positive step.
Figure 27.
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
7
10
13
15
17
18
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
CITY IS OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS
ONLINE INFORMATION
RESPONSIVE TO INQUIRIES
ABILITY TO GET MEETING AND OTHER ALERTS
CITY WEBSITE
EMAILS FROM CITY
PUBLIC FORUMS
TEXTS
COUNCIL MEMBER SUMMARIES ON FACEBOOK AND EMAIL
TRANSPARENCY OF INFORMATION
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
ASPEN COMMUNITY VOICE
VIRTUAL MEETINGS, WEBCASTS, ACCESS TO MEETINGS ON
FACEBOOK
USE OF LOCAL MEDIA (NEWSPAPERS, RADIO)
WILLINGNESS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS
CITY ACTIVELY SEEKS INPUT AND REACHES OUT
OPINION POLLS AND SURVEYS
What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information
and/or listen to residents?
(Categories of responses with at least 3 mentions)
88
Page | 33
What Respondents Want to Improve About City Communication
While many felt the City is already communicating well, others felt improvement could be made in a variety of
ways. Of most interest was having the City: listen and communicate more frequently; expand input to a
broader swath of the community; improve the quality and frequency of information in the newspapers; use
targeted emails; and be consistently clear and concise.
Figure 28.
3
4
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
7
9
9
11
13
14
14
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
USE A VARIETY OF TYPES OF MEDIUMS TO REACH PEOPLE
HOST LIVE Q/A SESSIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS
IMPROVE TIMELINESS OF INFORMATION AND REQUESTS FOR
INPUT
PROVIDE MEETING SUMMARIES, IN MULTIPLE MEDIA
HOST PUBLIC FORUMS, NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, AND
FOCUS GROUPS
TAKE ACTIONS BASED ON THE INPUT; DON'T IGNORE IT
USE/IMPROVE CITY WEBSITE
BE CLEAR AND/OR HONEST
IMPROVE COVID INFORMATION
PROVIDE MORE FREQUENT UPDATES/INFORMATION
LISTEN BETTER AND SHARE INFORMATION MORE EFFECTIVELY
PROVIDE CLEAR, CONCISE, CONSISTENT INFORMATION
USE EMAILS WITH RELEVANT INFORMATION
CITY IS ALREADY COMMUNICATING WELL
IMPROVE QUALITY AND FREQUENCY OF SHARING IN
NEWSPAPERS
LISTEN MORE FREQUENTLY AND TO A BROADER SET OF
PEOPLE
Most Frequent Suggestions for Improvements, by Category
(those with a count of 3 or more respondents)
89
Appendix 1:
Aspen Communication Survey - December 2020
This appendix includes the survey instrument. Please note that due to skip logic patterns, different respondents
may have seen slightly different question sets.
Please select your preferred language: Por favor seleccione el idioma que prefiere:
Select one / Seleccione uno
Row:
English / Inglés
Spanish / Español
City_of_Aspen_w800.png
We invite you to take a 10-minute survey to help the City of Aspen understand how to keep you informed and
involved. As we improve our communication and engagement efforts, it is important for us to know what works
best for you!
Before we get to questions on how you stay informed about the City of Aspen, we'd like to ask you a question
about how you stay informed in general about news in the Aspen community.
Generally speaking, which of the following information sources do you use at least once a week?
Select all that apply
Row:
o Email
o Local newspaper
o Local radio
o Local television
o Facebook
o Instagram
o Twitter
o Reddit
o NextDoor
o Podcasts
o Text
o Postal mail – postcards, letters
o I don't use any of these
90
Thinking of the year 2020 so far, in which of the following ways have you received information from
the City of Aspen?
Select all that apply
Row:
o Email
o Local newspaper
o Local radio
o Local television
o Facebook
o Instagram
o Twitter
o Reddit
o NextDoor
o Podcasts
o Text
o Postal mail – postcards, letters
o City of Aspen website
o City of Aspen Department newsletters (such as the kids First Newsletter or Community Development
Newsletter)
o Online forums (such as Aspen Community Voice)
o Phone call
o Recorded meetings/sessions
o Live meetings/sessions (including both online and in-person)
o Public gatherings (forums, neighborhood meetings, open houses)
How informed do you feel about City of Aspen news and decisions right now?
Drag the slider to a point on the scale
Choice:
o Not at all informed
o Not very informed
o Neutral
o Somewhat informed
o Very informed
91
For this next question, please consider the types of information you might seek out/access from the City of Aspen
In general, which of the following types of information do you want the City of Aspen to have
available for access?
Please select all that apply
Row:
o Council meeting agendas
o Council meeting summaries
o General city news
o Local COVID-19 information
o Safety updates
o Local events - things to do
o Election information
o Parks, trails & recreation
o Road construction/closures
o Utility changes or outages
o Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates
o Community engagement (e.g. open houses, online chats)
o Environmental issues
o Snowplowing
o Development activity (land use/permits)
o Housing information
o Budget information
o Other (please specify)
92
For this next question, please consider the types of information you'd like the City of Aspen to reach out with and
proactively share with you.
From the list below (which reflects your choices/preferences), which do you most want the City to
proactively share with you?
Select up to three types of information
Row:
o Council meeting agendas
o Council meeting summaries
o General city news
o Local COVID-19 information
o Safety updates
o Local events - things to do
o Election information
o Parks, trails & recreation
o Road construction/closures
o Utility changes or outages
o Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates
o Community engagement (e.g. open houses, online chats)
o Environmental issues
o Snowplowing
o Development activity (land use/permits)
o Housing information
o Budget information
o Other: (Write in)
93
Thinking of your 3 most desired topics for outreach, what format would you like the City to use when
presenting these types of information?
Not all options may apply to all types of information. Choose the ones that make sense for you.
Choose up to three options for each type of information
Column:
o Detailed written article on the topic
o Short written summary on the topic
o Headline with link to more information
o FAQ
o Short video
o Meme
o Calendar of events/opportunities
o Invitation to participate in an event/opportunity
o Blog from a City leader
o Advertisement
o Other
Row:
o Council meeting agendas
o Council meeting summaries
o General city news
o Local COVID-19 information
o Safety updates
o Local events - things to do
o Election information
o Parks, trails & recreation
o Road construction/closures
o Utility changes or outages
o Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates
o Community engagement (e.g. open houses, online chats)
o Environmental issues
o Snowplowing
o Development activity (land use/permits)
o Housing information
o Budget information
o Other: (write in)
94
And what are the best source(s) for this information - how should they deliver this type of
information to you?
Not all options may apply to all types of information. Choose the ones that make sense for you.
Choose up to three options for each type of information
Column:
o Email
o Local newspaper
o Local radio
o Local television
o Facebook
o Instagram
o Twitter
o Reddit
o NextDoor
o Podcasts
o Text
o Postal mail – postcards, letters
o City of Aspen website
o City of Aspen newsletters (such as Kids First Newsletter or Community Development Newsletter)
o Online forums (such as Aspen Community Voice)
o Phone call
o Recorded meetings/sessions
o Live meetings/sessions (including both online and in-person)
o Public gatherings (forums, neighborhood meetings, open houses)
Row:
o Council meeting agendas
o Council meeting summaries
o General city news
o Local COVID-19 information
o Safety updates
o Local events - things to do
o Election information
o Parks, trails & recreation
o Road construction/closures
o Utility changes or outages
o Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates
o Community engagement (e.g. open houses, online chats)
o Environmental issues
o Snowplowing
o Development activity (land use/permits)
o Housing information
o Budget information
o Other: {write in}
95
Again, thinking of these 3 types of information, how often would you like the City of Aspen to reach
out?
Choose up to three options for each type of information
Column:
o Daily or more often
o A few times a week
o About once a week
o A few times a month
o About once a month
o About once a quarter
o About twice a year
o About once a year
o Other
Row:
o Council meeting agendas
o Council meeting summaries
o General city news
o Local COVID-19 information
o Safety updates
o Local events - things to do
o Election information
o Parks, trails & recreation
o Road construction/closures
o Utility changes or outages
o Taxes, fees, codes, ordinance updates
o Community engagement (e.g. open houses, online chats)
o Environmental issues
o Snowplowing
o Development activity (land use/permits)
o Housing information
o Budget information
o Other: (write in)
Since you've used the City of Aspen website in the past, we'd like to get your feedback.
Please share any thoughts you have on how to improve the City of Aspen website.
Be specific
96
Next, we want your input on how the City can most improve in its communication to deliver desired values of
transparency, trust, and accessibility.
How can the City of Aspen be fully transparent with communication?
Select up to three
Row:
o Share results – both positive and negative
o Post minutes/videos and decisions from meetings
o Share information in community-wide sources (such as newspapers) in addition to City-specific sources
(such as the City website)
o Encourage more involvement and collaboration
o Provide information early enough for my feedback to make a difference in decisions
o Have an open-door policy at all meetings and public hearings
o Avoid adding a public relations spin to information
o N/A – The City is doing a good job being transparent
o Other (please specify)
o Not sure
How can the City of Aspen best foster trust in its communication?
Select up to three
Row:
o Provide multiple viewpoints when sharing information
o Include numbers and facts with communication
o Help residents get to know you better / understand your background and desires for Aspen
o Leaders should be active in the community and get to know more residents
o Share bad news even if residents don’t want to hear it
o Share information with humility
o Share information early and often
o Nothing – I fully trust the City of Aspen and its communication
o Other (please specify)
o Not sure
97
How can the City improve the accessibility of communication for all Aspen residents?
