Frequently Asked Questions

The City of Merritt, in collaboration with provincial and federal agencies, provided resources and support for recovery efforts, including financial assistance, reconstruction guidelines, and mental health services.

No single source is able to fund the $130-$160 million required for the complete build-out of the Flood Mitigation Plan.  Additionally, the expense of this program would not be feasibly supported by the tax base within the City of Merritt.

However, a future flood event similar to the November 2021 event would be expected to incur well over $200 million in disaster response and recovery costs to multiple levels of government, so Merritt elected officials have been strongly messaging senior government that it is wiser to pay to protect rather than recover.

One of the initial and primary tasks assigned to the Flood Mitigation Team is breaking the overall Flood Mitigation Plan into separate discrete projects that will qualify for the limited and competitive funding that is currently available from senior government.

To date, multiple projects have been funded through the Province of BC’s Disaster Risk Reduction grant stream, Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance, Federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure funds, and several off-program funding sources.

One of the large grant programs identified was the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.  In 2024, under advisement from the Federal and Provincial governments, the City spent significant amounts of time and funds to apply for this program.  Unfortunately, the City was denied access to funds under this program.

During the November 2021, Minister Bill Blair visited Merritt and promised that the federal government would help Merritt build protections against future funds.  Merritt staff and elected officials continue to advocate to the federal government for reconsideration under the DMAF program, or direction for another funding source to make good on this promise.

You can download a copy of the Flood Mitigation Plan here.

The IEP was created to ensure Indigenous rights, Traditional Knowledge, and cultural protocols are respected across all flood recovery and resilience work.

It goes beyond legal requirements to reflect the City’s moral commitment to reconciliation.

Indigenous engagement is crucial in British Columbia, especially given the province’s unique history, geography, and legal landscape. BC is home to a diverse range of Indigenous Nations with deeply rooted connections to their lands, cultures, and communities. Many of the lands where construction projects take place are unceded, meaning Indigenous rights to these lands were never formally surrendered or extinguished through treaties. This adds an additional layer of responsibility for municipalities and other project leaders to engage with Indigenous communities.

Indigenous peoples have inherent rights, including the right to self-determination, control over their lands, and protection of their cultural practices. Engaging Indigenous communities helps ensure these rights are respected and upheld, in alignment with national and international standards like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which BC has committed to implementing.

Engaging early and meaningfully with Indigenous communities helps foster strong relationships based on trust and respect. This can help avoid conflicts, delays, or misunderstandings during the project and create long-term partnerships that benefit both parties.

Indigenous communities offer valuable insights into local ecosystems, cultural practices, and sustainable resource management. Their input can help improve the social, environmental, and economic outcomes of construction projects, leading to more responsible and well-rounded developments.

By integrating Indigenous perspectives, respecting their rights, and ensuring that their voices are heard throughout the process, municipal construction projects in BC can move forward in a way that is legally compliant, ethically responsible, and more likely to succeed.

The City of Merritt works with six local Bands: Coldwater, Shackan, Nooaitch, Lower Nicola, Upper Nicola, and Cook’s Ferry.

These communities are part of the Scw’exmx (Nłeʔkepmx and Syilx) Peoples.

The IEP supports DRIPA’s principles Self-Determination and Inherent Right of Self-Government, Title and Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Ending Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination, Social, and Cultural and Economic Well-Being (Section 4) as it relates to a Municipality.

It also addresses TRC Calls to Action

• Reconciliation:
  • 43 (UNDRIP implementation),
  • 44 (developing national action plans with Indigenous peoples),
• Business and Reconciliation
  • 92 (corporate sector).

• Build respectful, long-term relationships
• Integrate Traditional Knowledge
• Support two-way communication
• Involve Indigenous partners in every project stage
• Ensure cultural, archaeological, and ecological protection

Engagement and Consultation are often used when collaborating with Indigenous Peoples; however, they are distinct.

In this document, consultation is used in the legal context as it relates to the Duty to Consult.

The City of Merritt recognizes that Engagement is the voluntary formal or informal process by which Indigenous Peoples, government and industry share information and stay connected on issues of mutual interest.

Engagement also addresses local Indigenous community values, priorities and concerns toward the goal of building a mutually beneficial relationship.

