Clark County town advisory boards and citizens advisory councils: Participation rates

Author

Lucy Greger, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Jason Hafen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Aaron Mueller, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Heather Rosich, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Rebecca Saoud, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Award Date

Summer 2008

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Department

Public Administration

First Committee Member

Christopher Stream, Chair

Number of Pages

26

Abstract

Citizen participation rates in Clark County Town Advisory Boards (TABs) and Citizens Advisory Councils (CACs) were assessed. We measured citizen participation by analyzing attendance at TAB and CAC meetings over a two-month period. We designed a survey and distributed it to TAB and CAC meetings to profile volume of attendees, demographic characteristics, and other relevant data. Each member of our group also personally attended two TAB and CAC meetings to collect observations and conducted an interview with the Clark County liaison for that group. We also examined the Clark County website to determine if it could be better used to enhance citizen participation. Our results show that a substantial portion of the demographic in Clark County, including minorities and young adults, is not represented at TAB and CAC meetings. We also find that communication between citizens and government at TAB and CAC meetings can be further enhanced and optimized. We found the Clark County website somewhat difficult to navigate overall, which could impede citizens’ electronic participation capabilities. We recommend that Clark County consider initiatives to reach out to minorities, take measures to enhance two-way communication between citizens and government at TAB and CAC meetings, and solicit and incorporate citizen feedback as they move forward with the restructuring and revamping of their current website.

Keywords

Nevada – Clark County; Political participation

Disciplines

Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Administration | Public Affairs

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Comments

Appendixes and Presentation attached

Presentation: 17 PowerPoint slides

Repository Citation

Greger, Lucy; Hafen, Jason; Mueller, Aaron; Rosich, Heather; and Saoud, Rebecca, "Clark County town advisory boards and citizens advisory councils: Participation rates" (2008). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 803.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/2144620

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/