Citizen Involvement:
Advisory Committees

by Brian Jenkins

Brian Jenkins is an Outdoor Recreation Planner with the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, Northeast Regional Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Jenkins received his Bachelor's degree in Recreation and Park Administration from the Pennsylvania State University and his Master's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Leisure Services Administration. As a former Federal Public Works Project Coordinator with Berks County, PA Park and Recreation Department in 1978, Mr. Jenkins worked extensively with a program of developing community input in park facility development. He later continued this concentration at the University of Illinois and recently completed a Master's thesis entitled "A Study of Citizens Advisory Committee Involvement in Illinois Community Leisure Service Agencies." The following article presents a summary of this thesis research.

Key Word Definitions

Citizens Advisory Committee—This term means a body of citizens appointed or elected to give consultation, counseling, recommendations and information to an organization through an on-going relationship. Such a committee may, of course, make decisions within its realm, but the ultimate outcomes of such decisions are purely "advisory" legal decisions are not implied.

Community Leisure Service Agency—An agency organized to facilitate the leisure service needs of citizens within its boundaries, that is either a special district in the State of Illinois, inclusive of the Pleasure Driveway and Park Districts, Township Park Districts, General Park Districts, County Conservation Districts and County Forest Preserve Districts, or a department under the jurisdiction of a municipal governing body.

INTRODUCTION

Citizen involvement in the leisure service organization has been a critical problem for adminstrators over the last decade. The complications of attaining input from citizens has produced numerous conflicts in many agencies. However, regardless of the struggle this process involves, citizen involvement remains a significant resource for the organization. Not only is citizen involvement a major qualification for federal grant programs such as the H.U.D. Community Development Grant, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Grant, but it provides an invaluable link to community clientele for assistance and support in program planning and development.

One method used to involve the citizen in community leisure services is the citizens advisory committee. While once extensively used by leisure service agencies, the citizens advisory committee has undergone a receding existence during recent years (Jenkins 1980). A current research study has been conducted to determine the importance of these committees in Illinois Community leisure service agencies. The following is a summary of that research effort.

SUMMARY

This study examined the views of agency administrators, policy making board members, and citizens advisory committee members of fifteen selected leisure service agencies concerning the involvement of citizens advisory committees within their particular operations. A panel of experts where chosen from the University of Illinois, Department of Leisure Studies and agency administrators from leisure service agencies in Central Illinois to designate criteria for the survey. These individuals were selected based on their experience with citizen advisory committee operation.

METHOD

The research method consisted of distributing a mailed survey questionnaire to the study population in the fifteen selected leisure service agencies. This method yielded a 62% return rate, thus indicating a substantial interest in the study topic.

The results of the study showed a general similarity of views by all three groups of participants. Overall these results elicited a number of conclusions.

RESULTS

Specifically, the results showed that participant groups agreed that the citizens advisory committee:

1. Assists in developing long range policies and programs.

2. Assists in planning new designs and facility improvements.

3. Keeps agency personnel advised of community interests and attitudes.

4. Acts as a liaison for screening community suggestions and criticisms.

5. Conducts surveys and appraisals of community needs.

6. Develops an understanding and wider public acceptance in favor of the leisure services program.

It was also shown that the citizens advisory committee:

7. Does not assist in the discovery of supplemental funding for financial resources.

8. Does not assist in budget design, review and decision making.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 28 January/February 1981

In addition to these conclusions, participant group attitudes indicated that the citizens advisory committee:

1. Must receive advice and assistance from agency staff and outside experts to function successfully.

2. Should be directly involved in decision making.

3. Should be given adequate opportunity to regularly provide input on agency operations.

4. Should assist in establishing priorities for land acquisition.

5. Should be strictly an advisory body.

6. Does play an important role in the leisure service organization.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The perceptions of the organizational group members participating in the study must be considered the major criteria from which feasible recommendations can be drawn. With this understanding, the following recommendations were made based on the conclusions of the study.

1. A written policy statement should be developed which spells out specific areas of citizen advisory committee involvement, including: work responsibilities, priorities, and expectations. This policy statement should be agreed upon and clearly understood by the agency staff, policy-making board, and citizens advisory committee. In addition, the policy statement should be reviewed periodically to insure its validity and practicality as applied to the current situation.

2. The agency staff should provide the citizens advisory committee with assistance and expertise in all areas of involvement.

3. A basis must be established by which the citizens advisory committee can function in an advisory capacity, but still provide meaningful input in the decision-making process. For example, the committee could present formal written reports regarding policy and program decisions. The committee must not assume a "rubber stamp" role.

4. The citizens advisory committee should assume a working relationship and an open line of communication with the agency staff and policy-making board. This includes representation at all meetings and opportunities for discussion of all business items.

5. An on-going effort should be made to insure that committee members are, in fact, providing "representative" community involvement.

6. The citizens advisory committee should be treated as an "ally" not a threat. While conflicts will arise, the potential benefits of committee operation outweigh the costs.

7. Finally, since citizens advisory committees are voluntary, agency administrators and policy-making boards must provide constant stimulation and assistance to maintain a high level of morale and sense of purpose. Formal recognition of accomplishments should be expressed.

CONCLUSION

The time and effort required for successful operation of citizens advisory committees can be seen as a frustrating stipulation for agency administrators; however, the potential advantages of this involvement can substantially improve the quality and support of the agency's services.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 29 January/February 1981