HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 299-09TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
ATTENTION: POLICY & SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
DATE: JUNE 29, 2009 CMR: 299:09
SUBJECT: Review of Open City Hall Pilot Program and Recommendation to the City
Council Regarding Continuation of the Program
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City continue utilizing the Open City Hall online discussion forum at
a cost of $200 per month and that the Policy & Services Committee review the results of the
Open City Hall pilot program. Additionally, staff would like to receive feedback from the
Committee regarding general satisfaction around the forum, ways to enhance its effectiveness for
the Council, and additional ways to promote participation in the forum.
BACKGROUND
"Open City Hall" is a dedicated online forum that allows citizen participation. It was created by
Peak Democracy. The forum allows Palo Alto residents to participate in the public comment
process on City Council agendas but on their own time and schedule. Open City Hall is also
specially structured to be both (1) a civil, on-topic public forum and (2) First Amendment
freedom-of-speech compliant -two attributes that are important for the City's public hearing
process, but not commonly supported on the Internet (especially in comparison to private, ad-
supported blogs). The City has been participating in the forum as part of a pilot program since
December 2008 as a result of Council direction in the fall of 2008. Each week, several Council
agenda items are posted on the forum along with a question about whether the Council should
approve a particular action related to those agenda items. Members of the public can then post
their position (on "yes, no" issues) and provide their comments. Staff then presents a tally of the
positions and a formatted report of these comments to the Council for the Monday evening
Council meetings.
On May 19,2008, the City Council discussed a Colleagues' Memo requesting support for a pilot
program involving the online "Open City Hall" forum. At the meeting, the Council passed a
motion (7-2) to refer the item to the Policy & Services Committee to identify and clarify any
policy or implementation issues. The Policy & Services Committee considered the item on
September 9,2008 and made a recommendation that the City Council approve a six-month pilot
program of the service. On October 6, 2008, the City Council approved the recommendation
from the Policy & Services Committee to implement the Open City Hall "online service" pilot
CMR:299:09 Page 1 of4
program for a period of six months. The key elements of the pilot program included the
following:
1) Cost: $6,200 for 6-month pilot program ($5,000 set up fee + $200/month)
2) Forum to be hosted on www.OpenCityHall.com
3) Agenda topics: staff selected 1-3 key Council agenda items to use as discussion
topics each week during the pilot program
4) Peak Democracy staff monitors the forum
5) Evaluation to be conducted at the end of the pilot program
DISCUSSION
Staff identified several key areas to examine during the evaluation of the pilot program. These
were: 1) participation -number of forum participants; 2) discussion items -how many each
week and how many comments received; and 3) resources -overall benefits of the program
relative to the cost of implementation. As an overall comment, the program has been successful
for the cost and staff resources required to implement it. The discussion below reviews some of
the key elements of the evaluation. Additionally, representatives from Peak Democracy/Open
City Hall will be present at the Policy & Services Committee meeting to further discuss
satisfaction with the program and suggestions for further enhancements. Staff would also like to
receive feedback from the Committee regarding general satisfaction around the forum, ways to
enhance its effectiveness for the Council, and additional ways to promote participation in the
forum.
Participation/Discussion Items
The online forum launched in January 2009 with the compo sting topic discussed by the Council
at the January 12 meeting. Attachment A provides a synopsis of the topics posted on the forum
since January as well as the number of participants for each item. The City has posted 19 topics
over 13 meetings. For most meetings, there was only one topic available. There were also two
ongoing topics (High Speed Rail and Long Range Financial Forecast) that allowed people to post
more general overall comments related to these topics. On average, approximately 24 people
participated in each forum -and that's equivalent to over 1 hour of public hearings (at 3 minutes
per person). Attachment A also identifies the total number of visitors (1614), participants (250)
and users who have subscribed to receive announcements (200). Also, all the comments were
civil and on-topic as well as generally articulate and substantive.
Attachment B provides responses from a user satisfaction survey. This survey is offered to each
new user the first time they post to the forum. Overall, there was a very positive response to the
Open City Hall forum with 164 people indicating that they like using the forum and 24 indicating
that they did not like using the forum. Many of the "no" comments focused on technical issues
surrounding the forum, including the registration process. The staff from Peak Democracy were
able to follow up on and address many of the technical concerns and questions. There were also
some concerns about the anonymity of the forum and whether people's comments were actually
considered as part of the Council deliberation process.
