News release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Legacy Fort Wayne welcomes ideas from organizations thru group-proposal option
(February 21, 2011) – Expanding opportunities to gather community input, Mayor Tom Henry and the Legacy Fort Wayne Task Force today announced a process for groups to use in helping to determine the future of the Fort Wayne Community Trust and City Light Lease Settlement funds. The group proposal option is now available online to organizations interested in joining this once-in-a-lifetime conversation.
Group proposals are welcomed from area advocacy organizations, nonprofit boards, associations, commissions and other established entities. Suggestions are also encouraged from organizations or groups that want to collaborate. An overview document containing explanatory information and directions can be found on the Legacy Fort Wayne website at www.LegacyFortWayne.org under the Group Proposals’ heading on the navigation bar.
The proposal process is self-directed. It provides a mechanism for local groups to organize independently, tap the imagination of staffs, board members and volunteers; determine their priority recommendations using a common template, and present them to the Task Force. Using the Legacy Fort Wayne principles as a touchstone, respondents are asked to address six basic questions, including long-term benefit, catalytic impact and potential to leverage resources, within their proposals.
The consistent format of the process ensures that all of the data collected by the Task Force can be uniformly reviewed. Groups are asked to send in no more than three proposals, and each submission can be no longer than three pages in length.
“Legacy Fort Wayne has created a wave of excitement and interest that is building throughout our community,” said Mayor Henry. “Fort Wayne is blessed with so many great organizations that are working to strengthen our area in so many ways. The Task Force and I wanted to make sure local groups had a convenient way to share their insights and contribute their suggestions. We want to capture every idea from every segment of our city. We are challenging everyone to look to the future, to think long term, to be bold.”
The deadline for receiving all group proposal forms is Friday, March 18 at 5 p.m.
The group proposals, along with all of the other public input gathered during the community engagement component of Legacy Fort Wayne, will be considered by the Task Force as the members formulate the recommendations they will make to the Mayor and share with Fort Wayne City Council. Group proposals do not represent formal requests for funds. Submissions will be regarded as the principal recommendations of the participating groups.
The new group proposal option joins the March public forums open to every resident and www.FeedbackFortWayne.org on the roster of communications and outreach tools being employed by Legacy Fort Wayne. The goal of the civic participation component is to foster a broad-based, citywide discussion about the uses of these legacy funds. Featuring an array of traditional and digital methods, the community involvement process is a centerpiece of the initiative.
The next Task Force meeting will take place on Thursday, February 24, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Allen County Public Library, Rooms A and B, 900 Library Plaza. This is a working session for the Task Force. Public comment will not be taken.
Formed by Mayor Henry, Legacy Fort Wayne is the community initiative to guide decision making about the Fort Wayne Community Trust and City Light Lease Settlement funds.
While Legacy Fort Wayne will unfold over the next several months, the two funds will not become available until the settlement agreement has been approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
Related Images:
