Tips for Interacting with County Decision-Making

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• Identify your group to the County Planner or lead staffer for your issue, and establish a constructive, respectful relationship with that person.  It is best to have only one or two main people who interact directly with the Planner on behalf of your group.

• Communicate with the Planner to clarify your questions about the process, deadlines, and their recommendations for the best way to go about things.  There may be differences among the different planners in this regard.

• Organize a block of speakers for hearings of the Planning Commission or the Board of County Commissioners.  It is most respectful of the Commissioners’ time if speakers are organized and not making repetitive points speaker after speaker.  Instead, break down your points into a series of non-overlapping (for the most part) comments, told in a logical flow.  Well in advance:  Tell your Planner about your plans to have a speaking block, and work with them on how to arrange for this speaking block. If the planner understands that your intention is to be constructive and respectful of the Commissioners’ time, we’ve found that they are willing to do this.  The Commissioners are also appreciative of this approach.

• The rules state that only 3 minutes are allowed per speaker at hearings.  This is strictly enforced.  However, others attending the hearing but not speaking may donate their 3 minutes to a speaker.  The donor of the 3 minutes MUST be present when their speaker is called to speak, and the meeting organizers will verify the donor’s presence (may be in person or online).  This buddy system helps the speaker relax and not feel so rushed, as the 3 minute time limit goes very quickly!  The speaker should aim to be succinct and not take the whole 6 minutes, because the Commissioners will prefer it that way.  But, having the extra time drains the anxiety out of it!  Your planner will need to know ahead of time about your complete list of speakers, a list of their specified donors of time, and the order of speaking.

• Visual aids (i.e., on poster boards) are permitted but generally 8.5x11” paper copies of them must be provided in advance.  The County does not provide a way for computer presentations by the 3-minute speakers.

• Certainly encourage all who wish to show up and speak independently of your speaking block to do so.  It is important for the Commissioners to hear these independent speakers as it gives them a sense of the breadth of the public’s response to the issue.

• Boulder County’s guidelines for Planning Commission hearings are linked here.

• Boulder County’s guidelines for Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Land Use hearings are linked here.

• Rally your community to write letters to the County (and remind them of deadlines) during the built-in periods for public comments.  (See our Dockets page for information about the cycle of public comments and hearings for dockets.)

• All public written comments and letters are assembled into a “packet” that is received by the Commissioners prior to a hearing.  The speakers at hearings can provide their spoken comments in writing, in advance, so that they are a part of this packet.  If a visual aid is being used at the hearing, an 8.5x11” copy of it is also provided in advance for inclusion in the Commissioners’ packet.

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