Engagement key to good government

Nate Heffron, city manager, city of Negaunee
NEGAUNEE — Renowned author Herman Melville once wrote: “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.”
Here in Negaunee, our sense of community is forged in collaboration and communication.
The Negaunee City Council recently reviewed a report on the status of the city’s current Public Participation Policy, or P3. What is a P3? The Michigan Economic Development Corporation defines the initiative as “…essential for outlining the how the public will be engaged throughout the planning and development process. The plan allows for interactions to share and receive information in ways that are adjusted in content and intensity to the size and scope of the project at hand. In addition, the P3 acts as a tool for accountability and transparency, requiring a municipality to often seek public input s wall as record and share the result of various methods.”
In other words, community leaders should be engaging with the public in meaningful ways and gathering feedback as much as possible , especially when it comes to projects and development.
The leaders of the city of Negaunee will continue to strive toward community engagement.
Public interaction does not simply consist of scheduled meetings. Nearly every day, Negaunee municipal leaders interact with city residents, business owners, non-profits, service clubs, and professionals through various departments and city organizations.
But in this busy world, sometimes residents cannot attend meetings for a variety of reasons. City leaders believe every voice matters, which is why we have employed various means of engagement, to not only help keep the public informed but to provide ample opportunities for our residents to interact with their government, should they choose to do so.
It’s these traditional and non-traditional activities, which include City Charter and state-mandated reporting, open public meetings, and public engagement activities, that are part of what makes Negaunee’s government transparent. These hyper-focused events and outreach campaigns are a concerted effort between Negaunee’s City Council and the executive administration of the City Manager. Negaunee’s commitment to openness, transparency, and public involvement is key to our community’s success!
Engagement opportunities include traditional means, such as our legally mandated and sanctioned meetings, mailed in letters or emails from residents, media sources, including press releases, website access, social media, local television and radio stations, op-eds from the city manager, direct mailings of our community magazine, and other flyers. We also partner with local businesses for non-traditional public meetings or events. We know our residents time is valuable, which is why it’s our goal be accessible when and where it’s convenient for each individual.
The first ever analysis of the P3, from the time it was adopted by the Negaunee City Council in 2019 to the end of 2024, showed more than 6,000 city staff engagement hours – which led to over 7,700 unique interactions where the residents and business owners could engage with their government.
Needless to say, this impressive statistic really shocked me once we started to examine and compile the data. No one can say that the city has not tried. At the same time, we understand that we can always do better and will dedicate ourselves to continuous improvement.
After all, our P3 is not just a plan gathering dust in an office somewhere at city hall. This important effort is helping us all to forge ahead and continue to improve upon our progress as a community.
We hope that you will consider engaging your government in the future.