# Date: April 12, 2022 > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Abay_mills%3A0b268180ba3ece7b ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text Location: Zoom Date: April 12, 2022 Time: 2:00-3:00pm COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING 3 AGENDA I. Welcome II. Meeting 2 Recap III. Committee Updates IV. Finalize Community Engagement Plan V. Household Survey Review VI. Next Steps a) Asset Inventories/Base Data b) May Meeting- Visioning Handouts -Community Engagement Plan These working meetings are not public hearings and as such, a public comment period is not included on the agenda. Comments from the public are welcome and can be submitted to Brianna Gunka, Land Office Coordinator at bgunka@baymills.org for subsequent distribution to Committee members. There will be ample other opportunity for public input and discussion at other meetings as the Comprehensive Plan is being prepared. Location: Zoom Date: April 12, 2022 Time: 2:00-3:00pm COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING 3 SUMMARY I. Welcome and Introductions Facilitator: Brianna Gunka Attendees: Whitney Gravelle, Stephanie Walden, Jacques LeBlanc Jr., Sandy Walden, Kimmi Walden, Richard LeBlanc, Albert Bertram, Justin Carrick, Ken Perron, Bev Carrick, Paul Ripple, Rachel Lyons A brief welcome was provided by Brianna Gunka, Land Office Coordinator for the Bay Mills Indian Community II. Kick-Off Meeting Re-cap Brianna Gunka provided a brief overview of Meeting 2, focusing on components of Community Engagement Planning. The presentation can be found as an attachment to the Meeting 2 summary report. III. Committee Updates Brianna Gunka provided updates regarding base data and inventory information collection. Administration collected organizational charts from departments, enterprise, and business holdings. HR is working on creating a consistent template for all departments/entities, and will update all org charts. The Community Engagement Plan is ready for Committee review and approval. The BMIC Census is ready for review. IV. Finalize Community Engagement Plan Brianna Gunka briefly reviewed the Community Engagement Plan (attached), and requested Committee edits/feedback be submitted by Wednesday 4/20/22. V. Household Survey Review The Advisory Committee reviewed the BMIC Census, and provided extensive feedback. Promotional materials for the Census will be circulated immediately. Incentives for Tribal members completing the Census is to be determined. VI. Next Steps Brianna will continue to collect base data and inventory information. Brianna will also finalize the BMIC Census, and will work with Administration to circulate to Tribal members. The May meeting time will be a 2-hour, in-person meeting for a visioning activity. Appendix Items  Community Engagement Plan  Promotional Materials for Census COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN 2022 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN KEEPING THE FIRE CONTENTS 3 4 5 6 7 Community Engagement Purpose and Objectives Key Stakeholders and Key Target Audiences Roles and Responsibilities Engagement Timeline 8 9 12 Engagement Toolbox 13 Evaluating Effectiveness of Engagement Efforts 14 15 16 2 Introduction 18 20 Engagement Framework Commuinicating Results Closing Appendix Community Event Sign-in Sheet Community Event Satisfaction Survey Internal Community Engagement Evaluation INTRODUCTION Keep the Fire was initiated by Bay Mills Indian Community Administration to create a long-range road map for the community over the next 20 years. The Bay Mills Indian Community’s first and only comprehensive plan was adopted in 1977. In the last 45 years, Bay Mills Indian Community has quadrupled its Tribal membership, increased its Trust land base by over 1,200 acres, created over 600 additional jobs, and reduced unemployment by 50% (Bay Mills Indian Community, 1977). Within the last year alone, BMIC purchased a local grocery store, developed Michigan’s first Tribally-owned and operated recreational cannabis dispensary, engaged in iGaming and an online sportsbook, and began construction on an Elder’s housing development, a Boys and Girls Club facility, maintenance headquarters, waste transfer station, and a $13 million health center. It is critical, now more than ever, that BMIC take steps to create a new comprehensive plan that represents the hopes and dreams of today’s Bay Mills Indian Community membership. A comprehensive plan is a document that guides a community’s future actions through the creation of a vision for the future, goals and objectives. For a plan to be successful, it must be utilized, and for a plan to be utilized, there must be buy-in. Community engagement is the process of co-creating solutions, grounded in relationship building based on mutual respect and inherent value of each and every perspective. Engaging the community in an authentic manner allows governments to plan with the community, not for the community. By recognizing community members as producers of outcomes, and reserving a seat at the table, we can generate support required for longterm change. This Community Engagement Plan (CEP) defines a comprehensive engagement strategy that encourages broad citizen involvement and addresses the varying needs for community engagement at each stage in the process. The CEP is designed to: Involve a range of approaches to meet the diverse needs of individuals and groups; Convey to community members and other stakeholders the opportunities available to contribute at each stage of the process; Build a common understanding of ongoing long-range planning in the community. This CEP is a working document. As the process progresses, outreach approaches and meeting formats will be finalized and changes to the CEP will be made as needed. 