Select up to three
Row:
o More clearly share where to find needed information/details
o More broadly publicize where to access live meetings and recorded meetings
o Share information in a wider variety of formats
o Hold meetings and events at a wider variety of times (daytime, evening, weekends)
o Provide childcare during City meetings/collaboration events
o Provide more opportunities for involvement/feedback
o Invite/encourage participation among seasonal residents
o Encourage more small group/neighborhood level meetings
o Provide more Spanish-language information
o Ensure website is mobile-friendly for those without computers
o Improve search function on website
o N/A – The City is doing a good job providing accessible communication
o Other (please specify)
o Not sure
Thank you so much for the great feedback!
Let’s move on to how you can provide feedback and be involved with the City of Aspen
The City is considering some new options for residents to provide input in the future.
Thinking of the next 12 months, how likely are you to participate in the following feedback options,
assuming you know they are available?
Drag the slider to a point on the scale.
Row:
o Aspen Community Voice website online forum to provide feedback on City programs and projects
o Online bulletin boards/requests for input
o Online focus groups, text chats, or collaboration sessions
o Online Council meetings/requests for input
o Social media/comments, reading or posting
o In-person focus groups/collaboration sessions
o Direct email to staff
o Direct email to Council
Choice:
Not at all likely
Not very likely
Likely
Very likely
98
When the City asks the Community for input and hears from many people, how interested are you in
the following methods of sharing the learning and action taken based on the input?
Drag the slider to a point on the scale.
Row:
o Provide summaries of input or feedback at a consistent place on the website
o Summarize citizen input and impact in monthly newsletter or blog
o Include summaries of citizen input in reports and recommendations
o Other (please specify)
Choice:
Not at all interested
Not very interested
Somewhat interested
Very interested
How would you rate your level of involvement with the City of Aspen?
Drag the slider to a point on the scale.
Choice:
Uninvolved/ disconnected
Not very involved/ connected
Neutral
Somewhat involved/ connected
Very involved/ connected
What is most important to you when it comes to reasons for being involved with the City of Aspen?
Please select up to four
Row:
o Knowing that my opinion will be heard or how my opinion will make a difference
o Strengthen existing relationships within the community
o Create new connections / relationships in the community
o Make a difference in my community / volunteer
o Develop new interests
o Impact specific causes/areas that I’m passionate about
o Professional networking / job connections within the community
o Staying connected is part of my work role/job
o Ensure my company / organization is informed
o Influence policy and decisions being made
o Preserve my personal real estate investment
o Preserve my company’s investment in the community
o Broaden my perspectives / diversity of thought
o Other (please specify)
o None of the above
99
Which of the following might prevent you from getting more involved with the City of Aspen?
Select up to 4
Row:
o Times of involvement opportunities don’t fit with my schedule
o Not having enough time to get involved – too busy with other obligations
o Location of involvement opportunities are not easily accessible
o Feeling like my opinions aren’t being heard/valued
o Not wanting to get involved alone/without friends or family
o Not being aware of opportunities to get involved
o Having limited ways to get involved – few/similar involvement opportunities
o Not being interested in getting more involved
o No child care offered during involvement opportunities
o Other (please specify)
o None of these are barriers to my involvement
Which of the following City actions would help encourage you to get more involved?
Select all that apply
Row:
o Sending you a personal invitation from City leaders
o Making me more aware of opportunities that meet my interests
o Providing more online engagement opportunities
o Creating a more welcoming atmosphere for people like me
o Other (please specify)
o None of these, I do not want to become more involved
What types of communication, feedback and engagement opportunities with the City of Aspen
would you personally be interested in?
Select all that apply
Row:
o Being part of a small short-term group or task force
o Serving on a volunteer Board or Commission
o Attending the Citizen Academy
o Attending virtual meetings, focus groups, or open houses
o Attending in-person meetings, focus groups, or open houses in person
o Participating in polls and surveys
o Volunteering on specific project teams (such as on a Steering Committee)
o Participating in online forums (such as Aspen Community Voice)
o Other (please specify)
o None of these - I'm not interested
100
Which of the following areas would you be interested in being involved/sharing feedback with the
City of Aspen in the future?
Select all that apply
Row:
o Natural environment
o Economy/business
o City financials/budget
o Housing/neighborhoods
o Culture/arts
o Recreation
o Staying focused on resident needs
o Other (please specify)
o I don't want to be involved in City communication or listening sessions
What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to residents?
Please be specific
And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
Please be specific
Thank you for the helpful input! Just a few last questions to ensure we're hearing from a good range of residents
and stakeholders.
101
What zip code do you live in?
If you live in more than one location, please list your Colorado zip code.
And what zip code do you work in?
What is your gender?
Select one
Row:
o Male
o Female
o Transgender
o Non-binary/non-conforming
o Prefer not to respond
What is your age?
Enter a number
Do any children 18 years old or younger live in your house full-time or part-time?
Select one
Row:
Yes
No
Which of the following apply to your living and working in Aspen?
Select all that apply
Row:
o I live in Aspen year-round
o I own a second home in Aspen (Vacation home, rental property, etc.)
o I live in affordable housing in the Aspen area
o I commute to work in Aspen but don't live in Aspen
o I both work and live in Aspen
o I own or operate a business in Aspen
102
About how many months out of the year, if any, do you live in Aspen?
(If you do not feel comfortable answering, you may leave blank)
Enter a number
Which of the following best describes your ethnicity?
Select one
Row:
o American Indian or Alaska Native
o Asian
o Black or African American
o Hispanic, Latino or Spanish
o Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
o White
o Other
o Prefer not to answer
What language do you speak at home?
Select one
Row:
o English
o Spanish
o Other Indo-European Language
o Asian & Pacific Island Language
o Other
o Prefer not to answer
If you are interested in having us contact you for future engagement opportunities, feel free to
provide your contact information at your option.
Optional - if you'd like the City of Aspen to stay in touch with you.
Row:
First Name
Last Name
Email
Phone number (with area code)
103
1
APPENDIX 2:
COMMUNICATION SURVEY OPEN ENDED COMMENTS
This appendix includes the raw open-ended comments. If “n/a” “none” or a similar term was the response,
the comment was deleted. All comments are otherwise included.
Ap. 2 - Table 1.
Please share any thoughts you have on how to improve the City of Aspen website.
A top 5 list on the website with the most pressing NON-COVID RELATED issues for the month and how the
COA is addressing them. For example: City of Aspen's TOP 5 1. House our workforce--especially
families--with 3+ bedroom units. Change occupancy requirements by requiring one or more persons to
occupy each bedroom in a dwelling as opposed to our current allowances which permit smaller familes or
groups of unrelated persons to take the largest units. 2. Develop a comprehensive plan to keep our K-6th
grade students in the classroom full-time and our Junior and Senior H.S. students rotating weekly. 3. So
on and so forth...
Advertise it
Challenging to navigate, inconsistent levels of details between departments.
COA is already doing a bang up job. Keep up the good work and thank you for what you do.
Community Voice has been an awesome engagement tool. Easy to feel like I have contributed. Thank you.
Content is good.
Council meeting minutes or outcomes are very slow to be posted on the website. Speed up posting time
and make all minutes and meeting summaries searchable.
Difficult to find information you’re looking for in the website. Website not optimized for mobile
platforms.
Don't really use it so can't answer
Ensure all the links work
Government link is too long; hard to find anything, Should be divided in the smaller sections. Things to
do around - Winterskol is happening- should be the main page.
I always encourage more transparency. More information and more organization of it. I’m also a huge fan
of surveys. It makes me feel more involved especially since we haven’t had the opportunity to do much
involvement in person this last year.
I am not a web expert. No suggestions
I don’t look at it very often.
I don't go the web site frequently - in fact rarely, so can't offer anything
I don't use it often enough to have any suggestions.
I enjoy reading. As long as I may read about new information, I will be happy.
I find it better than most and easy to navigate
I find navigating the website is pretty cumbersome. It's difficult to find what I'm looking for.
I find that navigating it to pay my utility bills is clunky. I cannot use the same log in information for the
two pages. Can you streamline this?
104
2
Please share any thoughts you have on how to improve the City of Aspen website.
I like the site
I Like the website. If I can find things, then it is done well!
I really has to dog for COVID info. Also not super mobile friendly.
I suggest overall the City of Aspen needs to stop encouraging tourists to come to Aspen until the Covid
numbers get under control.
I think it is pretty good The County is much more chaotic with old dated info Be good to get an e mail if
something major is coming up at CC o r work session
I think you are doing a great job communicating things when they need to be out. I think it is important to
keep informing people in the old fashioned way, newspaper or phone calls/text but also can reach out to
more people with social media channels.
I think you are doing a great job under duress. Congrats
I would like to see contact information for City staff and Council to be more found more easily.
I’ll have to review- requires some time. My recollection, the home page should probably have links to
current information and upcoming meetings or decisions foe the coming week.
I'm not sure if it covers recycling but when I linked to Pitco last I didn't think it was detailed enough. I
made up a spreadsheet that covered many items and had columns to show what each recycle location &
hauler would accept. I emailed it to the person in charge but never heard anything back. Also, does the
city have plans for extended power outage? Like how long can the sewer plant run? Can grocery stores,
gas stations, hospitals run on backup & for how long? What should residents be prepared for? etc
Improve and update search function. Make CORA forms easier to locate. Make City Council
business/agendas/minutes/ordinances more prominent.
improve search too hard to find what you are looking for
It adequately serves its function .