The IEP was co-designed through dialogue with leadership and staff from the six local Bands, with input from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and community advisors.

The Indigenous Engagement Plan outlines specific and repeatable engagement opportunities for each individual project.  While additional engagement opportunities may be added on certain projects, these specified engagement points were identified after significant discussion with Nicola Valley bands.

Engagement includes:

• Cultural site walks
• Knowledge Keeper engagement
• Community meals
• Technical review sessions
• Project updates
• Collaborative design meetings

Engagement is built into all five project phases:

1. Pre-Planning (Flood Mitigation Plan/Indigenous Engagement Plan)
2. Conceptual Design
3. Detailed Design
4. Construction
5. Completion & Evaluation

Traditional Knowledge informs decisions on habitat protection, artifact handling, and design features that align with Indigenous values and land stewardship practices.

Yes. Charlene Joe is the full-time Indigenous Engagement Manager for Merritt. She facilitates communication, chairs the STUWI(x) Steering Committee, and ensures Indigenous input is reflected in every project.

Concerns are documented, tracked, and addressed collaboratively. Indigenous partners are invited to review drafts, attend site visits, and provide input that shapes design, construction, and restoration plans.

The IEP is a living document. It evolves based on feedback from Indigenous partners, project lessons, and emerging best practices in reconciliation and flood resilience.

Copies are available on-line here.

Please reach out to Charlene Joe, Indigenous Engagement Manager, at cjoe@merritt.ca or visit flood.merritt.ca/indigenous-engagement for more details.

The comprehensive Flood Mitigation Plan adopted by council in 2022, once fully built out, is expected to protect City residents and infrastructure from a future 1-in-200 year flood.

The City of Merritt has received Provincial funds to establish a temporary Flood Mitigation Team, with the responsibility to find funding and execute this plan.

You can view the Flood Mitigation Plan online here.

The Flood Mitigation Plan identified 7 different strategic areas where flood mitigation infrastructure is required.  After community and indigenous consultation, specific protection measures were evaluated on a multi-criteria analysis using 5 specific areas.

The ending plan consisted of a variety of flood mitigation methods, including: dike rebuilding, new dike building, pump stations, river dredging, moving infrastructure, and managed retreat. 

Updated maximum river levels are due to two different factors:

1. An increased understanding of the Coldwater River watershed.
   • Additional hydrological engineering has increased our understanding of potential flow rates in the Coldwater River.
   • Infrastructure was initially build to withstand a 1-in-200 year flood of approximately 130 cubic meters per second of flow.  Updating understanding has increased this 1-in-200 year event to 376 cubic meters per second.

2. Updated climate change predictions to comply with Government of BC regulations.
   • All new engineering of flow rates on rivers in BC needs to contain an adjustment for climate change.  While this is not an exact science, several engineering firms have produced reports indicating a range of potential increases in flow rate.  This has resulted in an additional 29% being added to the potential 1 in 200 year flow rate.

These two factors combined have seen the need to increase our infrastructure to accommodate a flow rate of 490cms. 

This large variance from the pre-2021 value of 130cms means that any dikes that would be permitted by the province would need to be substantially higher and wider, or alternatively they would be set back further from the river, allowing more space for flooding.

This diking system will be built as a setback dike, which will require additional land along the Coldwater River.  Part of the funding for the project includes full and partial acquisitions for certain properties along the river.

These property acquisitions have been costed and planned by a third party, and all discussions and purchases will be conducted by a third party, not directly by City of Merritt staff.

If you have any questions regarding how your property may be directly affected, please email floodmitigation@merritt.ca, include your name, address and questions.

When constructing registered dikes, the Province of BC Diking Authority requires structures to be built to withstand a 1-in-200 year flood. Modern convention has required the Engineer of Record to add an extra amount to account for future climate change to this total. This modelling indicates a total water flow expected in a flood period, expressed as a number of Cubic Meters per Second (CMS).

The most recent analysis was done by BGC Engineering, and a draft copy was made available in 2021, shortly before the flood. This report indicated a 1-in-200 year standard of 154 CMS, and a 1-in-500-year expectation of 163 CMS.

