When a public consultation is launched, through a referendum approval process, Arrondissement Le Sud-Ouest distributes an information booklet on the project in the mailboxes of all residents of the concerned area. This initiative, which goes beyond the legal obligations in referendum approval, is commendable and, in our opinion, it is a practice that other boroughs should also follow.
This good practice could, however, create certain expectations in citizens who received this booklet, namely: that all future information or documents regarding the same project would also be distributed to them, in the same manner.
We suggested to the borough to modify this information booklet, in order to clearly indicate that future information would not be distributed to them in their mailboxes, and that citizens interested by the evolution of the project should get informed by other means.
Following our intervention, the following notice was added at the bottom of the information booklet (translation):
“The present booklet is distributed door-to-door in the area concerned by the project under study. You will not receive further communications delivered directly to your address. We invite you, therefore, to follow the progress of this project on the borough’s Web site, as well as in the La Voix Pop newspaper (Public notices).”
This notice has the double advantage of solving the problem we had noted while informing citizens on the means available to follow the evolution of the file, that may affect them.
This is an excellent measure likely to encourage citizen participation, in the City’s affairs.