It getting there. A little more color please. Too much Green.
It has improved a lot
It is great! Thanks!
It is ok
it is pretty good
It seems pretty user friendly to me.
It would be great to be able to upload documents that are needed to support an application for childcare
financial aid.
It’s a bit cumbersome and difficult to find subjects I’m looking for because they’re buried under multiple
layers of links.
It's a bit too department-based/transactional and doesn't market what is going on in the community,
what is upcoming, what might be of interest. It would be good if other common action vehicles drove
people back to the website to build a habit of this being the best place to get info.
It's fine as is
It's generally fine. It looks outdated and it is common to come upon a page that says it is no longer
available
it's not a good/responsive/easily navigable website. Have a professional who doesn't live here do it right
(all of the local websites are terrible).
It's pretty good already
Keep it current. Remove info that is no longer relevant.
105
3
Please share any thoughts you have on how to improve the City of Aspen website.
Let people sign up for EMAIL alerts on specific topics they are interested in, like Pitkin County alerts send
texts on specific topics chosen by the user. But please reserve texting for true emergencies, such as
power outages, wildfires, safety emergencies, etc. Many people do not think to check the paper daily, so
a one time posting in the newspapers would not be effective.
Links to last minute public meetings have been hard to find or have not worked. There should be a
homepage banner with this information day before and day of
Live streaming council meetings straight from the home page would be great instead of having to dig
through multiple pages.
Make it easier to get to the City Council Meetings; currently they are hidden under the clerks tab
Make most accessed content easiest to access from homepage
More timely I formation
more up to date
need to know more about the safety of Covid and who is controlling these issues
New website, better showing of how to sign up for newsletters, see social media channels, etc
OK. we get this survey BS was mostly a pretend reaching out How about reaching in How about
inviting some non-1%'s into CC to tell you what driving 80 miles every day -- to service the 1% in their
$5M-50m palaces? How about risk getting REAL instead of trying to appease the ultra powerful -
residential/commercial- re-estate-SKICO- Hunt[ $$$ -- could be national news if you had the XXX 350
way overpriced units for slaves of the .01%. And then spend big $$ so they can crash on the runway
Lead - Follow - or Get Out of the Way
On the website, Make specific topics/site pages clear, make pages load quickly and make where to obtain
more information or who to contact for more information a clear, easy link. In the case of Covid, there
should be a hotline to help with emergencies. Thank you.
Please update it more regularly. There are too many past events/notices on your homepage that are
confusing/misleading since they have already occurred. Current/future info is helpful, past info not so
much.
Safety updates as necessary.
search tool could be better
Share more information.
Simplify
Sometimes difficult to find exactly what I want -
Sometimes hard to navigate. It would be nice to make it simple
Summary of issues with link for details
The more information the better.
The search function is clunky.
The website needs to continually be updated and out of date information needs to be somewhere besides
the front page
There is not enough information about covid for locals to be more informed. Several of our friends have
been vaccinated for covid and we have not heard a word!!! It seems downvalley people are getting it
faster and they are 2nd home owners ----something doesn't seem right with all of this!!!!!
Update activity as it changes
Update the website weekly for COVID numbers and before and after each city meeting scheduled.
106
4
Please share any thoughts you have on how to improve the City of Aspen website.
user friendly, less government
WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION, needs more thoughtful organization.
Website is fine - as website is current. City of Aspen site usually is current. Thanks.
When there is an emergency/outage, etc., I would love to see an radio/email/text/phone call/Facebook,
etc. blast.
When you click on the 'COVID and Mask Zone' banner at the top of the home page, it would be nice if that
took you directly to that page. Otherwise, just making sure it's up to date.
Where the current city council agendas were located was confusing.
While it is important to know what has been done, it is almost more important to know what is coming.
As part of the small business community that is trying to plan for a future and for the future of our
employees, it can be hard to keep up with the pace of change in this town. We need to know what's
coming so we can plan and adjust. It can be crippling if we find that changes are coming last minute, we
just want the opportunity to succeed.
why
You do a good job of communicating
Ap. 2 - Table 2.
How can the City of Aspen be fully transparent with communication? - Other (please specify)
Be brief and clear in communications
City info on gas outage and related activity was completely lacking to allow for any planning for 2 days.
Zones for meter off and meter relight could gave helped.
City newsletter
Letting employees know of decisions or staff changes before it's made public so we don't have to find out
in the newspaper.
make election videos and info more easily accessible. sometimes hard to find.
mostly doing a good job
Officials should keep personal agenda out of City business.
Play less politics, be more honest
Please stop giving the same weight to comments from people who are conspiracy theorists and just
generally bullying others in our community
Service oriented attitude to communication, rather than combative.
Thank the Deputy Director and the City attorney for their decades of service and ask them to retire-
otherwise you will never get transparency.
Youtube
Zoom meetings are a joke and a poor substitute for our lox meetings
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5
Ap. 2 - Table 3.
How can the City of Aspen best foster trust in its communication? - Other (please specify)
Be honest. Don't have 3 salaries on the communication team to waste money so they can deceive people.
Be more forthcoming and proactive with communications. Talk with affected people in advance of
discussions and actions by Council. Show you care and try to understand the perspectives of businesses
and neighbors.
Equity, the rich get all the breaks every time they build anything because the city has been scared to offend
this class of people
Intent statements should match content, lose the fluffy spin, tell us what you are really hoping to achieve
listen to the people who voted for you not your opinions
Pandemic or not life goes on: so regularly address what we’re doing about housing; straight shot versus S
curves; child care; local priorities versus tourist priorities; et al.
rationale behind decisions
See if the community is interested in a proposed ordinance or change before spending $$$$$ on staff time
drafting something no one but the employees want.
Serve all residents and taxpayers; part-year residents care deeply about Aspen
share info with staff so they don't hear about things directly relating to their job in the papers
short videos create more engagement than written news
Ap. 2 - Table 4.
How can the City improve the accessibility of communication for all Aspen residents? - Other
(please specify)
be clearer with intent and language, bullets of facts, less talk more understanding. We are drowning in
meaningless words, communicate the point first and the rest second
Both the city and county websites are terrible to navigate
caption everything!
Create a venue where city and county council members oversee a live Zoom “squirm night” with
executives within each city and county departments. Must include APCHA! Allow locals to interact with
the leadership in each department each month. During these meetings, local workers can ask questions
and receive answers from department heads and staff (in the same spirit at Aspen Citizen Academy but
just questions and answers from locals). and council members, when appropriate. We should do
everything we can to ensure the APCHA board is present for these Q&A sessions bi-monthly rather than
once a month like the other departments.
Focus more on quality & brevity and less on a million formats
local newspaper
make it possible to view meetings on mobile platforms
Make sure events are recorded with links to watch later. Everything seems to be at 5 or 6pm. Not good for
moms.
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6
Quit disassembling. The city gets behind a position and then structures all communications to promote
that outcome - ignoring facts that get in the way.
redisign more attactively and minimalistically their webpage and social media communication strategies
Zoom meetings are a joke
Ap. 2 - Table 5.
When the City asks the Community for input and hears from many people, how interested are you
in the following methods of sharing the learning and action taken based on the input? - Other
(please specify)
balance the input, sometimes only a small, vocal minority provides input
City monthly newsletter
Distinguish between Aspen residents and interested non-residents like me.
Don’t know
Don't summarize what people have to say.
email
email
email
emails are enough
I said not interested
Just not
KSPN Radio
listen to what we say and not just on what YOU think
local newspaper
Make sure all stakeholders are contacted before making decisions
newspaper
no
None
none
None
none
None
none
not interested
not sure
Post Ads with Info on Grassroots TV
provide the number of feedback and if participants are unique and not the usual suspects
put info in the papers daily on Covid and vaccines
Survey too long
The challenge is not to be decisive
The city cannot be trusted. The bureaucrats are arrogant and believe they are above the law.
videos of few locals opinions about topics
109
7
When the City asks the Community for input and hears from many people, how interested are you
in the following methods of sharing the learning and action taken based on the input? - Other
(please specify)
when decisions are made summarize how they reflect or are consistent with community feedback/input
worried about the loudest mouths getting the most summary
Yes
Ap. 2 - Table 6.
What is most important to you when it comes to reasons for being involved with the City of Aspen? - Other
(please specify)
Because I live in a vibrant small town where I feel my opinion COUNTS
Block the tendency of Local Govt. to spend other people's monies
community, personal and group evolution and opportunities
Diversity and inclusiveness
Ensure the historic character of Aspen does not change
I love Aspen
I worked for the City for over 38 years, is that enough?
If not involved, the likely hood of getting screwed goes up
involvement is my duty as a citizen
Keep track of what’s going on
learn about community issues that may affect me & family
looking out for mistakes being made
Making sure we stay safe and open for business!!
none
Promote intelligent, cost-effective decisions that serve as an example to other cities.
Quality of my life in town
Serve everyone; not just people living in “employee” housing
stay informed
stay informed
Staying informed
Stop all the trees being cut down
stop stupid decisions
Support locals: their health, safety, and economic stability
To stop the lawbreaking by the city. THe city uses the police as their political stormtroopers. The nickname
for city hall is Darth Vader's helmet.
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Ap. 2 - Table 7.
Which of the following might prevent you from getting more involved with the City of Aspen? - Other
(please specify)
annoying people with louder voices turn me off
Bias against my values by elected officials
City surveys that are conducted poorly, structured specifically to get the result they want rather than a
fair full-spectrum view.
