Before They Build™
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Advocacy follow-up

After the hearing — what now?

A short playbook for the week after a public hearing. The decision is not always the end. Your record is.

Step 1

Write down what happened (within 24 hours).

Note the vote count, the names of the people who spoke, the conditions attached to any approval, and any commitments made on the record. Memory fades quickly. Use the Community Record printable.

Step 2

Thank the people who showed up.

A neighbour, a planner who answered questions, an attorney who pointed you somewhere useful. A short, specific note is enough. People remember who said thank-you.

Step 3

File the public-records requests now.

The agency's record of the hearing — staff report, attached emails, written comments received — usually takes weeks to assemble. Asking for it the day after the hearing puts you at the front of the queue. Use the Public Records Request Packet.

Step 4

Identify the next meeting.

Most projects move through several bodies — planning, zoning, council, sometimes commissions. Find the next one on the calendar before the decision is final.

Step 5

Update your binder.

File the notice, the staff report, your speech, the evidence you presented, and the meeting minutes (when they arrive) in the same binder. Tab D — Response. The next neighbour can pick up where you left off.

Step 6

Decide what's next.

Sometimes the answer is "nothing — we're done." Sometimes it is "appeal" or "watch the conditions during construction" or "speak at the next body." All three are legitimate. None of them require a lawyer to decide.

Thank-you templates

To a neighbour who spoke:

Thank you for taking the time on Tuesday. Whatever happens next, it mattered that the board heard from more than one of us. — [your name]

To a planner who answered a question:

Thank you for explaining the [staff report / notice / process] last week. It made it possible to prepare a useful comment. — [your name]

To a council member or commissioner:

Thank you for the question you asked about [specific topic]. It was the one most of the neighbours had as well. — [your name]

What's next