The Town of Okotoks has released a new online survey for residents to share their preferences on public conversations around municipal decisions.

The new survey was released Friday, June 9 and will run until July 9 as part of the Public Participation Strategy project to determine how residents would like to be involved in town discussions.

Joan Botkin, Town of Okotoks Communications Manager says as the public gets more interested in engaging in town processes, the survey will assist administration and council on how to connect with Okotokians.

"This is a plan to create a strategy so that we have a very consistent way of doing things, and the public is aware of how that participation works. We also want know what their priorities are, where is it they are interested in participating, and what is the best way to reach them and invite them into the conversation."

Botkin says having a wide demographic participating will benefit the public as whole.

"You always hear about the 80/20 perspective, or the squeaky wheel gets the grease, a lot of time we don't know if that is really what residents want. We want to increase the scope of people that are participating in the discussion so that we know when we are making decisions that it really represents the majority of the population, and that we are making decisions that are best for everyone."

She adds the town hopes many residents will complete the survey, so the town can provide council and staff with input to consider in final decisions and to ensure effective service delivery.

"The best decisions are made when the most people participate in that conversation, when we only hear from the same people over and over that's the only information we're getting. It's really important that everybody participates and has their voice heard, that includes young people, seniors, young families, and professionals who work in the city, we want to hear from everybody."

You can take the survey here.

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