Conversations dominated by the same people
don't live w/in city limits
Fear reprisals and retribution
Feeling that I do not represent the majority opinion
Honesty instead of lies from the city
I am avoiding public events during COVID
I am interested in Aspen as a down-valley neighbor but am not a resident
I choose to be involved in the community I live in which is not Aspen. I am a downvalley commuter that
has little at stake when it comes to the City of Aspen and Pitkin County decisions.
I'm deaf, so online only
my age and health
My age...88 3/4 years!
Out of town most of winter
Part
Part-year residents are not allowed to serve in most cases
Technically I live outside of city limits by a few hundred yards
Work in Aspen Live in Basalt
Zoom meetings are a joke and a poor excuse for a public meeting
Ap. 2 - Table 8.
Which of the following City actions would help encourage you to get more involved? - Other
(please specify)
Ask where you need me
City monthly newsletter more virtual
confidentiality
Currently, there is no issue with involvement. Maybe this will change after COVID-19.
different times outside of the work day
feeling like my input is being considered, typically it seems like the decision is made and the public/focus
group/survey is there to confirm rather than actually explore
Get rid of self serving surveys
Having a vote as a second homeowner
level playing field for conservative values
Living and working in the City since the late 70s gives me certain opinions
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Which of the following City actions would help encourage you to get more involved? - Other
(please specify)
None of these
Ott and Torre respond to emails
Part-Year Resident Participation
See previous comment
Shorter surveys with clear expectations. Present expected completion time and progress bar.
Sometimes it’s intimidating to walk into an issue either halfway into it or one that I may not be as well
versed in as others.
THe retirement of the deputy director of APCHA and the city attorney moving on.
Work a project to completion before moving on. The backlog gets to be too much to keep up with. For
example, the #1 problem Aspen/Pitco have is employee housing for families. It just can't get solved in a
satisfactory way, more and more 1 and 2 bedroom units are being built but WHERE ARE THE 3+
BEDROOM UNITS?
Ap. 2 - Table 9.
What types of communication, feedback and engagement opportunities with the City of Aspen
would you personally be interested in? - Other (please specify)
Can't serve since I don't live in the City
I have already attended Citizen Academy
I’m extremely busy because I’m trying to live in Aspen.
Submitting written comments on proposed projects/policies
The city uses pr releases to their favorite journalist who acts instead of a watchdog on the city as a lapdog.
Many journalists aspire to be in APCHA city housing so they are afraid to be critical of the city.
this is not an opportune time to ask this due to Covid
Unable to participate at this time
Ap. 2 - Table 10.
Which of the following areas would you be interested in being involved/sharing feedback with
the City of Aspen in the future? - Other (please specify)
addressing & communicating needs of our Latino population
Building Code Updates
Covad
Education
Eliminating cars in the core
focused son staying well. Your timing is off
Homeless and housing
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Which of the following areas would you be interested in being involved/sharing feedback with
the City of Aspen in the future? - Other (please specify)
I am not sure.
I quit --creepy survey
Impact of Council Decisions
Latino community issues/involvement
Not able to participate at this time
parks
Parks, trails and open space.
PR and communication with visitors
Public space community dvlpmt
Public works projects/policies
Quality of life for FT residents
Renewable Energy issues
Senior citizen accommodations
Senior citizen issues
smart growth
the built environment
The lawbreaking of APCHA
Tourism
trails and natural space
Ap. 2 - Table 11.
What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
Actively seeking our opinon
ALL of the City's efforts at gathering information seem designed to reinforce an opinion that has already
been formed by the City. Polls are biased and framed in a way to restrict real information gathering from
citizens, residents, and stakeholders.
allowing public comment at meetings
articles in local newspapers or interviews on local radio...keeping us updated on Covid
asking our opinions about traffic changes
Aspen Community Voice is great, but council decision don't seem to reflect the input/feedback being
shared by residents.
Aspen Community Voice site is a great start.
Aspen Community Voice website. Holding open forums with presentations
Aspen Community Voice, but I think creating an account is a barrier to feedback
Aspen is Moscow in the Mountains and its bureaucrats need to have bigger ears instead of carrying their
arrogance as a chanel purse.
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What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
Being able to email members of City Council directly
City asks for feedback but does not provide an easy platform for input or enough promotion of ways to
get involved.
City does lots of outreach
City is not doing anything!
City Staff has always responded to my emails and phone calls, as well as meet with me (excepting COVID
times)
City's Facebook page good and frequently updated. City Council meetings online and on GrassRootsTV
is good.
Community meetings online, live. Communication from the JIC during COVID has been consistent. Effort
towards more transparency.
Community voice
Community Voices is a great platform for departments to elicit participation and opinions from residents
affected by department/Council actions.
Council is super responsive to emails, which is great. The majority of staff is as well. Torre and Skippy
provide very nice summaries on facebook. Those are very informative. Ann's email summaries are good
too. ComDev newsletter is good.
COVID-19 has sucked, to put it mildly, but I've appreciated the ability to listen in on the health board
meetings these past 10 months.
don't know
Elected officials being available 1:1 to residents and listening to residents.
Emails, because I don't read the website and newspapers on a daily basis.
forums
Getting invited to development discussions
Graphics are simple and easy to read. I like that you are posting things online in English and Spanish. The
Latino community is big here and it is important you are considering them too.
Grassroots broadcast of meetings
Having city council meetings on FB, getting email notification of meetings or newsletters.
I am not a resident, I am an employee. I appreciate the Aspen Community Voice surveys, all staff emails
(for urgent or important matters), the employee newsletter, and virtual meetings with the City Manager.
I am not happy with the Public Health division and the lack of information re: when vaccines are being
delivered, where the shots will be administered and who is in charge. No one seems to know anything
and keeps recommending that I talk to ......someone else, etc.
I am unaware of programs other than from the local newspaper informing me of events.
I believe the City makes an effort to be transparent with the information it provides.
I don't feel like the city has follow through, when I have brought things before council in the past....
Most of my information comes from ACRA, I feel like they do a great job for businesses.
I don't have an answer for this. I think the City does ok currently....always room for improvement
I dont know
I don't think the city cares what people like me (2nd homeowner) thinks
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What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
I enjoy updates from a City Council member.
I feel that the city is trying to connect, but it takes time.
I feel that the COA is pretty transparent in all matters.That's what counts.
I feel the city does a good job trying to keep citizens informed, for a city of this size.
I feel the past year in Aspen has not given us enough information on Covid and now the vaccine!!! I love
Aspen and feel it is the best place to live in the world! I know it has been a daunting year but not enough
is being done--we need MORE! Get involved with the newspapers and inform us with updates---It
saddens me to see a lot of people do not wear masks in town---there should me more that can be done
about this.
I feel They listen, They follow up and everyone really has the same goal. Aspen
I find transparency to be appropriate
I get some information via email and post office.
I have had a career in civil engineering in which I was responsible for receiving public input on many
proposed projects. In order to be more than a farce ignored by decision-makers, it must be done early
in the planning process, with widespread description of the proposed project, including the alternatives
to it with an honest assessment of their respective costs and benefits. And there must be an opportunity
for people who do not have a MAJOR personal interest in a project to express their preferences without
substantial study and effort -- for example, through answering questionnaires. From what I have seen,
Aspen does a much better job of this than most other communities, including Carbondale, where I live.
I have liked listening to our updates via zoom
I hope that these opinion polls are useful in some way.
I like how _____ has taken it upon himself to directly share and discuss issues publicly on social media.
I’d like to hear from other councilpersons similarly, doesn’t need to be on social media.
I like knowing the city is working towards a more sustainable future
I like that council meetings are streamed live on Facebook. I like the community development
newslestter.
I like that there is option for community input at meetings .
I like the emails and read both local papers daily.
I like the online surveys, sharing of information via email and the website, and the city putting the health,
safety and economic concerns of local Aspen residents ahead of selfish outsiders.
I like the outreach and attempts to get people involved early in the projects
I like the simple communications like texts.
I like when the message is clear, concise, and consistent.
I live in Basalt, but I am a former Aspen resident and I am still interested in certain Aspen issues. I think
the City of Aspen staff is doing an excellent job overall.
I love getting text alerts I know it's for emergency situations but if it could include more that would be
great!
I read the Aspen Times everyday and that’s where I find info about what the city is doing. I also re Rivr
text and email alerts which are very informative.
I read the Aspen Times online every morning.
I really don’t know. I’m sorry but because I’m busy and don’t have TV or internet. I’m not connected.
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What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
I recently signed up for alerts through the website for agendas, meetings, etc and found that helpful.
I think sometimes the loudest people are listened too. For example right now I think restaurant owners
are being listened too, but not the staff of the restaurants who are the ones getting sick, but can't speak
up in fear of losing their jobs.
I think the city needs to share information on individual neighborhoods specifically that would translate
to an overall Aspen city perspective if read all together. The city gets a D for communication with city
residents.
I think the City wants to do a better job at communicating with residents and is open to improving how it
does so.
I think there is generally a lot of information available.
I think you all might listen 'too much'
I trust the city management to make informed ethical decisions.
ii
in a small community word travels fast, so i like the small town feel... i browse aspen times and daily
nearly every day. These surveys make it seem like my voice is being heard!
Increased use of different technologies makes it possible for more people to get information
Information from local newspapers, online meetings, texts and emails.
Instagram updates
Instagram, website
Its willingness to explore new technologies to inform residents and for citizens to participate. Stay open
to all opinions, but finally we elect persons to make decisions and hire staff to provide expertise and
implement decisions.