This compares closely to previous studies done. The Province of BC had previously estimated a 1-in-200-year level of 138 CMS, and a 1-in-500-year level of 148 CMS. Even further back, the Nicola River Floodplain Mapping project in 1988 indicated a 1-in-200 year flow of 148 CMS.

Infrastructure existing along the Coldwater was built to the existing standards and engineering knowledge at the time. For example, the Middlesboro Bridge was built in 1974 and built to a standard of under 150 CMS.

Dike 129 and 130 were initially constructed as temporary flood protections after an ice jam flood in the early 1970’s. Subsequent ice jam and other flooding events occurred on the Coldwater River, and these dikes were rebuilt and realigned multiple times over the intervening decades.

The flow levels these structures were designed for varies based on the construction, but generally they were designed for extreme flow rates between 120 CMS and 150 CMS.

The short answer is that we don’t know for sure as the flood event broke all the gauges, but the best guess is 320-400 CMS.

Significant research was done by multiple agencies after the flood event, using a variety of engineering techniques from rainfall analysis, volumetric studies, and even video water-speed analysis.  Coldwater River flow estimates from the BC River Forecast Center, Canadian Hydrographic Service, multiple engineering firms, and even an academic paper initially indicated flows from 180 CMS to 450 CMS, which was later refined to 320-400 CMS.

Rivers fall under provincial jurisdiction and we understand that the province is considering this option and is in the process of balancing various considerations.

There is no identified funding for such purchases. The City of Merritt encourages homeowners not to delay rebuilding and repairing their homes.

The City of Merritt encourages homeowners not to delay rebuilding and repairing their homes.

AE — Associated Engineering
AiA — Archeological Impact Assessment
AOA— Archeological Overview Assessment
BCR— Band Council Resolution
BGC —BGC Engineering
CCDC — Canadian Construction Document Contractor (Bidding Method)
C-CRP — Coldwater River Renewal Plan
C-EDR— Coldwater Existing Dike Replacement
CEMP— Construction Environmental Management Plan
C-EPA — Coldwater Expanded Protection Area
CEPF — Community Emergency Preparation Fund (UBCM)
C-LAP — Coldwater Land Acquisition Program
CNA — Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly-8 bands working together
CO — Change Order
DFA (DFAA) — Disaster Financial Assistance-Arrangements
DFO — Department of Fisheries and Oceans
DiOD — Deputy inspector of Dikes
DMA — Dike Maintenance Act
DRR — Disaster Risk Reduction
EM — Environmental Monitor
EMCR — Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
ENV — Ministry of the Environment
EoR — Engineer of Record
Green-ARDM — Green Umbrella-Adaptation, resilience and disaster mitigation program (Under DMAF)
IDL — Construction Company (IDL Projects Inc)
IEP — Indigenous Engagement Plan
IFC — Issued for Construction (Last stage)
IFT — Issued for Tender
MMCD — BC Standard of Construction Bidding
MOU — Mode of Understanding
MVP — Minimum Viable Product
NOI — Notice of Intent
NWGP — Nicola Watershed Governing Partnership
OCP — Official Community Plan
OPC — Operational Project cost
PM — Project Management
RAPR — Riparian Areas Protection Regulation (RAPR)
REB — Requisition change on drawing
RFP — Request for Proposal
RFI — Request for Information
ROC — Recovery Operations Centre
RPU — Resiliency Project Update
SLT — Senior Leadership Team
SOQ — Statement of Quantity
TOR — Terms of Reference
UBCM — Union of British Columbia Municipalities
URSUS — Ursus Wildlands Consulting, an environmental consulting firm
WLRS — Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

For up-to-date notices and alerts, please visit the City of Merritt website here.

Climate change has been identified as a significant factor, contributing to more extreme weather events. The Flood Mitigation Plan incorporates climate change projections to ensure resilience against future conditions.

Warning: river levels have exceeded bank-full or will exceed bank-full imminently, and flooding of areas adjacent to the rivers affected will result.

Watch: river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed bank-full. Flooding of areas adjacent to affected rivers may occur.

