Public engagement encompasses the various ways municipalities involve residents in decision-making beyond traditional voting. This includes public meetings, surveys, focus groups, advisory committees, online platforms, town halls, and participatory budgeting. Effective engagement goes beyond informing citizens to actively seeking input, incorporating community knowledge, and building shared ownership of decisions. The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) framework describes a spectrum from informing to consulting to involving to collaborating to empowering. Municipalities increasingly recognize that good engagement produces better decisions, reduces conflict, and strengthens trust in local government.