Although some topics had very high participation rates (Alma Plaza, High Speed Rail and the
Business License Tax) and users were generally satisfied with the forum, there is clearly an
opportunity to increase participation if the program continues. Staff have been discussing
additional methods for publicizing the forum and increasing participation. These might include
further outreach to the neighborhood associations, developing a City database of resident email
CMR:299:09 Page 2 of 4
addresses, or incorporating additional copies of the forum directly onto the City's and/or
newspapers' websites. Staff are also looking at ways to identify Open City Hall items directly
on the published agenda.
Resources
The forum has been relatively easy to manage from the City staff perspective. Each week, staff
prepares a question for the forum along with a summary of the item. Staff sends this item to the
Peak Democracy staff along with a link to the agenda item and it is posted to the forum. On
Monday, the City Clerk's Office is able to access the forum and download the comments from
each topic so the staff can then print them for the Council meeting. Following the Council
meeting, the staff then draft up a statement summarizing the Council action on the topic, which
Peak Democracy sends to participants. Overall, the whole process probably takes 1-3 hours of
City staff time depending on the number of forum topics. This is a relatively small investment of
staff time that enables the public another avenue for participation in Council agenda topics.
Additional Feedback
In addition to receiving feedback from the Committee regarding general satisfaction around the
forum, staff would also like to hear suggestions regarding ways to enhance its effectiveness for
the Council and additional ways to promote participation in the forum. Currently, between 1-3
items are posted to the forum for each Council meeting. Should the forum be opened up to allow
for Board/Commission items to be posted as well? Does the Committee have any other
suggested mechanisms for increasing participation in the forum?
RESOURCE IMPACT
The City has been participating in the Open City Hall pilot program for the past six months. The
set up cost for the program was $5,000 and there is a monthly subscription fee of $200. The total
cost of the pilot program is $6,200. Peak Democracy staff have indicated that they would
continue to charge the City $200 per month to continue hosting the Open City Hall forum. This
monthly cost would be absorbed within the City Manager's Office budget.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The recommendations in this report are consistent with City policies and previous Council
direction. The Open City Hall forum also supports one of the Council's top priorities for this
year, Civic Engagement for the Common Good.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This report is not a project requiring review under the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA).
ATTACHMENTS
AttachmentA: Synopsis of Topics Posted on Open City Hall during Pilot Program
Attachment B: Open City Hall User Satisfaction Survey Results
CMR:299:09 Page 3 of4
PREPARED BY:
KELLY MORARIU
Assistant to the City Manager
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
CMR:299:09 Page 4
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Topics:
Statements:
Equivalent Public Comment Hours
@ 3minlstatement:
Usage by Topic
As of June 23,2009
Attachment A
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Attachment B I
Satis,factlon Survey
Old you Itke using this Open Cltv Hall forum?
Why or why not?
(See following pages)
Response Comment Date
06/22/09
06/22/09
Yes Easy to use and I'm able to express my thoughts and views.
Yes Central location for a complex issue. Nice to have all the supporting
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
materials in one space. Simple and clear navigation was great.
it's easy and goes to the immediate readership
do not always have time to keep up on city news, regulations, etc.
Hopefully this will help me be a better informed resident/taxpayer. It is also
easier to contribute an opinion in this forum for someone who is not used to
voicing their opinions in a public speaking forum.
it is easy and efficient and it strikes me as being a good option for
participating in the democratic process
06/22/09
06/22/09
06/20/09
I've used it plenty of times but without my name. However,I think it is a 06/20/09
waste of money. It could be done more efficiently by using a blog on the
Palo Alto Weekly Town Square which thousands of people read and many
use.On a tiny fraction of residents even bother to use this.
Don't know, because I don't know who reads it. 06/19/09
I appreciate the opportunity to express my views and it was easy to use the 06/19/09
site
Hope to be heard, and reach a wider audience.
Hopefully, this is not another wasted exercise to make our local
government look good by using the latest "government speak" buzz word:
civic engagement. Remember the fate of Props 1A-1E?Your next
extravagant bond proposal may have the same fate if the taxpayers lose
faith.
06/19/09
05/31/09
Pretty straightforward and simple to use. 05/31/09
No maybe?? I will see how it plays. But the site works very well! Kudos on 05/28/09
that! Not an easy task.
I'd rather deal with my City's government or a local citizen's group. 05/16/09
It's an easy to use share-point. 05116109
It appears to be an easy way to communicate. It is unknown whether or not OSlO 1109
it will be an effective means .