Funded Diking Sections
C-EPA N Dike 407 = 270m
C-EPA Claybanks = 190m

Unfunded Diking Sections
C-EDR Dike 129 = 1.56km
C-EDR Dike 130 = 1.34km
C-EPA Middlesboro P1 = 90m
C-EPA Middlesboro P2 = 135m
C-EPA Middlesboro P3 = 550m
C-EPA Godey = 740m

Previously Funded Bank Stabilization
Fir Ave Bank = 120m

Natural shorelines, formed by the river itself, rely heavily on vegetation to stabilize the banks. This method works only in areas where the river has much room to meander side to side. This decreased shoreline stress would allow vegetation to quickly regrow and reinforce any sections that might erode when a tree falls, keeping the area stable even during high water levels.

In contrast, man-made dikes function differently. In Merritt, with narrow river corridors running through town due to often unchecked shoreline development over the expansion of the City since its inception, there simply isn’t enough space to support a natural river flow in all areas.

This is why our diking system is necessary.

Unfortunately, if there were tree’s rooted in or near the rock structure of these dikes, it would pose a significant risk. When a tree falls, it will pull part of the dike structure with it. With the confined spaces and the new reality of high water flows, this can and will lead to a breach, resulting in flooding and damage to the community once again.

It’s difficult for our team each time a tree is removed. The Flood Mitigation, Design, Environmental and Engineering teams look at all the options for each section to minimize environmental impact both in the water and on the shoreline with all of our projects.

The City will generally conduct a quote or competition process for procurements, in accordance with its purchasing policy, to ensure that the City achieves best overall value. Most procurements for this project are anticipated to exceed the thresholds* of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA); which is a trade agreement between the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; and are therefore required to be conducted through open public competition (e.g. a publicly-advertised Request for Proposals or Invitation to Tender process).

One objective of the NWPTA is to promote open and free trade among Canada’s Western Provinces, meaning that the City must provide equal treatment to all companies that bid such public competitions, regardless of whether such companies are considered local or not.

That said, companies that are based locally will often have an inherent advantage of lower costs to reach the site, and the City actively encourages local companies to engage with procurements issued by the City.

Local companies may contact the Flood Mitigation Team to gain updates on potential procurement windows for the project and are advised to register on BC Bid (https://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca) where companies can receive certain notifications. When the City issues a public competition which exceeds the NWPTA thresholds*, it will be advertised on BC Bid and the competition details will include full instructions on how a company can register and participate in the competition. A contact person is also provided for each competition in case a potential bidder has questions on how to submit a proposal.

*Note: Under NWPTA, public competition is required >$75k for goods/services, >$200k for construction.

In accordance with the City’s Purchasing Policy and requirements of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA); most contractors that work on the project will be selected through open public competition, to ensure that the City achieves best overall value. 

The City will often recruit a ‘general contractor’ for construction, that will in-turn likely contract with ‘subcontractors’ and suppliers.  Individuals that are interested in working on the project may wish to seek out firms that are likely interested in participating in the project either as a general contractor or subcontractor/supplier. 

Due to requirements for open public competition under NWPTA, and under a typical City agreement with contractors; the City cannot influence contractor hiring and recruitment decisions, however the City will be able to provide a list of companies that register for most competitions and local individuals may contact these regarding job opportunities.

The goal is to acquire the land on a voluntary basis and the team is committed to working closely with impacted property owners.

However, the flood mitigation plan is critical for community flood protection and compulsory acquisition may be considered if voluntary agreements cannot be reached.

To construct setback dikes the engineered design will require additional space along the river.

This approach gives the river more room to flow naturally, reducing flood and ice jam risks and increasing public safety.

No. The City anticipates approximately 25 private properties will be affected.

The program will be a mixture of partial and full acquisitions depending on the final engineering design which is in the process of being completed.

All potentially impacted property owners received written notice in May 2025. The city’s acquisition team has been in contact with affected property owners since July 2025.

If you have not yet received a phone call and/or email, please contact admin@keystoneappraisals.ca or at (250)352-6855.

A partial acquisition is when a portion of the property is acquired, such as a statutory right of way (SRW) to support infrastructure. In this case it is an interest in a strip of land supporting the dike construction.

However, if the strip significantly impacts structures, particularly homes, then it is likely that a full acquisition of the property would be needed.

Note: The decision on the location of the dike and whether it would result in a partial or full acquisition is an engineering design decision.

The engineering design is required to understand the impact to each individual property and the resulting compensation.