I've noticed many public feedback sessions offered by city departments.
Just the opportunity to give feedback makes us feel heard
Just what you are doing with this survey and its potential follow up.
keep torre as mayor
LIke the transparency
Mailings and online surveys - I appreciate that I am asked!
Making public meetings open to all.
making the website as accessible as possible
Maybe I'll think of something after the suggestions in this survey are implemented.
Mostly a balanced approach to governing.
Need to be updated on CV: like the info I can get on ACRA website and newspapers
news paper
Newspaper articles. Surveys
Newspaper coverage of meetings.
newspaper stories and emails
newspapers
no comment
No comment
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What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
No comment
no opinion
no thoughts
none
Not much
not really much. info on covid & vaccine availability very poor
not sure
Not sure
not sure
Not sure
not sure
not sure
not sure
not sure they are
Nothing
Nothing
Now that the City Council meetings are all virtual, it seems that there are more people attending via
webex and/or Facebook. When we return to in-person meetings, I think these options should continue. I
understand that FB will go on, but people can't comment/participate through that platform, just watch.
Being able to participate remotely it good for people who don't have the time to sit through the entire
meeting to get to the topic they are there to comment on.
Offering surveys like these.
Online surveys and info
oppenness and willness to make things better, i think that attitude is key root to make things better,
then though we have to be proactive!
opportunities to give info online
Outreach like this survey.
Perhaps this survey
Pitkin County Alerts when necessary, daily news articles both on-line and in the local papers.
Positive communication on Facebook, Accessibility to council meetings, Recreation opportunities, Care
for local business, Care for citizens (specifically during COVID).
Project specific websites; small group outreach
Providing a contact point for more information.
Providing opportunities like this.
radio announcements and newspaper articles are informative
Reaching out and asking for input. A lot of VERY smart people live here full time or part time. They have
seen a lot of other places and have ideas that need to be heard.
Reasonable efforts and recognizing that multiple sources are necessary.
Seeking feedback is always a good place to start.
Showing consideration for better methods of communication is a start.
Social media posts.
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What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
Soliciting input.
Sometimes I am copied on building projects in our neighborhood
Sometimes I run across a City Council meeting on Facebook Live
Staff listens but many don’t carry out anything to correct situation.
summeries
surveys like this
Surveys. But when there is an other choice, give a comment box, to explain why the choice is other...
That you are asking these questions and the expansion of the public relations department.
That you care enough to ask!
The heart of city council is on making Aspen better. Our council members are intelligent and want to
represent Aspen as an inclusive community. Obviously they are not able to make Aspen an inclusive
community where all classes are EQUALLY represented but they do their best I feel to represent this as a
community that has a place for everyone.
The best source of information that I receive is an email that I get periodically from Ann Mullins. I wish
that the City would provide a similar email to all City residents or have the Council meetings covered by
the newspapers like they used to. The City has a lot going on and most residents are unaware of it.
The City communicates well I think. Needs to be much more open about what you say is happening vs
what eventually transpires in the end..... in a timely manner. Not after the fact
the city does keep trying to improve, that's good
The City has always been open for suggestions.
The City is learning. It is the first step toward positive change.
The fact that I/we are taking this poll proves one thing: the city is trying to get the local’s pulse of what is
important. I can see this in certain council members emailing and blogging about what’s on their plates
and share semi-candid thoughts on issues. This needs to be something each council member should do
weekly. But have them address their own unofficial “Top Five” list where they address what they believe
are the top issues or concerns (no COVID discussions please) facing the city that month and how they are
acting to solve them.
The local papers do a reasonable job of reporting. However, I leave the Valley for over 6 months each
year. One area of concern to me are the many other taxing-fee collection agencies whose methods of
operation are truly HIDDEN from taxpayers... such as the Sewage District charging fees unrelated to
actual usage. This agency charges on a basis that is utterly ridiculous... the number of faucets,
commodes, or showerheads in a home--NOT the amount or types of sewage created. I am a very low
user of water, yet I grossly overpay for sewage treatment . My complaints ALWAYS go unheard. I
cannot gain traction on this issue (although I have tried for YEARS!)
The only way I know what the city is doing is by reading the newspaper . I am a second home owner in
the Aspen area for over 30 years. Have never felt connected directly with the City of Aspen. So I guess I
am saying the City is not doing a good job.
The problems with the survey are tiresome..
the survey is too long. and I do not think there is much back and forth discussion or listening so cant
answer
The surveys
The website is a great tool to share. I am not sure the City is listening to residents.
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What do you like best about what the city is doing to share information and/or listen to
residents?
There is not a lot of good to share, it feels like there is a vocal minority that gets the ear of the town
manager and dev director, and they get heard... what about the rest of us.
There seems to be some more sharing of information that in the recent past.
These emails.
These online polls.
They are approachable
They are generally open about things. Need more thought about how to make outreach to citizens. Use
all available venues.
They are more transparent
They are trying
They are trying to be proactive.
This is specifically related to covid but I appreciate the current effort to make information and meetings
widespread.
This questionnaire.
This survey
this survey
This survey is such a good start! Communications is night and day from a few years ago!
Trying
Trying to expain employee housing so it is understandable
Updates via email, text and Instagram.
virtual meetings
webcast during the pandemic
Weekly email reports from Ann Mullins
what you are doing is a start, keep working on communications, outreach.
When there were town meetings I would get a text with the ability to sign in and hear the meeting.
Today’s meeting which seemed to be really really important and did not get any notification m Why?
You are trying to share/listen and engage. That is a good place to start. Keep going.
You seem to be trying
You're reaching out to us.
Zoom mtgs. And these should be record and where and how to watch should be in newspapers.
Ap. 2 - Table 12.
And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
A hard one for sure. Keep trying all of them but listen and pay attention to what others have to say.
A summary after each important meeting. Daily Updates on COVID19 . Priority will be different after many
get vaccinated.
A weekly summary of what was discussed and what decisions were made.
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And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
Ability to sign up for email information on things I am interested in
Again, with clear, concise, and consistent messaging.
ALL of the City's efforts at gathering information seem designed to reinforce an opinion that has already
been formed by the City. Polls are biased and framed in a way to restrict real information gathering from
citizens, residents, and stakeholders.
All the offerings on this survey that I checked.
allow local newspapers to report daily on infection rate, results of contact tracing & vaccine availability &
projections
Already states I’m precious answers
An email to citizens who sign up regarding the City news. Also, put it in the local papers.
Ask more people what they think (maybe random surveys). For example shutting restaurants, but not
limiting hotels and short term rentals was a disaster. Now the restaurants get all the blame. Everyone I
know has been saying since November that hotels and short term rentals need to be restricted, but no one
listened.
Aspen is evicting an 85 year old elderly widow in the middle of a pandemic. I'm not sure the city is capable
of listening since this eviction is completely tone deaf.
Based on the selections in this survey, the city is aware of alternate methods of communication. A decision
needs to be made, and an attempt at using some of those methods.
be available to talk by telephone and actually respond to vm & emails promptly. Seems like no one is home
and responses are slow or non-existent
Be clear and concise. Many of us don't have time to watch long videos, wade through long-format
communications, or find the most important information on disorganized websites with a sea of
unimportant and outdated information. Make efficiency of communication for the resident reader your
number one priority.
Be more concise;)
Be more consistent with what the options are to get access to see and hear what is going on.
Being honest and inclusive with the community.
Being honest and realistic
Better email segmentation.
Both
both
both sharing and listening
Cannot suggest anything at this time
City Council should find a way to more accurately gauge public opinion.
City officials act on their own regardless of citizen inputs
Communicate consistently through consistent channels.
Community forums.
Consistent and constant information across all social media platforms. New easier to navigate website,
updated daily. Lots of old info or bad links. Monthly newsletter with updates - that is also sent via text,
email, and social media - includes requests to engage in pressing monthly topics for opinions of city health,
improvement, etc.
Contact like this -
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And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
Continue to learn and relearn. Iteration.
Continue to partner with newspapers - that is how most Aspen residents get news about Aspen happenings
Could use acra website to get more info out, as well as asc newslatters to keep public informed of new
protocols and procedures.
Council seems out of touch with current working class. Why are other businesses open during covid and city
hall is not?
Daily updates in the newspapers and emails
Develop strong relationships with local reporters - radio and print. I get most of my information, including
Covid, by reading the newspapers. I read them online. My husband reads the actual paper.
Ditto
Don't know
don't know
don't know
Don't really know. The problem is that listening is not the same as agreeing' - which is what everyone
really wants.
Email addresses of all of those involved in any way with the Vaccine.
emails
emails
emails
Emails from other city council members.
emails on topics of interest.
Empathic listening is key. Genuine care for understanding the character of the community and not
assuming it is the same as years gone by...such a changing demographic!
Explain how employee housing actually works Detailing city budget and comparing it to other cities of
similar size, including number of employees
get it right the first time
Get the information out there in easily digestible chunks in an easy to find location.
Give more advance warning and links to back up documentation concerning the issue.
Give us facts and figures with reference points so that it can be easily interpreted and understood. For
example, in the weeks leading up to the Lift 1A vote, a lot of propaganda was shared that was misleading.
The originally approved plans were not available for review and comparison with the updated proposal, so
residents were not as informed as they could have been prior to the vote.
Have a weekly page in the newspaper that summarizes what council is working on, any decisions made,
what different departments are working on, etc.
have more centralized locations to get information both digital and print.
