Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
10 This chapter helps the airport manager review why to embrace building relationships and a public/customer service approach in airport communications. It introduces how other institu- tions, including universities with the need to expand, have learned their lesson about the impor- tance of listening to the public. Too often airports are faced with a lawsuit or an angry crowd that unexpectedly appears at a routine public meeting. Airport staff representatives then often wish they had a trusting, long- term relationship with the public. The time to develop that relationship is much, much earlier than in the middle of a crisis. Legal/Administrative Requirements for Public Contact In aviation, federal requirements for communication with the public are minimal. They are generally limited to informal public workshops, scoping meetings, or a formal hearing as part of some environmental processes, such as the Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study or an Environ- mental Impact Statement. Airports typically do what state or federal law or local policy require of them â advertise in the local paper, post a notice in a public place, hold a formal hearing, or notify property owners when necessary. While these efforts provide an opportunity for discus- sion, they may represent little more than one step in a process required to gain project approval, rather than a chance to enhance constructive engagement. Airports often operate with a high level of autonomy in making decisions about what happens on the airport, so long as those decisions do not create adverse impacts on the areas beyond its boundary. When they choose to develop airport property for non-aviation uses, airports may not be subject to the same standards of notification, coordination with community groups, plan- ning commission review, and council hearings as private developers are impelled to undertake when developing adjacent properties. What involvement does the public expect? Because an airport acts like other governmental institutions and may have direct relationships with local government, the public tends to per- ceive it as a public asset that should have the same type of openness in its planning and develop- ment as is required of other public entities and other transportation organizations. At the same time, airports operate under various administrative structures. Some are city departments, some are agencies whose boards are appointed by the mayor or other elected officials, and some operate as independent authorities. In most cases, airport funding comes from user fees and federal sources and is only supplemented by local taxes, if local funding is received at all. C H A P T E R 2 Need for Building Relationships
Shifting to a Public Service-Oriented Approach During recent decades, there has been a shift toward greater public involvement and an increasing expectation on the part of the public that they have a right to be heard and treated as partners in the decision-making process. Because the public is so well-informed and involved in many areas, organizations and institutions that the public perceives as being public assets are finding that developing a customer service/public service attitude is critical to the success of their mission. A university example, detailed in the University of Missouri at Kansas City Case Study (14) presented in Chapter 5 of this Guidebook, describes how a universityâs development plans were threatened because of their assumption of total autonomy. They believed they had no need to do more than inform the public. After facing a very angry and well-organized public, the univer- sity decided that involvement and good two-way communication was the key to increased com- munity approval and support. The project incurred months of delays as the university fought to overcome its own mistakes made early in the public review process by establishing better com- munity relations. Other institutions such as state departments of transportation and the EPA are moving in a similar direction. What does having a public service attitude mean? A customer or public service attitude means that every individual in the organization must relate to the public as if every member of the pub- lic were contributing to their paycheck, because directly or indirectly they do. Many airports inter- viewed confirmed the need for a customer service attitude. Engagement creates opportunities to deliver improved recommendations. It establishes a more consistent framework for both airport staff and policy makers to make more informed decisions about important issues. It fosters enthusiasm and excitement about best planning practices, and involves the public in important policy considerations. Engagement advances the airport staffâs credibility and contributes to an atmosphere of trust. The public feels more like they are part of the solution, rather than pawns being manipulated through a jaded set of procedures. As airport planners and managers engage a community, their capacities for brainstorming and knowledge are extended, and they grow as public servants. Need for Building Relationships 11
