When we started our association we had some very good advice and we have learned more along the way:

• Remember the City Council & Planning Commission are people just like us, they live in Coeur d'Alene and love it as we do
• They are approachable and you can contact them with questions or concerns
• Know the zoning so your complaint or concern is valid
• Get organized - find others in your area or neighborhood who are also affected
• Learn all you can before a meeting - the city's website has a wealth of information or you can call the city or planning department
• If there are numerous people with your group who wish to speak, have them each choose a separate related point or topic to speak on
• Don't waste time by repeating the same argument or complaint
• Use examples, diagrams, photos, visual aids to support your position, a picture is worth a thousand words
• A room full of people is much more important than a petition full of signatures
• The petition notices sent out by the city are not always understood and therefore many times are ignored or not returned for fear of answering incorrectly
• If you are not receiving notices - speak out - they need to know the residents affected are not being notified
• If you cannot understand the notices - speak out - they need to know  when they are unclear
• Watch the legals in the newspaper for zoning change requests and meeting notices
• If no one shows up at a zoning change request - the planning commission can only assume no one objects