. Good idea, let's see if anyone in City Hall pays any attention. 04/27/09
Civic engagement leads to better and more responsive government, and a 04/27/09
more interesting community
It is a way for Palo Alto residents to post their opinions, and also to read 04/27/09
others' opinions.
It's a convenient way to express views without writing a formal letter to
elected officials or staff.
This is great! I'm excited to have the chance to give my input.
Still too soon to tell, this was my first time.
I hope this will be carefully evaluated by our elected City Council
Representatives, and used by Palo Alto residents to give comments and
suggestions to the Council
04/27/09
04/25/09
04/25/09
04/17/09
I would have felt more comfortable if I had known about a way to register 0411 0/09
first and then coinment, rather than commenting first and then being forced
to register at the end.
It's easy to participate and it looks like it works. 04/09/09
Easy way to give one's opinion 03/30/09
As long as my comments are considered on a timely basis, I am in favor of 03/30/09
this system. Thanks.
Yes Easy to use, see comments of others. 03/29/09
Yes Easy to use and understand. 03/27/09
Yes Hopefully we can temperthe stupid actions of the city council. But I fear it 03116/09
will have no effect...
Yes ... makes me believe that someone may be listening! :-) Doesn't take much 03/13/09
of my time or (hopefully) your time, but achieves some communication.
Yes Why does the window say "We'll add your city when you sign in" and then 03113109
not allow you to proceed until you've checked the add-my-city box?
Yes Over time, credible users of Open City Hall will grow. 03/13/09
Yes It was very easy to navigate. And this particular topic is very important to 03/05/09
P.A.
No I'd like to be able to make comments, but I don't like that its so pUblic. This 03/02/09
doesn't feel safe to me'. Also, I wasn't aware that this was a recognized city
council forum until today - I felt pressured to get this posted here in order
for my consideration to be heard.
Yes I like the managed format and feel it increases the likelihood of my opinion 03/01/09
being heard.
No I don't like the ToS. 03/01109
Yes It provides a much better oppotunity to participate in community issues. 03/01109
Yes If someone with actual authority reads the comments, maybe a change to 02/28/09
the HSR plan can actually happen!
Yes Seems like a good tool for busy residents to remain in contact with the City 02128109
Council and City staff, even if other commitments often prevent me from
attending evening community meetings.
Yes This is democracy in action. People cannot always make it to City Council 02/28/09
meetings, but would like input in the process
Yes Yes, I feel I can voice my opinon to City Council without the hassle of 02/28/09
sitting through an entire city council meeting for my 2 minutes of time.
Yes Simple, well-designed web app. 02/28/09
Yes Great way to communicate ideas. 02/27/09
Yes I have been enrolled in this Open City Hall for a while now. This is my first 02/26/09
comment. I hope that the Council appreciates that this is the first time in
years that i've been able to give my opinion, and without the trouble of
going downtown. And i hope they also appreciate that when i have no
opinion on a subject they won't get a message from me. Nevertheless, i
really like being asked. :) Thank you.
Yes Forum is essential to democracy. This makes it fairly practical. 02111109
No To soon to tell. Ask me later. 02/06109
Yes We need to gather as many ideas as possible to solve the massive budget 02/06/09
shortfall. This is an easy and quick way to post one's opinion.
Yes easy to use 02/05/09
Yes What choice do I have? I think the data entry portion of this site could be 01131109
enormously improved by providing something like a word processor
interface with formatting choices, copylpaste, insert external text, etc.
No One way dialog. One item only. Not as participatory as PA Weekly Town 01130/09
Square
Yes However, I'm not certain that I like the anonymity feature. This creates the 01127/09
possibility for manipulation of results. At the very least, there ought to be
some verifiability for the Palo Alto residency.
Yes It's incredibly user friendly. Love it! 01126/09
Yes Quick way to communicate about issues affecting us. 01125/09
Yes Convenience. 01/25/09
Yes It's an efficient way to communicate with city hall 01125109
Yes Great idea for those of us who are interested but can't make it to meetings 01125/09
(small children at home, in my case). Seems easier than trying to figure out
what council members to email, and more likely to be effective since
council members can see an organized snapshot of votes, rather than
wading through their inboxes trying to get a tally.
No The links that explain some of the features should open a new window, so 01125/09
the user doesn't have to go back, and re-enter information. Thanks!