3 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of this community engagement plan is to determine when, where, and how the community will be engaged throughout the 2022 Comprehensive Planning process. Note that this engagement plan is subject to change based on recommendations from the Executive Council, Advisory Committee, facilitators, and community members. Four main objectives will guide BMIC’s community engagement efforts, including: MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT community stakeholders will have multiple opportunities to engage in the planning process in meaningful and accessible ways INCLUSITVE REPRESENTATION include diverse perspectives, ranging from elders, youth, businesses, government entities, and the like. TRANSPARENCY be transparent throughout all phases of the comprehensive planning process by providing regular updates and a final report to the community ENSURING IMPACT document engagement opportunities and articulate how community input is reflected in the plan 4 KEY STAKEHOLDERS & KEY TARGET AUDIENCES Community engagement is critical for governmental units because it can improve government official and community member understanding of issues, and can ultimately lead to better decision making. Partnering with community-based organizations and opinion leaders can allow governments to leverage existing relationships to engage more people. To determine who these individuals are, the following questions were reflected upon, "Who can influence decisions" and "Who can slow or stop the planning process". The Executive Council, as the Tribe’s elected decision-making body, has the ability to influence decisions, halt a project, or make a project more effective. This body will ultimately fill the role of affirming and adopting the plan. Executive Council established an Advisory Committee to oversee the entire planning process, including, reviewing planning drafts, providing input on the engagement strategy, and collecting data. The committee includes key stakeholders representing various departments, associations, and institutions, listed below. We must also look beyond decision makers and influencers, and ask: Who has not historically engaged in planning, services and project efforts? What community members are difficult to reach? Who is not likely to participate without significant effort and outreach? Identifying these hard-to-reach groups will allow us to craft an engagement plan that seeks out their input. This will also help us meet our objective of inclusive representation. The Advisory Committee will priortize engaging several key target audiences. These target audiences have historically been underrepresented in planning and decision-making efforts, and include youth, young adults ages 18-24, elders, BMIC employees, commercial fishermen, individual tribal business owners, and Sugar Island Residents. The Advisory Committee will develop targetted engagement opportunities, such as surveys and focus groups. KEY STAKEHOLDERS KEY TARGET AUDIENCES Executive Council Youth Tribal Manager Young Adults (ages 18-24) CFO Elders BMGA General Manager Employees BMBH General Manager Commercial Fishermen Health Director Individual Business Owners Boys and Girls Club Director Sugar Island Residents Public Safety Director Culture Department Representative Transportation Planner Biological Services Director Bay Mills Housing Authority Director 5 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES For a long-range plan to be successful, community members and stakeholders must be engaged throughout the planning process. Community members and stakeholders are Bay Mills Indian Community subject matter experts; they live in the community, work in the community, and serve the community. As such, their input is key in informing the planning process. The Executive Council, as the Tribe’s elected decision-making body will affirm and adopt the plan, promote the planning process, encourage the public to participate, and oversee implementation. In phase 1 of the planning process, Executive Council established an Advisory Committee to oversee the entire planning process, including, reviewing planning drafts, providing input on the engagement strategy, and collecting data. The Bay Mills Land Office’s role, under the supervision of the Tribal Manager, will be to advise, coordinate, and facilitate the planning process. This includes coordinating Advisory Committee meetings and engagement opportunities, analyzing and reporting findings to the Advisory Committee, and providing status updates to Council. The successful completion of the 2022 BMIC Comprehensive Plan will benefit governmental, enterprise, and business operations by providing a vision, goals, and objectives to work toward. The plan will also benefit the community as a whole by ensuring BMIC is developing and growing in a way that is consistent with community values. Figure 1. Roles and