Have more forums open to us and answer to our comments/ questions.
honesty
How about putting out a consistent snow plowing plan, so residents could anticipate the moving of personal
vehicles. We could have vehicles out of the way, easing the plow drivers access to secondary and tertiary
roads.
I am not a resident, but I think the Aspen Community Voice surveys are a good way to gather input.
I am not sure. The City - particularly staff - are doing a respectable job now.
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And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
I am on my computer daily. I have just become aware of the city of Aspen website. I read both online
editions of the local newspapers daily.
I honk the city does a good job of informing the public of its direction and plans . But I also feel that Aspen is
a city with a large number of second homeowners, and that there are many people who have invested in
this town and yet are not included in decision making.
I read the paper just about daily.
I think it does a good job
I think it is handling this adequately
I think that the gas outage thing was a complete failure. It was a huge issue that required constant updates
to the community, which we didn't receive. I also think that this survey is much too long.
I think the availability of information about Covid vaccines is difficult to find. The pre-registration seemed
like a good idea, but seems like it was just info gathering.
I think the City of Aspen is doing a great job!
I think they do a good job.
I think they're doing a fine job now.
I wish I knew
I wrote an email to some members of City Council last spring with covid concerns and the music festival (of
which I was a faculty member for 19 yrs) and got two personal responses, one in particular which
demonstrated I was being listened to. That meant a lot.
I’m not sure. I do try to read the paper but that’s the only media I have access to.
idk
I'm not certain.
improve webpage design improve social media information way and timing for sharing
In the past year I have become much more involved. It is not the job of the already involved to
communicate better, it is the job of the less involved to step up. The town of Aspen is doing a great job, they
share information, it is getting people to read it, and get involved.
It can sometimes feel like changes or decisions are well down the line before the opportunity for input is
opened. Seeing input earlier is important and continuing the conversation, reporting back, connecting the
dots in process, particularly for longer-term discussions.
It’s great to have the opportunity to give feedback, but it would be better if I was informed that my
response was read or recorded or passed along.
Just let us know. Hear about too many things after the fact.
Just spend one day every other week where residents can submit questions, comments, compliments or
other input and receive a real-time answer from members of the council. Just one day every two weeks
where the council is available to do nothing but answer the community's questions.
Keep broadcasting meetings online even when COVID is over
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Keep it simple
Keep on sharing information through prioritized means of communication.
KEEP WORKING ON IT!!!
Listen to what people are saying, especially the employers.
Listen to what we say and remember YOU work for us! Let go of your personal agendas
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And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
Look into perhaps an online forum (or use ACV site) to solicit even more public input on topics that are more
hot-bhtton issues.
make sure to use website to post info and videos not social media
Many decisions are made behind closed doors and the rationale for the decisions is not explained. The
council appears to be highly motivated to meet the requirements of the oligarchy of very powerful land
owners to the detriment of the majority.
Many people read newspapers online especially now during COVID. I think community happenings at the
city and county level should have a more visible presence in the online newspapers. It is so easy to find the
City Meeting information in the actual paper, but hard to find online.
Maybe a weekly newsletter.
More access, specifically online
more channels of communication
More channels, less spin
More feed back
More frequent
More frequent info
more information/data
More instagram updates
More often and more consistent
More online communication, summaries
more surveys like this one
More Timely information
more use of Grassroots TV
Most City Council members have very limited perspectives and only think about local resident issues instead
of thinking about and serving the greater community of businesses, property owners and visitors. It only
takes 30 days and a voter registration card to be considered a local resident, yet many of the most
dedicated and loyal supporters of Aspen are 20- 50 year part-time residents who do not receive much
respect from City Council members and have very little community voice.
Most people read the newspapers or at least have conversations so planting more stories here
need toknow more about the ccovid and saftey of allof us
Newspapers
No listening has been taking place on closing down town, restaurants over COVID
no opinion
No specific suggestion.
No suggestions.
Non full time resident, home owner Advisory Board / commission/ committee . Do you have one?
none
Not much
Not sure
not sure
Not sure
not sure
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And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
not sure
not sure.
Online methods
perhaps once the virus emergency is over, providing a time for a council person to drop in and sit for tea and
talk at a local restaurant at a particular time once a week
personal invitations
Provide summaries of proposed projects in print and on-line, explaining alternatives and asking specific
questions as to people's preferences, with provision for more general comments such as this.
Providing more authentic ways for working residents to be involved and have a voice that matters.
Put more information about what is happening with city affairs in the local papers.
Reach out more and listen to residents about how they feel about the community.
Requesting more involvement with surveys and public forums
See survey responses.
Send e-mails, but don't overdo it.
Share information in the Newspapers.
Sharing comments with the community.
Skip
Small focus groups, or even individual connections help to build relationships and foster trust.
Summarize new content on the website in local papers.
Surveys surveys every year surveys,,, still thesame problems with a city budget of over 140 million
Surveys that are actually fair and unbiassed... our surveys are awful... use a 3rd party blind company to issue
actual and meaningful survey's Actually listen, when personally interacting with Staff, you feel ignored or
overridden, they know the answer before during and after you speak, you don't actually have the
opportunity to communicate. Say what you mean, everything is buried in spin. If you are increasing
regulatory requirements, say that... If you are diminishing building rights... say that.... stop telling us how
great everything is going to be while you make our lives harder and smaller.... just say you're doing it... and
let us decide how it impacts our lives. Service Orientation: treat the taxpayer as a client, if your service
was not required to be purchased, would this person choose to do repeat business with you? approach the
people you serve as you would like to be served in a restaurant.
text it or email
That has been asked in this survey, and answered. City staff is known to initiate regulation without the
directive of Council. This is true at the County level as well. There is no reason for the City to create
regulations to fit every conceivable occurrence, or in knee jerk response to the occasional. The size of the
staff is ridiculous for the population of our community, and yet it is needed to continually 'interpret' and
enforce the multitude ordinances, codes, and regulations promulgated by the City itself. City
councilpeople should also be required (and desirous of ) to travel downvalley, especially during peak
commute times. They should be required to understand the 'up chain' of residents, businesses, and traffic
that comes into the City for work and recreation every day. Council people should be able to intelligently
discuss the impact of its actions on the valley as a whole and its bedroom communities and business
centers. There are so many quality of life, pollution, housing, and business issues at stake throughout the
valley/.
That's a tough one - there is already so much being done.
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22
And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
Thats a tough one. Some have internet/computer access, some don't. It would need to be something for all
ages and all access.
The answer is obvious....the City needs to communicate in both ways: *sharing info *listen close *be
sure your sources are varied!! Don't stack the deck.
The City is doing a good job
The City needs to be proactive and understand that this community thrives when more voices are heard.
There is a perception that staff decides what to do and then pays lip service to community input, or that
staff/electeds ignore community input when it does not align with their policy preferences. That's insulting
because it means the solicitation for community input is insincere and disingenuous.
The City of Aspen has a huge budget of well over $100 million per year. There is alot of waste and many
people who work for the City do not have to work very hard to get paid. There should be a method of
assessing people's work effort and they should be paid on the basis of their contribution to the city's
welfard.
The City used to do neighborhood meetings prior to budget and those were usually good. Some crazy,
useless, windbag shit, but also good stuff. Good to see people in person.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty and inconsistent decision making. I would like more clarity and honesty as to
why the decisions were made. I think we are caught catering to the pollutions that don’t live here full time,
and are losing a lot of trust among the full time residences
They could follow through, when things are brought before them...
This one is tough. Listening is only half the battle. The city is not doing, or at least not saying why they are
not doing.
Timeliness of communication needs improving
Timing - be clear on when a decision is going to be made so that people aren't taking surveys and then 6
months later the decision is being made or the opposite. Provide a feedback loop so people know that the
city manager and council are listening and show how their decision making represents what they've heard.
Rely less on consultants and listen more to the community and help educate citizens on a topic.
Understand a wider variety of viewpoints. 2nd homeowners and tourism drive a good portion of the
economy. I feel people like me are viewed only as a source of funding for the city.
Use every medium available to share and to listen. Some residents are more comfortable with newspapers
and radio, others prefer social media and websites.
Virtual- more stuff
we already covered this
Web site is probably the best way
weekly updates of what is going on
Weekly zoom meetings with Q&A.
When a text is sent, make sure it's accurate and there is a timely follow-up when necessary.
When making decisions, the City should provide the background and reasoning that went into the decision.
When the virus situation is behind us, perhaps some small-group meetings with our elected officials. I did
Citizens Academy in 2019 and found that hearing directly from people in office and public posts about their
work was very informative.
You are doing a great job
You are figuring that out now. Stupid question
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23
And how could the City of Aspen improve its communication with residents - either with sharing
information or with listening?
You do a decent job , for a town of this size
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MEMORANDUM
TO:City Council
FROM:April Long, P.E. Clean River Program Manager
Pete Strecker, Finance Director
THROUGH:Trish Aragon, P.E., City Engineer
Scott Miller, Public Works Director
Sara Ott, City Manager
MEETING DATE:May 4, 2021
RE:Council Goal #7 - Funding the Clean River Program
Request of Council: City Council established its top goals for the 2020 / 2021 year, which
included a specific goal (Goal #7) to identify and implement capital funding to improve river
health and address and expand an aging stormwater system. Staff requests Council direction
for implementation of proposed funding sources.
Summary and Background:
In 2005 the City of Aspen studied stormwater management and river health needs and funding
options. Funding alternatives were identified and discussed by an advisory committee, which
made recommendations to City Council for a stormwater business plan and a dedicated
property tax to fund the implementation of that plan. It was determined by Council at that time
to fund the operation costs and water quality projects within the program from the tax and
apply a fee on development to cover stormwater infrastructure costs. In November 2007,
Aspen’s voters overwhelmingly approved a special ad-valorem property tax mill levy of 0.650
mills for the specific purpose of increasing revenues to fund the City’s Clean River Program,
independent of TABOR limitation. Revenues from this tax are the main source of funding for
the current program and are estimated to generate approximately $1.2 million in 2021.
In addition to the property tax, in 2008 City Council also instituted a development fee based on
impervious square footage that applied to all new and re-developments. The combination of
revenues from the fee and tax were intended to fund all operating and capital costs associated
with the Clean River Program (program). This fee was removed by Council in 2010 to relieve
the burden on development during the recession of 2008, leaving a significant gap in funding
for the program. While other fees, such as development review fees and fees-in-lieu of
detention, have been established since then, they only fund a small portion of the needs of the
program. Currently fees are estimated to generate approximately $260,000 in 2021.
Discussion:
There are many outstanding projects identified in the original business plan and in more recent
master plans, and new projects are identified each year as more information is gained about
City’s existing infrastructure, threats to public safety, and the health of the river (see
Attachment 1). Most recent review suggests the completion of currently identified or
anticipated projects will cost approximately $12M. (Note: These are estimates for known
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projects, provided in 2021 dollars.). Current operating costs for the program are approximately
$800,000 and transfers out of the fund are approximately $330,000. With annual revenue
estimates at $1.6 million, that leaves only $470,000 each year for capital improvements.
Accomplishing the backlog of projects and meeting the goals of the program would take
approximately 25 years at that rate of funding and does very little to allow for proactive
replacement of failing pipes and infrastructure.
Recognizing this funding gap, Council directed staff, through Council Goal #7, to “Identify and
implement capital funding sources to address and expand the aging stormwater system as well
as finance projects focused on treating outfalls to the Roaring Fork River.”
Staff presented an initial list of funding sources to Council in August 2020. At that time Council
agreed that the following options were not appropriate or ripe for continued research or pursuit:
Special assessments
Fee surcharges on existing programs, such as parking or water fees.
Council also provided direction to staff to, as often as possible, continue to pursue grants and
partnerships for funding Clean River program projects.
Staff have since identified various other options for Council to consider for funding the Clean
River Program, with varying outcomes for the community. Assuming staff is successful in
securing 50% of funds needed for water quality improvements through grants and partnerships,
ideally, another $400,000 - $600,000 would be needed in the fund to address approximately one
large infrastructure replacement or upgrade each year, resolving the backlog of infrastructure
repairs in about 10 years instead of 25. Note that Council may want to consider pursuing multiple
options in tandem with one another to help with the timing and lack of funding for Clean River
Program projects.
Status Quo:The baseline option is to continue under the status quo for this program’s funding.
This reflects a majority of funding for the Clean River Program (also referred to as Stormwater
Program and Stormwater Fund) coming from the dedicated 0.650 mill property tax (unrestricted
under TABOR) and partially complimented by permit review fees and mitigation fees. In total,
these collections aggregate to roughly $1.6M (2021 projections) and are split roughly 66% and
33% between taxes and fees, respectively.
Under this option, the program is limited on how quickly it is able to address new projects to
improve water quality and to proactively replace aging and failing infrastructure. This is due to
the current allocation of costs for the program, with annual operations running about $1.2M
annually. This then leaves only $400K per year to go towards smaller infrastructure
improvements or be “banked” in fund balance to accumulate for larger one-time projects.
Operations Shift:An alternative that may be explored, without establishing new revenue would
be to adjust the current allocation of costs for the Clean River program. Currently the Clean
River program has three groups of staff - Engineering, Streets, and Parks & Open Space – that
work collaboratively to achieve improved river health and stormwater management.
Engineering staff provide the overall program oversight; development review;
construction review, inspection and enforcement services; infrastructure inventory; water
quality monitoring, and design and project management for capital projects for the Clean
River program.
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Streets provides additional support through two main efforts: street sweeping and
stormwater vault cleaning to limit debris being carried into the river. (1.35 FTE, plus
materials and supplies)
Finally, Parks & Open Space provides both financial and labor resources to assist in the
creation and maintenance of regional treatment areas (such as Jenny Adair Wetlands
and Rio Grande Park). Some of these efforts are bore by the Parks Fund (specifically
around capital projects that align with Stormwater improvements) and other costs are
charged directly to the 160 Fund (largely 2 FTE, plus materials and supplies).
If the Council desired, there could be a reallocation of any and all appropriate costs back to the
Parks and Open Space Fund, and expenses for the Streets team could be bore by the General
Fund. The aggregate spending authority for these two teams equals roughly $330K and could
be freed up (partially or fully) for new capital infrastructure improvements if they were shifted
away from the operating expenses of the 160 Fund. The trade off in this solution is in placing
greater financial pressure on the other funds which could limit opportunities in those areas as a
result.
Financing: Another alternative that could be explored, without establishing new revenue would
be to advance the future tax collections to be available in the near term to address some of the
projects today. Given that existing revenue is largely through a property tax and is therefore
considered to be a very stable revenue stream, the City could seek financing through pledging
future 0.65% property tax collections to make these dollars available now. This alternative does
not facilitate financial resources to fund all the Clean River program projects previously identified,
but it does help implement a limited number of projects quicker than waiting for the fund balance
to accumulate year-over-year.
Projects under this option would need to be prioritized and slotted based on funding that could
be obtained. Those projects with the greatest benefit to stream health and/or conveyance of
stormwater would be given more weight and priority.
Note: Interfund advances, or loans between City funds, have been considered for past
opportunities and would be similar to obtaining outside financing. Council may recall the Woody
Creek parcel was purchased as a possible future water storage site and was made possible with
a loan from the Wheeler Opera House Fund to the Water Utility Fund. While an interfund
advance is possible to consider, the main limitation for this option would be the resources the
160 Fund could pledge to repay the loan over time, just as is the case with obtaining outside
financing. Additionally, lending from another City fund places a new burden on the originating
fund and is therefore not encouraged.
One-Time Funding: Another alternative that could be considered to partially solve capital needs
is to search for one-time funds. These efforts can take the form of grants and partnerships, sale
of existing City property, or having stormwater projects compete for funding in the AMP.
Staff has had some success in obtaining grants and partnerships with other jurisdictions or non-
profits to facilitate individual projects or studies. Council has already directed staff to take a
more aggressive focus on vying for federal, state and local funding. Most recently and with solid
potential for stormwater infrastructure projects, this could include the recent American Jobs Plan
(President Biden’s infrastructure plan) funding. Additional funding, that staff believes Clean
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River program projects would be highly competitive for, could be sought from the following
organizations and/or programs:
American Jobs Plan
Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams Board
Colorado River District, Projects Partnership Program
CWCB Water Plan Grants
CWCB Watershed Restoration Grants
Colorado River Basin Roundtable Grants
Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund
CPW Wetlands Project Funding
CDPHE Water Quality Improvement Fund
Colorado State Revolving Fund Loans
EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 NPS Grants
Colorado Community Development Block Grant Program
With regards to projects that do not lend well to grants or partnership funding (specifically
stormwater pipe replacements), it is important to note that the current expected cost per linear
foot is estimated at $900 and therefore reflects an aggregate need of $11M for which a solution
would not be provided solely through increased grants and partnerships.
Lastly under this alternative, the City Council could perhaps recommend reviewing an existing
City asset to help facilitate some one-time resources for the Clean River Program. For instance,
the City could potentially offer the Main Street Cabin (former Mountain Rescue Cabin) for sale
and dedicate the sale proceeds to the Stormwater Fund. However, it is important to note that
the voters must be consulted before selling property, and a ballot question would be needed,
pursuant to Section 13.4 of the City’s Charter.
While staff understands that the City’s General Fund is already inadequate to fund all projects
needed and proposed each year, it is the typical source of funding for stormwater management
across the country, especially for stormwater infrastructure installation, repair, and
replacement. Clean River capital projects could be evaluated individually in the AMP each
year against all other competing projects or Council could elect for a dedicated contribution to
the Stormwater Fund for some term to be used without restriction or used to fund a specific
type of project, such as pipe replacement. Council should note that funding stormwater
infrastructure in the AMP would result in a trade off or limit for other projects or purchases that
compete in the AMP each year.
Longer-Term Funding: While the above options offer solutions to timing or perhaps intermittent
funding, Council could also request staff to pursue longer funding solutions for the Clean River
Program. There are three possible options that could be considered today.
1. In tandem with this question of funding stormwater infrastructure and pollutant-removal
sites, the City Council is also currently wrestling with the opportunity that exists as a result
of years of real estate transfer tax (RETT) collections exceeding the funding needs of the
Wheeler Opera House. As such, with a fund balance over $30M in the Wheeler fund,
there is the possible public discussion of how to potentially expand the uses of future
0.5% RETT collections to achieve other community wants and needs. With these two
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questions being considered simultaneously, the opportunity exists for including river
improvement and stormwater pipe replacement projects in the public discussion.