Yes Easy way for my voice to be heard. Site is simple &' usable. Thanks! Dave 01125/09
Yes It's a great way to be informed, and a great way to get input from the 01125/09
public,
Yes It's another conduit for communication. I hope there is evidence that it is 01125/09
effective, both in use by city officials as well as civic, civil discourse by the
constituents. ,
Yes It is a very efficient way for me to be able to participate in the government 01/25/09
& issues of relevance to me as a citizen of Palo Alto. I appreciate the
opportunity, and hope that our government actually is able to make use of
the input on this site to learn there is consensus, when it exists, and to
understand more about different perspectives and their relative "weights"
throughout the City.
Yes it's quick and efficient 01125109
No cumbersome registration process 01/25/09
Yes I don't really know yet because I just registered. Seems fine right know, and 0 1125/09
everything was very clear except for how you insert your name and city
when writing a responce for thoughts about issues.
Yes I seems to be well done, protecting against those that might just wish to be 01125/09
negative trouble makers. .
No Yes, I think it is important to be informed about the city I live in. 01/25/09
Yes Very convenient way for me to communicate with my elected officials 01125109
about particular issues up for consideration.
Yes We'll see. Just because we have a place to add comments doesn't mean 01/25/09
anyone is paying attention. There are real problems in Palo Alto and this
city council has spent lots of time doing silly things like naming the City
Hall for Martin Luther King. So, we'll see.
Yes Quick and easy way to have at least a voice without long drawn out 01125109
meetings.
Yes It was a very interesting and quite easy way to express my opinion on an 01/25/09
issue before the City Council.
Yes Able to participate and register opinion easily from home. 01125109
Yes great opportunity to express my ideas .. look forward to hearing from others. 01/25/09
Yes I love it because I can give my opinion without getting into my car. 01125109
Yes Because it gives the Public a voice. 01125/09
No You have an INCREDIBLY long legal aggreement. I felt like I was buying 01125/09
a house or signing a business contract. The fact that you read every
submission before posting it is quite disturbing. And then it takes 24 hours
to have comments posted.
Yes It allows those who can't or won't write letters or speak before Council to 01/25/09
voice their opinions.
Yes nice way to collaborate 01125109
. No I do not believe in blogs without someone's name. If the city wants to try 01/25/09
this, it should allow comments on evemy public hearing item.
Yes It seems easier to give your opinion vs writing a formal letter to the city 01125/09
council.
Yes reasonably straightforward --but I don't think democracy is best served by 01124/09
anonymous notes
Yes Easy way to communicate! 01/24/09
No Not at all sure how it fits in withe lithe City of Palo Alto." Or exactly what 01124/09
its purpose is.
Yes Liked it this time. Stumbled on first attempt to use it to send a message 01/24/09
about municipal compo sting.
Yes I appreciate the screening of the submissions by the forum. However, after 01/24/09
I submitted my vote and comment this first time, I was surprised to see that
there would be a 24-hour or longer delay before my comment was posted to
the forum. I think that 24 hours is too long a delay to get one's comment
posted. I would like to see other posters' comments sooner than that. Many
of us get a heads up about the topic of this forum from an e-mail list, and so
we probably visit the forum on the same day, within a few hours of each
other. When I visit the forum, I would like to be able to see all of the
comments that have been submitted, not just the comments that were
submitted more than 24 hours prior to my visit to the forum. The City
Council usually meets on Monday night, and many of the po stings will be
made on the weekend. Will the comments submitted during the weekend
not be posted unitil Monday?
No Not a computer person. It wasn't clear that you had to sign in to list your 01124/09
opinion. Had to re-do statement. This should be easier for· older people to
use and many in Palo Alto are getting older and not used to computers.
Yes It would be great if city council reads or pays attention ... if not it is a waste 01124/09
of time!!!!!
Yes Clean and easy way to stay actively involved in my city. 01124/09
No We keep hearing how desperate the city needs money -if someone wants to 01124/09
get involved there are lots of ways. This is just another "hype program" that
costs money to seem that we are so high tech and open. Democracy takes
effort and if someone doesn't want to put out the effort, their loss -lets use
the money were it counts. This also goes for the $35,000 to find the color
or Palo Alto. Any kid knows that if you mix lots of colors together one gets
a shade of brown. I am sure a 3rd grader would be happy to give you this
answer with a big grin and feel so smart afterwards and it wouldn't cost
$35,000. The people who would paint their house the "color of Palo Alto"
really need approval for what they do. How sad.
Yes I am trying it out to see if it is a resposible forum for public discussion. I 01124/09
will like it if it is, but will not use it further if the participants cannot keep
the exchanges at a civil level with respect for facts and analysis. Requiring
people to sign their names may be necessary to move in this direction. It is
my experience that blind postings open the door to uncivil exchanges, and I
Yes
will not waste my time with that.
