This morning, Mayor-elect Emanuel released the Chicago 2011 Transition Report, outlining a series of projects that the Mayor plans to tackle. The ambitious plan has twelve major initiatives
- Cut $75 million immediately
- Implement budget reform
- Reform TIF
- Initiate ethics reform
- Set high standards for open, participatory government to involve all Chicagoans
- Simplify the structure of government
- Simplify fees, regulations, and inspections
- Centralize, professionalize, and reform procurement
- Integrate public performance targets with service delivery and cost effectiveness standards
- Invest in the health and well-being of City workers and their families
- Ensure that worker safety is a top priority
- Introduce a consolidated, comprehensive capital planning and management process
Eventually when we have some more time to digest this, we will run longer pieces on the other initiatives, but of immediate interest is number 5, the project "Set high standards for open, participatory government to involve all Chicagoans."
How is this going to be accomplished? According to the plan
The City will post online and in easy-to-use formats the information that Chicagoans need most. For example, complete budget documents - currently only retrievable as massive PDF documents - will be available in straightforward and searchable formats. The City’s web site will allow anyone to track and find information on lobbyists and what they are lobbying for as well as which government officials they have lobbied. The City will out-perform the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and publicly report delays and denials in providing access to public records.
The City will also place on-line information about permitting, zoning, and business licenses, including status of applications and requests. And Chicagoans will be asked to participate in Open311, an easy and transparent means for all residents to submit and monitor service requests, such as potholes and broken street lights. Chicagoans will be invited to develop their own "apps" to interpret and use City data in ways that most help the public.
The timeline for this?
100 Days: A searchable version of the City budget will be posted on-line, after a full review to ensure that its presentation is clear and easy to understand.
Year 1: Open311 and "Apps for Metro Chicago" will launch. Also a broad spectrum of new information will be made available to residents and business owners to enable them to track lobbying activity, as well as status of permits, licenses, and zoning change requests. Starting with the 2012 budget, the budget document will be reformed, simplified, and tied to performance.
Is open government coming to Chicago?
The final Initiative, #55 talked about development of local assets. However, I see nothing in the plan showing the engagement of volunteers and students in developing the strategies or as part of the asset base that needs to be developed. I'll be writing about the plan on my own http://tutormentor.blogspot.com blog, but would like to know where others will be connecting to discuss the ideas and help implement them.
Dan Bassill
05/14/2011 04:36 PM
I think your point about the final initiative is an important one. It is critical to identify all assets and resources (including non-financial) that could be tapped to help implement a plan. Volunteers and students can significantly add to the capacity of any effort.
Joe
Joe Hoereth
05/24/2011 03:58 PM