Kamloops City Council is being asked to approve a new town hall pilot project that will feature six hybrid meetings that are set to get underway in October.

Councillor Dale Bass – who is on the so-called community engagement select committee – says the City has been divided into six areas – north, northwest, the core, southeast, and two in the southwest – each comprising between 14 and 22 per cent of the total population.

“We’re not restricting it to those areas. So for example, the first one will be the southeast, which is Valleyview east. If you live there and you can’t make it to the one in October, you can to another one,” Bass said.

In a report to City Council, staff said the six meetings will give residents a chance to discuss the issues that are most relevant to their neighbourhood, noting the groupings together of communities were done based on geography, commonalities, and population size.

“Staff feel working with neighbourhood associations to communicate the engagement opportunities to the public and solicit questions or topics in advance will be beneficial,” the report said. “As staff anticipate that these events will be well attended, the locations and times of these events need to be carefully considered.”

Each meeting will begin with a presentation of City Council’s strategic plan followed by an informal World Café group discussion which would be organized based on Council’s four strategic priorities.

“At each station, a facilitator would seek input from attendees on what is working well, ideas and opportunities for improvement, where Council should focus their advocacy efforts,” the staff report said. “Attendees would have the opportunity to move between all four stations.”

“At the end of four rotations, the facilitator at each station would report back on key themes for each area.”

Bass also said there will be a moderated open mic session at each of the six meetings where people can ask questions.

“You know point out things that they’re concerned about and staff will take it back and if there are things they can should start working on right away, they will. Otherwise, they’ll hold it off,” Bass said.

Meetings will be held once a month starting in October with the exception of December.

“Probably between 5 to 8 or 6 to 9 in the evening,” Bass said, when asked when the meetings might be held. “They looked at commonality of issues and also presence of community association because we’re going to promote it though that and other methods.”

“There is a seventh one planned, which could be virtual for anyone who just couldn’t get to anything at all.”

City staff anticipate the town halls to cost about $20,000, an amount which could increase if council opts to pay to advertise the meetings. Costs include facility rentals (if needed), audio/visual services, moderator services, and refreshments. It will be paid for using council’s contingency fund.

As its a pilot project, staff will be gathering feedback to determine how successful the meetings were. Metrics could include attendance, the quantity and quality of feedback, an exit survey for attendees, and feedback on Let’s Talk Kamloops.

“An alternative meeting format would be for Council to host a traditional town hall format. In this format, Council could begin the event with a presentation or panel discussion on their Strategic Plan then open the floor to questions from the public,” the staff report said, though it

“Best practice has shown that this format does not create an environment where all guests feel empowered or relaxed, and emotions can escalate quickly.

City councillors and Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson have both floated plans for town hall meetings, though they’ve disagreed on logistical issues like the format.

The Mayor also proposed an open mic town hall meeting – something he called KamTalk – but the idea was reject by council, who said a city committee was already working on setting up town halls.