It allows me to voice my opinion to the "powers that be" in City Hall. I
cannot get to meetings due to my disability.
01124/09
Yes convenience 01124/09
Yes some simple ability to see issue overviews and make my opinion easily 01124/09
known --much easier than Googling, reading large documents, writing
emails or letters.
Yes But if it turns out to be a forum where anonymous posters vent venom like 01123/09
on Town Hall then it will faiL
Yes Web site was simple to work. I was able to get involved without a major 01123/09
investment in time.
Yes I really is an excellent fit with our 2009 City Council priorities. Is it 01112/09
possible to distribute the topics for comment, perhap's via the Palo Alto
. Weekly or Palo Alto Online dialy news? I do NOT like to have depend on
my memory to check other websites for updates. Also, instead of just
"immediatley" or "every 2 weeks at most", could you provide a weekly
option? Thanks for doing this. Trish
Yes This is great vehicle to encourage Palo Alto residents to voice their 01/11109
opinions on issues affecting our community
No Why Not? It may become another way for the City Council to make 01110/09
decisions based on which interest group screams the loudest. The survey I
just completed on compo sting is completely unscientific and in no way
should be read as representing the voice of the community. It represents a
few voices, most of whom have a major agenda, which is already reflected
on the council. It's nonsense unless it can be shown to actually increase
citizen participation beyond a small number of activists. I'm not an activist
and I took the survey, so my participation can be counted in the column of
increasing citizen input.
Yes I'm too lazy to go to the City Hall for council meetings. This provides a 01110/09
quicker way to read other ideas and comments and then give a current
opinion. Thanks for making this great new option available. Kay Schauer
Yes Either the people submitting were reared properly or someone does a good. 01109/09
job of culling through the submissions and weeding out the comments that
don't stick to the issue. Great way to hear from the public.
No It's just one more thing for those of us who do go to city hall to have to do 01/09/09
to keep up with those who don't go to city hall or keep up with issues.
Yes I write anyway when I'm aware of when certain issues are to be considered. 01/09/09
However, I don't always know when that is, and the Forum should help on
that. Walt
Yes It is another way to speak to those we elected. But I am not sure it should 01109109
be anonymous. I do not want it to take the place of writing or talking to
council members. Also, I am a little worried about censorship. We will see
how it goes.
Yes It is too early to tell how this really works. Ask again in a few months. I 01109/09
think that any comments must have the commenter's name posted after the
comment, just like they do in the newspaper. Anonymity on-line invites
flaming and less responsible comments. See the postings on Paloalto on-
line an example of this. David
No haven't used it enough to know. 01109/09
No Registering does not seem to be necessary 01/08/09
Yes If the officials read it, its a way to keep in touch with the public. However 01/08/09
the "verification" process is flimsy; anyone with a free email account can
CLAIM to be a PA resident. And bulletin boards tend to become dominated
by trolls and others with little else to do in their spare time but blast their
opinions, so I wonder how representative what shows up here will really be
of the PA community.
Yes Easy and great way to voice my opinion. 01/08/09
Yes I can have input without attending the meeting. Very convenient. 01/08/09
Yes I think it's great to be able to voice my opinion and to read what others 01/08/09
think. This feels like real Democracy in action! Hooray!
Yes I think this is a very good alternative method for citi~ens/residents to use to 01/08/09
provide the City with opinions/suggestions on important issues and topics
that are happening within the city. Short of having to provide hardcopy
letters, emails, or even having to attend Council meetings just to state your
opinions and concerns,· this method gives you the opportunity to voice them
anywhere and at anytime and still know that your thoughts are being
received by the powers that be. I think this is great!
Yes Gives me hope that my ideas about Palo Alto issues may actually come to 01108/09
the attention of city officials. To date I am not sure Council and other staff
really care. Moreover, this is an opportunity for Council to offer a way to
become "engaged" as they promised us a year ago. So thank you for this
opportunity. Richard C. Placone
Yes City information comes too lat to evaluate before Council meetings. This 01/08/09
will help. It is unlikely though that the City will pay much attention to these
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
opinions. views.
I like the opportunity to post this because I hope that it will become a
widely used forum for exchange of information that is important for the
city.
My real concern is I signed a LONG statement that I did not read.
Hopefully this will not be a problem.
It's a good way to communicate from home, without having to attend a
meeting.
It allows for reasonable civic participation.
72 of the survey respondents did not submit a comment.
01/08/09
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