Without the engineering design, the valuation team cannot complete their work.

It is important that the acquisition team include impacted property owners as part of the program implementation to understand unique issues and concerns.

Keystone has met with landowners to review the program steps and listen to property owner concerns.

Every property is unique and requires different resources and time to achieve a positive outcome.

The City of Merritt engaged Stantec Engineering, a specialist in flood mitigation engineering and dike design, to advance the dike design.

This work was carried out in the late summer and fall of 2025 and will be included in the design and mapping to support the voluntary land acquisition program.

Compensation is determined by a professional appraisal team highly experienced in this type of work. Property inspections were conducted in September and October.

It typically takes 8-12 weeks after the property inspection to complete the valuation reports which will be shared with the property owners. Properties with complex valuation issues identified by the property owner and the valuation team are expected to take longer.

Offers will begin to be made in December 2025 and continue into 2026.

It is the responsibility of the acquisition team to assist property owners with understanding the offer and consider their input.

It is Keystone’s experience that the majority of voluntary offers are reconciled to mutual agreement, but if not, there will be an independent appeal process as part of the acquisition program.

The City of Merritt Flood Mitigation Department has received $60 million in funding from the Province. This is intended to cover dike engineering, construction and land acquisition costs.

• Step 1 Aug 2025 – Oct 2025 Gathered input to support program implementation.
• Step 2 Sep 2025- Feb 2026 Independent valuation of the properties. (Reports take 8-12 weeks to complete after property inspection).
• Step 3 Oct-Nov 2025 Series of owner workshops on critical components of the program including valuation and compensation methodologies occurred.
• Step 4 Nov 18, 2025 Design approval of the voluntary program by City of Merritt Mayor and Council.
• Step 5 Dec 2025 – Mar 2026 Formal Offers provided to property owners.
• Step 6 1-2 months after acceptance of offer Completion of voluntary acquisitions.

The Acquisition Team is available to assist anyone with urgent needs and will accelerate (or slow down) the acquisition processes to achieve property owner goals.

Please do not hesitate to contact Keystone Appraisals at admin@keystoneappraisals.ca, or call at (250)352-6855 for assistance.

Prior to the 2021 Atmospheric River Event (ARE), all flood modelling and protections on the Coldwater River were done with a water flow level of 130 cubic meters per second.  The Nov 2021 ARE saw 320-400 cubic meters per second, and the new flood modelling and protection standard is 490 cubic meters per second.

This means that areas of the City that were not previously in the flood inundation zone, are now at risk and the pre-existing flood protections need to be built to accommodate more flow.

The North bank of the Coldwater River upstream of the Middlesboro bridge is one of these newly at-risk areas and requires new flood infrastructure to protect the residents in this area. 

The City of Merritt has very limited tax dollars available for these large and complex projects, so the project is being built in a phased approach as senior government funding is available.

On February 3rd 2023 the Government of BC awarded Merritt a $2 million grant to build the C-EPA Claybanks Dike.  This new C-EPA Middlesboro Phase 1 project, will continue this diking and get the City of Merritt closer to the completion of the 2022 Flood Mitigation Plan.

In the below image, the new diking will be located in the red shaded area.

This is on the North bank of the Coldwater River, upstream of the Claybanks RV Park, between Garcia St and McMillan St.

This project is fully funded by the Province of BC, through Emergency Management and Climate Readiness BC.

Modern dikes are large and complex projects, requiring significant engineering, permitting, and earthmoving.

The City of Merritt does not have the municipal tax base to support these critical safety projects, so the Government of BC has stepped in to provide assistance.

This project is 100% funded by the Province of BC. No federal funding has been provided to the City of Merritt for this project.

This project will begin engineering and final design immediately.  One key challenge is the short allowable work window on the Coldwater River, which is limited to just 11 days per year. Progression and completion of this project will depend on permitting authorities granting permission to work outside this window. Additionally, very few diking projects have been completed in BC over the past five years, creating uncertainty in planning timelines. 

This project is currently slated for the summer 2026 construction season, but as noted above, many complexities are required to be solved before then.  Therefore, an alternative construction schedule is being prepared with the earthworks being done in the summer 2027 season.

