County staff update commissioners on Community Engagement Plan tools; board agrees to place update on consent agenda

County staff presented an update to the county’s Community Engagement Plan and asked the Board of County Commissioners for permission to place the updated plan on the next consent agenda. Chris Hemming summarized changes that are chiefly editorial and technological: updates to the tools catalog and a note about emerging AI capabilities that can personalize resident outreach.

Hemming told commissioners the substantive changes are limited to the tools section and called out two items: consideration of an online engagement platform (commonly known by the brand name Bang the Table) to host public materials and discussions, and a notation that AI-based tools could enable more personalized outreach in future engagement efforts. Hemming said the platform is effective for public works projects and that cost considerations mean staff are still evaluating procurement options. “As it becomes more affordable I think we'll get it online,” Hemming said.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about specific tools (for example, whether Threads is a brand they plan to use) and about upcoming survey work staff intend to conduct. Hemming said staff will bring a separate study session with a draft survey for the board to review before deployment. The board gave an informal thumbs-up to place the updated plan on the consent agenda; staff recorded “3 thumbs up” during the session.