Shelburne Public Communication and Consultation Summary

Purpose

The purpose of public communication and consultation regarding the Shelburne Service and Governance Review was:

• to build awareness of issues and opportunities facing the Town of Shelburne
  
• to give the public the opportunity to voice their opinions and hear opinions of others
  
• to provide Council with an avenue to hear directly from those who wished to be heard
  

Tools

The tools used to build awareness were two community newsletters and a project blog. Council members also made a point of talking to residents and businesses during this time frame to build awareness of the project and of project input opportunities.

The avenues for public input were the blog, a project hard copy address, a project email address, distribution of Councilor and Mayor contact information, a public workshop and a public drop in. A media interview was held as well.


Results

Public Workshop

The public workshop was well attended, with approximately 55 people participating in the evening event and engaging in lively discussion. This was an opportunity to hear about the project first hand and for people to hear from one another about their preferences and concerns.

The following comments provide a flavor of the feedback received:

• The newsletters appeared to many readers (not all) to be slanted in favor of amalgamation.
  
• Some people found it difficult to enter into a discussion about the topic of amalgamation without more concrete information about what taxes and services would be if amalgamation were to take place. There was discussion about the cost of such analysis and that final information about taxes and services wouldn't be available until negotiations with the amalgamating partner were complete and the Utility and Review Board or a Private Member's Bill enacted the change.
  
• People wanted to know if they would have more chances to participate if the amalgamation option were seriously pursued and they were assured that they would.
  
• There was a feeling by some participants that Shelburne has tremendous potential, especially as a center to attract 'new economy' businesses (i.e. internet based business, businesses that can locate anywhere and are looking for a quality of life location).
  
• While some people are concerned about representation in the amalgamation scenario, most of the concern expressed at the meeting was about services (maintaining them) and costs (keeping them down and keeping commercial rates competitive).
  
• People understood that the dropping population is a serious threat to the Town's sustainability and that it is a tough issue to address.
  
• People understand that MDS is in a similar situation and they wonder if there are any benefits to joining with them – could shared services attain similar results to amalgamation?

Drop In Results

Only one person attended the drop in. This person had moved to Shelburne for the great life style available at an affordable cost and brought their business with them. There was discussion about Shelburne's potential to attract more people and businesses looking for a great location at an affordable price.


Blog Results

Eleven people provided comments on the blog. Four didn't comply with the blog comments summary. Several were in favor of amalgamation.



Project Email Address

Although the email address went out in both newsletters only one person sent an email about the project. She was in favor of amalgamation and agreed to have her note posted to the blog.


Conclusion

Although there were many opportunities for people to participate, the public workshop was the avenue that garnered the most interest and input. The theme was that people are concerned about the ability to maintain services and manage costs and that economic development is critically important regardless of the governance structure.