For updates, follow along on our Social Media Presence on LinkedIn, Facebook and on our website: flood.merritt.ca

The City of Merritt Flood Mitigation Team, together with our surrounding Indigenous partners, have developed a BC-leading Indigenous Engagement Plan (IEP), with a full time Indigenous Engagement Manager who is responsible for implementing this plan.

This IEP is available in its entirety at flood.merritt.ca

Property owners that may be potentially affected will be contacted directly to discuss next steps.

Contact with potentially affected landowners will occur in 2 stages.

• Spring 2025 - A letter will be sent out to all potentially affected landowners advising of the potential impacts. Engineering and acquisition staff may be available at this point, but as the final footprint is not set, financial compensation information will not be able to be provided.
• Fall 2025 – The third-party property acquisition team will contact the landowner to discuss details of the acquisition as the final footprint becomes clearer. All inquiries and discussions will be held at arms-length from the City.  This third-party team will ensure compensation occurs in a fair and timely manner and is in accordance with all applicable laws and standards.

Additionally, as this is a part of the overall Flood Mitigation Plan (FMP) project, many properties and streets will experience temporary construction disruption as construction unfolds.

If you have any questions regarding how your property may be directly affected by the Project, please email floodmitigation@merritt.ca, include your name, address and questions.

The Merritt Flood Mitigation Team can be reached at floodmitigation@merritt.ca, or at flood.merritt.ca/contact-us

This temporary department provides experienced assistance and capacity augmentation to the City of Merritt permanent staff, leadership, and council. 

As a community-led effort, the Flood Mitigation Department still reports to CAO and Mayor/Council, so typical channels of communication through city staff and elected officials is also available.

The Merritt Flood Mitigation Team can be reached at floodmitigation@merritt.ca, or at flood.merritt.ca/contact-us

This temporary team provides experienced assistance and capacity augmentation to the City of Merritt permanent staff, leadership, and council.

As a community-led effort, the Flood Mitigation Department still reports to CAO and Mayor/Council, so typical channels of communication through city staff and elected officials is also available.

The Merritt Flood Mitigation Team can be reached at floodmitigation@merritt.ca, or at flood.merritt.ca/contact-us

This temporary team provides experienced assistance and capacity augmentation to the City of Merritt permanent staff, leadership, and council.

As a community-led effort, the Flood Mitigation Department still reports to CAO and Mayor/Council, so typical channels of communication through city staff and elected officials is also available.

The Merritt Flood Mitigation Team can be reached at floodmitigation@merritt.ca, or at flood.merritt.ca/contact-us

This temporary team provides experienced assistance and capacity augmentation to the City of Merritt permanent staff, leadership, and council.

As a community-led effort, the Flood Mitigation Department still reports to CAO and Mayor/Council, so typical channels of communication through city staff and elected officials is also available.

The southern British Columbia interior and Nicola Valley are home to Nleʔkepmx and Syilx Nations and the City of Merritt resides within their traditional, ancestral and unceded territories.

The City is committed to engaging with all interested Communities, formally and informally on the STUWI(x) Naturalization project (as of September 24, 2024).

• Coldwater Indian Band
• Cook’s Ferry Indian Band
• Lower Nicola Indian Band
• Nooaitch Indian Band
• Shackan Indian Band
• Upper Nicola Band
• City of Merritt Community Member
• Mike Simpson, MA, RPF
• Tom Willms R.P.Bio
• Charlene Joe; Flood Mitigation, Indigenous Engagement Manager

The Merritt Flood Mitigation Team can be reached at floodmitigation@merritt.ca, or at flood.merritt.ca/contact-us

This temporary team provides experienced assistance and capacity augmentation to the City of Merritt permanent staff, leadership, and council.

As a community-led effort, the Flood Mitigation Department still reports to CAO and Mayor/Council, so typical channels of communication through city staff and elected officials is also available.

The Merritt Flood Mitigation Team can be reached at floodmitigation@merritt.ca, or at flood.merritt.ca/contact-us

This temporary team provides experienced assistance and capacity augmentation to the City of Merritt permanent staff, leadership, and council.

As a community-led effort, the Flood Mitigation Department still reports to CAO and Mayor/Council, so typical channels of communication through city staff and elected officials is also available.