2. Establishing the Clean River program as a new utility. Under this premise, the program
would begin to operate more like an enterprise and would establish fees similar to the
City’s water and electric utilities to support the infrastructure and operations of the
program. Once fees were established, there could also be a bonding question to voters
to leverage future fee collections early and thereby initiate capital projects sooner. As
presented to Council previously, establishment of a user fee or utility fee would require
voter approval for successful implementation and would carry additional administrative
costs.
3. Lastly, Council could consider returning to voters to increase the existing property tax
above the 0.650 mills currently dedicated to the Clean River program. The current tax
generates roughly $1.2M. Any increase in the dedicated mill levy would establish more
resources specific to the program – as a hypothetical, elevating the mill levy to one full
mill (an almost 50% increase) would result in roughly $650K more annually to the program
and would add to the current $400K per year currently available for capital needs. Note,
with this tax question, there can be a sunset clause placed on the increase (if desired)
once sufficient funds were collected to achieve the infrastructure needs of the program;
the increase in tax does not need to be into perpetuity.
Recommendations:Staff recommends Council consider removing unfavorable funding
sources from future exploration or consideration.
City Manager Comments:
Attachment 1: Clean River Program: Identified Projects, Cost Estimates, and Potential
Funding Strategy
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Attachment 1
Project Category Specific Projects Costs Funding Strategy
Large Water Quality
Mill and Gibson (funding allocated) -
Anderson Park 150,000$
Garrish Park 100,000$
Subtotal 250,000$
Small Water Quality and Green Streets 50,000$
50,000$
50,000$
50,000$
50,000$
Subtotal 250,000$
Pipe Replacement
Aspen Street, Durant to Hopkins 801,000$
Garmisch Street, Durant to Main 567,000$
Garmisch Street, Main to Francis 301,500$
Neale Avenue, Gibson to Queen 517,500$
W Gillespie St, from 5th to Lake 760,500$
Cooper Avenue, Hunter and Mill 607,500$
Original Street, from Ute to Main 1,260,000$
Main Street, from Original to Spring 370,800$
Clean River Program: Identified Projects, Estimated Costs, and Possible Funding Strategy
50/50 Grants, 160 Fund: Given the many benefits that they provide,
these projects are attractive and have high possibilities for receiving
grant funding from local, regional, state, and federal programs. The
majority of grants that may be sought by the City requires
approximately 50% match. These costs have been estimated
assuming another 50% would be funded through grants (so you are
seeing a 1/2 cost for the project).
160 Fund: Use the 160 capital funds for these projects. In areas
where gray infrastructure can be replaced with green infrastructure,
seek "green infrastructure" grants.
50/50 Grants, 160 Fund: Like the large water quality improvement
projects, these projects are attractive and have high possibilities for
receiving grant funding from local, regional, state, and federal
programs. Because they are smaller and related to "green streets" a
progressive and pursued approach to more sustainable cities and
infrastructure, different grant-making programs would be targetd.
The majority of grants would likely still requirely approximately 50%
match. Assuming that each basin without large-scale treatment
could benefit from 1-3 small treatments, $100K has been estimated
for each basin. These costs have been further estimated assuming
another 50% would be funded through grants (so you are seeing a
1/2 cost for the project).
Design and construction of projects at major outfalls
into the river to reduce pollutants entering the river.
Often done in partnership with Parks. Past examples
include Rio Grande Park, Jennie Adair wetlands,
Prockter Open Space.
Design and construction of small treatment areas,
usually within the City's ROW, to remove pollutants
from street runoff prior to entering stormwater system.
These projects will be prioritized in basins without large
regional water quality facilities and will be coordinated
with other street or pedestrian projects to gain
economies of scale and to reduce disruption to
neighborhood. These projects may have added benefit
of reducing demand on current undersized or non-
existent stormwater system.
Replacement of failing or damaged corrugated metal
pipe with reinforced concrete pipe or other of similar
capabilities and life expectancy. Due to the material,
low degree of slope, and sediment-laden runoff, many
of the City's stormwater pipes have rusted and
damaged bottoms, no longer functioning in carrying
stormwater flows. Rusted pipe bottoms cause water to
penetrate the ground below, threatening the integrity
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Spring Street, from Ute to Main 1,327,500$
Hopkins Avenue, from Hunter to Spring 310,500$
Mill Street, from Hyman to Bleeker 810,000$
Bleeker Street, from Mill to Monarch 309,600$
Monarch Street, from Main to Bleeker 270,000$
Subtotal 8,213,400$
New Infrastructure Needed
Gibson to Smuggler 756,000$
Midland, Hopkins 225,000$
Oklahoma Flats 75,600$
Eastwood and Stillwater 361,200$
McSkimming System into Hwy 82 764,400$
Lone Pine Rd 236,600$
Riverbluff Townhomes 205,800$
Subtotal 2,624,600$
Riparian Area Restoration
Subtotal -$
River Management
Water leasing
ATM strategies
Improve North Star for Return Flow
Subtotal -$
TOTAL 11,338,000$
New Source - Fee-in-Lieu: Recommend developing a fee-in-lieu fee
for redevelopments with existing structures within the riparian area
that would cause more destruction than benefit if removed. This fee
would be applied to riparian restoration projects and an incentive
program to convert lawn to riparian vegetation. While this would
take some time, the RAAP found more urgency in protection and
maintenance of riparian area than in restoration of riparian areas.
Additionally, some restoration projects and costs can be shared with
Parks Department in the gradual renovation to parks and open
space.
50/50 Grants, 160 Fund: Projects or agreements sought for the
purposes of improved environmental or recreational flows are
strongly supported by the Colorado Water Plan and funding
dedicated for implementation of that plan should be sought.
Additionally, these projects will benefit many entities, therefore
partnerships in implementation and funding will be appropriate and
necessary.
penetrate the ground below, threatening the integrity
of the roadway above and posing significant risk to
other utilities. In some areas the pipe is undersized to
carry to reduce on-surface flooding to the level of
service the City strives for.
Restoration of riparian areas following
recommendations from Riparian Area Assessment and
Plan, 2021. Projects could involve the removal of
impeding structures and/or non-native vegetation,
slope stabilization, small stormwater outfall treatments,
or riparian area landscaping and vegetation.
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Goal #7
Clean River Program (160 Fund - Stormwater)
April Long and Pete Strecker May 4, 2021
134
Goal #7:
Identify and implement
capital funding sources
to address and expand
the aging stormwater system
as well as finance projects
focused on treating outfalls
to the Roaring Fork River.
2
135
2005 – Community and Staff developed Business Plan, discussed funding
•15 year program
•Tax would fund operating budget - $860K/yr
•Development fee would fund capital - $1.2M/yr
•$19 M in capital projects
•Restoring river health has highest priority
•Master planning and monitoring
•Carry the 10-year in pipes and the 100-year in streets
•Replace aging pipe material
2007 – Voters approved dedicated property tax of 0.65 mills,
-- Council set development fee
2008 – Clean River Program began, revenue comes in
2010 – Development fee eliminated, fee-in-lieu began
2011 – Review fees began
3
Brief History…
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Budget Overview
Approximately
Tax revenue = $1.2 million
Fee revenue = $400 K
Total Revenue = $1.6 million
Operating expenses = $800 K (5 FTEs – Parks, Eng, Streets)
Transfers Out = $330 K (overhead, employee housing, debt)
Total Expenses = $1.2 million
Remainder for Capital Projects = $470K 4
137
5
Projects and Funding Strategies
Large Water Quality
- $500K
•Highest priority
•3 outfalls remain
•Attractive for Grants
•Requires 50% match
(so $250K needed)
138
6
Projects and Funding Strategies
Small Water Quality and
Green Streets - $500K
•Developing a dashboard to
determine priority basins and
effectiveness
•Attractive for Grants – water
AND complete streets
•Requires 50% match (so $250K
needed)
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7
Projects and Funding Strategies
Riparian Area Restoration - TBD
•Presenting Plan to Council next
month
•Prime for partnership with Parks
and non-profits
•May recommend a fee-in-lieu
•Currently estimated $0
140
8
Projects and Funding Strategies
River Management - TBD
•Partnerships and Colorado Water Plan Funding
•Currently estimated $0
141
9
Projects and Funding Strategies
Pipe Replacement - $8.2 million
•$900/linear foot
•Lines need to be cleaned and
videoed for prioritization
New Infrastructure Needed -
$2.6 million
•Smuggler basin
•Consider green infrastructure
over gray
142
10
What do we do now?
143
11
Funding Options
Source Ideal For…Amount Considerations
User Fee/Utility All $$$Significant administration, legal
Special Assessment Infrastructure $$Voter approval, limited geo
Other Charges/Fees Green Streets $New program
Grants Water quality $One-time offer
General Fund Pipes, all 0 Compete with other projects
Property Tax Increase Water quality, all $$$Voter approval
Bonds All 0 Debt
Public Private Partner All $Limited geography and scope
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What We Do – River Health
12
145
What We Do – River Health
13
1. Polluted
Runoff Education,
Regulation,
Treatment
Mill Street Stormwater Outfall Rio Grande Park Stormwater Treatment Facility
146
What We Do – River Health
14
2. Riparian
Areas Assessment,
Restoration,
Incentives
Removed Riparian Area Healthy Riparian Area
147
What We Do – River Health
15
Low Flow Creative River
Management
Low Flows on Roaring Fork,
Drought 2012
High Flows in North Star due to
no transbasin diversion in 2015
148
What We Do – Infrastructure
16
Failing and
Flooding Plan, Maintain,
Replace
Greener and Cleaner
Rusted Out Bottom of CMP “Green” Infrastructure, West End
149