When Durango City Council approved the reorganization of city boards and commissions, residents, board members and even former mayors voiced concern that a long-standing form of engagement between city departments and the public was going away.

In response, the city formulated a new way to engage residents. The city will roll out a new program on Tuesday called Engage Durango Forum, a public forum for residents to speak directly to city department directors.

The first forum will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Durango Public Library. All subsequent forums will take place the fourth Tuesday of every month.

The meeting will consist of a public comment period, a presentation by Durango Police Chief Bob Brammer about livability in Durango and a breakout session with city department directors, city spokesman Tom Sluis said.

City Manager Jose Madrigal said in a news release the Engage Durango Forum is an opportunity for residents to provide feedback directly to city officials.

“City staff listened to concerns raised by the public regarding the recent reorganization of the various boards and commissions, and we want to show we took those concerns seriously because public input is crucial to the city government operating effectively, and transparently,” he said.

In April, City Council approved a timeline for the reorganization of boards and commissions, which includes the dissolution of some boards.

Mayor Melissa Youssef addressed residents’ concerns about losing a valuable and traditional avenue for public engagement through the dissolved boards. She said the reorganization wasn’t an easy decision, but sometimes the easiest decision isn’t the best one for the city.

At a February City Council meeting, staff said the reorganization will save thousands of staff hours and hundreds of councilor work hours and cut city spending by $228,000 annually.

cburney@durangoherald.com