|
What
is "Get On Board" all about?
This is a series of inventive, interactive,
role-playing sessions that we hope will show residents how we,
as a government, balance multiple community priorities and
allocate resources for those priorities.
At the same time, we want to know what’s
important to county residents, and encourage them to share in
the decision-making process.
What prompted the county to
develop these sessions?
Sarasota County is facing ongoing serious
financial challenges. A declining real estate market is
affecting property values. An economic downturn is disrupting
traditional revenue sources that include real estate taxes and
fees for specialized government services.
We want to help citizens understand the county’s
financial responsibilities and limitations, as well as how it
develops spending priorities for programs and services.
How
will the sessions work?
These are not your typical presentations.
Participants will be asked to make real-life decisions based on
very realistic exercises. Each exercise takes place in a
fictitious community, where events occur that require teams to
make decisions based on spending and priorities. Choices will be
designed to force debate and consensus. Most important, there
will never be a clearly perfect answer. No initiative will
receive sufficient funds, creating the necessity for people to
work together to reach a consensus.
Who
would be interested in coming to these sessions?
Anyone living within the boundaries of Sarasota
County. For these workshops to be of the most value for us and
for the citizens attending, we need groups that reflect all
facets of Sarasota society. That includes blue-collar workers,
professionals, health care providers, educators, seniors, young
couple with families for example. Our goal is to capture the
breadth of Sarasota County society so we can address the most
priorities possible.
Tell us when and where these
sessions are taking place?
We’ve taken great care to try and locate the
sessions throughout the county and at different times so as many
different people as possible can attend.
Two of the sessions will take place in Sarasota:
May 22 at Municipal Auditorium and May 31 at Gulf Coast Event
and Conference Center at Girl Scout Headquarters in Sarasota.
The other session will take place May 30 at the
Venice Community Center in Venice.
How long does each session last?
About 3 hours. Each session will accommodate up
to 300 people and they should be prepared to stay for the entire
exercise. We will have light refreshments.
What do you want people to take
away from this experience?
We want residents to come way with some ownership
in the decision-making process. We also want them to find ways
to remain involved and bring their friends and families into the
process after these sessions are done. This is their community
and they can share responsibility for the choices that are made.
Where
can people go for more information?
They can call the Sarasota County Call Center at
861-5000 and ask about “Get on Board.” They can also visit the
Web site at
www.scgov.net/getonboard. |
