Allow membership flexibility on the citizen advisory committee. Some organizations are interested in only one portion of the overall plan. Or the local river watershed organization may only want to participate in discussions on the actual delineation of the source water area. Expense Even with the national funds available from the State Drinking Water Revolving Fund, budgets for the public involvement effort may be limited. Many citizens are willing to contribute time and some expenses as long as the state is willing to meet them halfway.
Travel scholarships can provide participants a set amount of money for the duration of the project.
This makes budget tracking much easier than using a per diem reimbursement and requires participants to share in budget control. This may be a cost effective alternative to in-person meetings. Duplicating and distributing existing resource materials to participating individuals can substitute for formal training sessions. Starting each meeting with a briefing session on the topic for the meeting can reduce the need to print and distribute materials. Some objections are hard to address because they are seldom clearly stated.