Responsibilities 6 ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE The Land Office estimates it will take roughly 12 months to complete the 2022 01 Notify Community of Upcoming Project 02 Community Education of Project 03 Community Engagement Opportunities 04 Community Feedback Used to Create Shared-Vision, Goals and Objectives 05 Plan Draft out for Public Comment 06 Incorporate Public Comments into Draft and Present to Advisory Committee for Final Review 07 Final Plan Presented to Executive Council for Approval Comprehensive Plan. The proposed timeline is subject to change depending upon speed of data collection and engagement efforts. The Bay Mills Land Office will be leading this effort, with support from the Executive Council, Tribal Administration, and the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. The 12-month planning timeframe is broken down to four key phases: Information gathering, Vision and Goal Setting, Drafting and Reviewing Plan Strategies, and Finalizng and Adopting the plan (see Figure 3. Proposed Comprehensive Plan Timeline on pg. 10) . Community engagement will occur during all stages of planning, with most opportuntiies taking place in the information gathering and vision/goal setting phases, taking place between February -September 2022. When a draft plan becomes available, it will be posted for public comment. Any feedback recieved will be incorporated into the final plan. 7 ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK The International Association for Public Participation, IAP2, created a public participation spectrum that helps define the public's role in the public participation process. According to the spectrum, the public has an increasing impact on decision-making as you move toward the righthand side of the chart. The Advisory Committee can inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and/or empower the public depending on the engagement mechanisms selected. The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee's promise to the public is to keep you informed, to listen to and acknowledge your concerns/aspirations, to ensure your input is reflected in the document and communicate how your input is reflected in the document, and finally, the Advisory Committee will seek your advice in formulating solutions and recommendations. Due to limited internal capacity, namely staffing and time, this community engagement plan will focus on four of the five cateogories: inform, consult, involve, and collaborate. Figure 2. IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum 8 ENGAGEMENT TOOL BOX TOOL Digital Engagement 9 DESCRIPTION REACH ENGAGEMENT LEVEL Community-wide Inform A Comprehensive Plan webpage will be created on the bay mills.org website Social media will be leveraged to share information and gather feedback from the public Progress Reports and Fact Sheets Progress Reports and Fact Sheets will be shared with the public throughout the planning process Community-wide Inform Household Survey A Census survey will be distributed to each Tribal member household in the Service Area Tribal member household Consult Focus Groups Focus groups will be used to engage key target audiences Key target audiences Consult Visioning Activities Visioning activities will lay out the vision of the community Executive Council, Advisory Committee, Public Involve Planning Pop-ins Planning Pop-ins will be utilized at existing events to quickly gather feedback and information from community members Community-wide Consult Public Comment Upon completion of the draft plan, a public comment period will be available Community-wide Consult Digital. BMIC will create a webpage dedicated to the 2022 Comprehensive Plan. This will include an infographic discussing the purpose of the plan, schedule of events, supporting documents, community updates, data from events, etc. Additionally, a link on the webpage will allow community members to submit comments and suggestions regarding the plan, the community, or the planned engagement opportunities. Social media accounts will be used to create and share events, update the public, and share information. Community Q&A’s may be hosted through the Facebook live feature. A future land use map will be posted on both the webpage and social media for public comment. Digital engagement will occur through all phases of the planning process. Advisory Committee. A stakeholder-based advisory committee will guide the planning process, provide feedback and direction for engagement opportunities, and gather information for the comprehensive plan inventories. Advisory Committee meetings occur on an monthlybasis beginning January, 2022 (see Figure 3. Bay Mills Indian Community Comprehensive Plan Schedule). Household Survey. Household surveys have been a reliable method of collecting data in BMIC since the 1970s. The 1977 Comprehensive Plan utilized a household survey to gather general information and better understand community needs and goals. for the 2022 plan, A household survey will be mailed to each tribal household within the tri-county service area. the survey will be promoted on the plan webpage, bay mills news, and social media. The household survey is expected to be compiled by the end of Phase 2. Figure 3. Proposed Comprehensive Plan Timeline 10 Progress Reports and Fact Sheets. Following the conclusion of each planning