Accountability

A city that openly and proactively informs and engages citizens and inspires everyone to feel the city is working for them.

How can city government be more transparent?
How can city government involve more citizens in setting priorities?
How can public engagement be facilitated so the process is civil and productive?
How can the city use new technologies to track performance and make data public in accessible formats?

City Council:
- Allow public comments at City Council meetings, as called for by Clevelanders for Public Comment. Done!
- Move Council committee meetings to venues and times accessible to more citizens.
- End Council’s debate-gagging “unit rule” and limit the use of “emergency” legislation for routine business.
- Stop allowing Council members to retire early and select their own replacements to finish the term.
Allow participatory budgeting (as is being demonstrated by Refund Cleveland) so citizens can better understand budget trade-offs and help set priorities.
Make the city’s public utilities, especially Cleveland Public Power, more open and transparent.
Update and redesign the clunky city website. (An RFP was issued in 2020 for a new site.)
Improve the city’s 311 system to make it easier for citizens to report problems and make suggestions—and then receive responses about actions taken.
Support the efforts of the city’s Office of Sustainability to use LEED for Cities and Communities to track the city’s progress toward greater sustainability and quality of life.
Support the municipal modernization recommendations of the 2021 Neighborhood Platform.

What’s missing? What else should be included on this page? Go here to contribute your ideas.