To encourage turnout, all Cary citizens will be sent a direct mail postcard inviting them to participate in the Web poll. The Town will also publicize the poll in its monthly utility bill newsletter, BUD. Those without Internet service are invited to telephone the Town at (919) 469-4001 to have a hard copy version of the Web poll mailed to them.

"We’re very excited about starting surveying on the Web," said Town Public Information Officer Susan Moran. "With more than 88 percent of Cary citizens having access to the Internet, we believe a great numbers of our citizens will become regular participants in our online voting opportunities."

Throughout all of the research activities, citizens are being asked to rate their satisfaction with the timing, frequency, and impact of current public involvement opportunities such as community meetings and public hearings. They are also being asked to evaluate a number of possible changes to the process like the creation of new citizen advisory councils and structures for mandating communications between developers and affected property owners prior to proposing new development.

Moran noted that because every type of research methodology has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, the Town decided to use a triangulated approach, incorporating both "push" and "pull" techniques since effective use of these elements in concert significantly improves confidence in the data gathered. In addition to the Web poll, components of Focus on Cary 2002 include two telephone surveys, which were launched in early November, and two focus groups that will be held in early December.

A report on the findings of Focus on Cary is expected in January.

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