phase, a report and/or factsheet will be provided to the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, and shared on the Comprehensive Plan webpage for review. Visioning Activities. The Land Office, in coordination with a local facilitator, will guide the Advisory Committee through a Visioning activity. This will result in the creation of Vision, Mission, and Values statements regarding the future of the community. This is expected to start in Phase 1 and extend into Phase 2. the draft mission, vision, and values statements will be shared with community members via social media, the plan webpage, and bay mills news, to garner feedback. feedback RECEIVED will be compiled into a report, shared with the advisory committee, and incorporated into the final mission, vision, and values statements. Focus Groups and Surveys with Key Stakeholders. Focus groups and surveys targeting specific stakeholder groups, such as elders, youth, young adults, tribal commercial fishermen, employees, and individual business owners, will be utilized to get a better understanding of key issues. The Land Office will partner will community-based organizations to facilitate focus groups on-site at the Boys and Girls Club, Elders Center, Tribal Administration, and Bay Mills Resort & Casino. A SOAR analysis will be used to gain insights into strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results from each perspective. This information will inform community priority goals and will provide context to the household survey. Focus groups will take place during Phases 2 and 3. Planning Pop-ins. Tribal government staff will be responsible for attending scheduled community events and meetings to gather input from community members regarding priority goals, needs, and future land use. Examples of events include, weekly farmers markets, Fall Clean Up, community health events, etc. Pop-in style events are fairly low impact in terms of staff/financial support, and have been proven an effective means of collecting information rapidly from a large cross-section of the community. Public Comment. Upon completion of the draft plan, a copy of the document will be provided to community members for a public comment period of no less than 2 weeks. digital copies will be made available on the comprehensive plan webpage, and paper copies will be made available for pick up at the tribal office. community members will be notified of the public comment period via social media, bay mills news, listserv emails, and the baymills.org website. community members may submit their comments to the land office within the two-week public comment period. all comments and feedback will be compiled into a report, shared with the advisory committee, and incorporated into the final planning document. 11 EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS OF ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS Implementation Each engagement activity (visioning, focus groups, survey, pop-ins, public comment, reports/factsheets, and digital media) will be documented, as well as the participation rate for each activity. For in-person activities, this can be tracked via a sign-in sheet, and for digital media, this can be tracked utilizing number of clicks, likes, shares, and comments. Outcomes will be measured utilizing both formative and summative methods. For each event, inclusivity will be tracked via in internal evaluation form. In addition, adherence to the proposed plan schedule will be tracked by the Bay Mills Land Office, and will document any departures from the work plan. Finally, participant opinion of engagement mechanisms will be measured via a participant survey provided following each event. Monitor, Review and Evaluate The Advisory Committee will provide feedback at monthly meetings throughout the duration of the year-long planning process. Feedback will be immediately digested and used to make adjustments to the plan approach. Working directly with community organizations, such as Boys and Girls Club, Bay Mills Resort & Casino, government, and Business Holdings, to host focus groups will ensure the engagement mechanism is tailored to the target audience. Surveys will be provided to participants, as well as the facilitator to assess effectiveness of the engagement activity. Report Regular progress updates will be provided to Advisory Committee member, and to community members at Executive Council meetings, posted in the Bay Mills News, and utilizing digital media on the plan webpage and social media outlets. The draft comprehensive plan will be made available for public comment prior to finalization and adoption in Phase 4. Upon adoption, an infographic with key information and achievements will be disseminated to the public via the previously mentioned channels. 