The genre’s that proceed the creation of a public initiative proposal can vary based on the specific situation the proposal is meant to address. Often there are informal discussions among town officials or the public that first identify a problem and then determine if it is something they could address. After this informal discussion, town officials may decide to hold an official meeting about the problem and may invite the public to attend to voice their concerns and have their opinions be heard. A town meeting or Town Hall is a genre that is meant to convey information to the public, but also allows town officials to gauge the mood of the town related to certain issues. The uptake of a town meeting is that town officials can expect to learn the opinion of the general public, and the public can expect the town officials to take into consideration their desires when making decisions on behalf of the town. Based on what is said in the meeting, officials can determine if the public cares about the topic, what the public thinks should be done, and how much support/resistance town officials can expect when addressing the issue at hand. Once this information has been obtained, town officials can create the genre of a public initiative proposal that takes into account the general public’s opinion while suggesting a way to fix the problem. Also, a town may determine that a problem exists but is unsure of how to solve it. They would then create the genre of a Request for Proposals (RFPs), which would directly result in the creation of proposals that suggest methods of solving the problem and take the uptake of the RFP (that is the problem statement) into account.
While the genre of a public initiative proposal is fairly straightforward in it seeks to address a problem while convincing the general public that the solution it outlines is the best option. In addition to defining a solution method to a problem, the content of a public proposal may be affected by the uptake of the genre’s that preceded it. For example, if at a town hall meeting citizens expressed concern that the road repairs would create bad traffic delays during rush hour, the proposal may include a section detailing the detour route that would be used during construction with data showing that it would only create a few extra minutes of travel for the average commuter. Alternatively, the town may decide that the citizens concern is valid and as a result, the construction will only take place at night when few people are on the road. In both of these examples, the genre of the proposal was affected by the uptake of the genre that came before it.
The creation of a proposal could result in many various genre’s including a town vote on whether to implement the proposal, construction bids for the work detailed in the proposal or the development of a schedule for the activities outlined in the proposal. A vote on the proposal would spark a debate on the benefits of implementing the proposal contrasted with the costs of the project and any inconvenience it may create. The public would use the uptake of the proposal, which is the arguments for implementation, and either be convinced that the project is necessary or decide it is not.
