Why Engage?

What Community Engagement Means
The purpose of community engagement is to gather diverse community perspectives and present them to business leaders, civic partners, and elected officials to make an informed decision. It means that they talk with the community before making big decisions. It means that if you have concerns or ideas about how to improve the quality of life and services in the community of Owatonna, we want to hear and discuss them. We know that those who live, work and play in Owatonna have valid and valuable opinions about our great community.

What Community Engagement Does Not Mean
What community engagement does not mean is that everyone will always agree on decisions that are made within the community. Owatonna is made up of a diverse population with very different interests and approaches. Different opinions will be listened to and, where possible, incorporated into the decision-making process in a fair and balanced way. Community engagement does not replace the responsibility for elected officials to represent the interests of the community and make a final decision. A purpose of gaining input from the community is to provide information about the public’s opinion and interests to support decision making.