12 COMMUNICATING RESULTS To meet the inclusive representation, transparency, and ensuring impact objectives, the Comprehensive and Plan Advisory Committee must communicate with the public, demonstrate how their participation is reflected in the final planning document. The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee will communicate project results to the community using digital resources, including social media, the Plan webpage, and Bay Mills News. Data collected, as outlined in the "Evaluating Effectiveness of Engagement Efforts" section, will be compiled and issued in the form of progress report and fact sheets. In addition to reporting basic participation numbers, inclusivity, how many activities were held, etc., reports will be generated summarizing the information gathered and common themes that have emerged. Digital Engagement. Bay Mills News, social media, and the Comprehensive Plan webpage will be utilized to readily share updates, events, reports, and factsheets with the public. Progress Reports and Fact Sheets. Communicate how many reports and fact sheets were issued, and when. Household Survey. Communicate number of respondents, compile raw data and common themes into a report to be attached to the final plan. Focus Groups. Communicate number of participants, diverse groups represented, how many focus groups were held, where, and when, and compile a summary of discussions to be attached to the final plan. Visioning Activities. Communicate number of participants, when and where events were held, and compile meeting notes to be attached to the final plan. Planning Pop-ins. Communicate number of participants, when, and where pop-ins were held, and draft a summary of findings to be attached to the final plan. Public Comment. Summarize feedback from public comment, and report how this was incorporated into the final planning document. 13 CLOSING Bay Mills Indian Community is committed to planning for the future, and Keeping the Fire for the next seven generations. The development of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan will be a communitywide effort, that requires meaningful, inclusive, and widespread engagement. The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee is committed to being transparent with the public throughout the planning process, and will communicate progress and results to ensure impact of engagement efforts. In order for the Comprehensive Plan to be successful in providing a framework for future development, the knowledge and expertise of stakeholders and community members must be leveraged to co-create a shared vision for the future. Special attention must be provided to groups that have historically been underrepresented in planning and development efforts. This Community Engagement Plan provides a stepby-step guide to incorporating the public into longrange decision-making. Executive Council, Tribal Administration, and the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee are committed to providing the community with opportunities to engage throughout this process. Note that this Community Engagement Plan is subject to change based on feedback from the Advisory Committee and Public. Evaluation forms will be utilized to inform the planning team of desired changes. If you have any questions about this Community Engagement Plan, please contact the Land Office at 906-248-8125 or bgunka@baymills.org 14 APPENDIX 15 COMMUNITY EVENT SIGN-IN SHEET 16 Sign In Sheet NO. NAME EMAIL PHONE NUMBER COMMUNITY EVENT SATISFACTION SURVEY 18 Community Event Satisfaction Survey What event did you attend today? Date:________________________ How did you hear about this event? Was this event held at a convienient location and time? Are you glad you came to this event? Would you improve it in any way? INTERNAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVALUATION 20 Internal Community Engagement Evaluation Type of Community Engagement: Date: How was the event advertised? Where was the event held? How many participants attended? Did the participants represent a diverse crosssection of the community? Who facilitated/completed the event? Are there ways for this to be improved for future events? COMING TO YOUR MAILBOX SOON! BMIC CENSUS WIN A $500 CASH PRIZE Households that return their Census within the 45-day timeframe will be entered into a drawing to win a cash prize. 5- $100 CASH PRIZES 1- $500 CASH PRIZE THE BMIC CENSUS WILL... -Help us plan for the future -Secure grant funding -Tailor programming to meet community needs -Guide future development WHAT QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED? You will be asked questions about demographics, home construction, home assistance needs, childcare services, language and culture, recreation, health, land use, economic development, and more WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT? We estimate it will take roughly 25-30 minutes to complete the Census. A return, postage-paid envelope will be provided to each household. COMING TO YOUR MAILBOX SOON! BAY MILLS INDIAN COMMUNITY CENSUS Households that return their Census within the 45-day timeframe will be entered into a drawing to win a cash prize. 5- $100 CASH PRIZES 1- $500 CASH PRIZE THE BMIC CENSUS WILL... -Help us plan for the future -Secure grant funding -Tailor programming to meet community needs -Guide future development WHAT QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED? You will be asked questions about demographics, home construction, home assistance needs, childcare services, language and culture, recreation, health, land use, economic development, and more WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT? We estimate it will take roughly 25-30 minutes to complete the Census. A return, postage-paid envelope will be provided to each household. --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Abay_mills%3A0b268180ba3ece7b. Public record. Not legal advice.