HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS-14-122 - Open Government Action Plan & Open Data Progress Updates Staff Report
rTC.� R finance and Corporate Services Department www.kitcheneaa
REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: September 8, 2014
SUBMITTED BY: Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO, 519-741-2200 ext. 7347
PREPARED BY: Kathryn Dever, 519-741-2200 ext. 7370
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: August 22, 2014
REPORT NO.: FCS-14-122
SUBJECT: Open Government Action Plan and Open Data
Progress Updates
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the recommendations of the Kitchener eParticipation Executive Summary Report
(pages 14-16 of Appendix A to staff report FCS-14-122) be approved in principle and
staff be directed to bring forward the associated funding recommendations through the
2015 budget process as potential strategic additions.
BACKGROUND:
In February 2014 Council approved an Open Government Action Plan and key priorities
aligned to the three principles of Participation, Transparency and Accountability, for the
4-year period 2014-2017. The Action Plan provides a clear roadmap for the City to
pursue more open government in Kitchener.
The purposes of this report are to:
• share progress toward the six 2014 priority actions
• provide highlights of the City's Open Data implementation to date and plans for
public events
5 - 1
• seek approval in principle for the eParticipation summary report and direction to
staff to bring forward associated funding recommendations through the 2015
budget process
REPORT:
A. Open Government Action Plan Progress Update:
Six priorities aligned to the 3 principles were included in year one of the Action Plan as
follows:
• Participation: Community Engagement Policy and e-Participation initiatives
• Transparency: Open Data Launch
• Accountability: Strategic Plan Community Assessment, City Website and
Accessible Reporting initiatives
Following is a summary of the 2014 priority commitments, key achievements to date
and actions planned for the balance of the year for these initial priorities. In some cases
work will span beyond 2014, as indicated by multiple years are shown in brackets.
Priority l 2014 Commitments Key Adhievetnents Actions Planned
Community Engagement Project plan and approach Document review,
Policy: to stakeholder consultation internal and Compass
Develop a Community and Compass Kitchener Kitchener consultation
Engagement Policy, engaging role established planned to take place in
Compass Kitchener and other fall
stakeholders for input Council review of Policy
expected by end of 2014
eParticipation: Environmental scan of Enhance participation via
Research approaches to online software options complete the City's website will be
participation which enhance Internal assessment of included in the larger
public engagement engagement needs and website review project to
Enhance participation via the opportunities complete begin in 2015
City's website (2014-17) Functional requirements for
software defined (see also section C of this
report)
Budget and staff
resourcing requirements
estimated
Consultant report and
recommendations
complete
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Priority,/2014 Commitments Key Achievements Actions Planned
Open Data: Open Data licence and Expanding data offerings
Launch the City's Open Data internal approvals process Improve site to make it
portal with initial priority data established easier for users to
sets Open Data portal launched provide feedback/suggest
Build awareness and use of the in May with 30 initial datasets of interest
data sets through outreach datasets (focus on GIS Plan and partnership for
activities, including a potential spatial data) two launch events
"hackathon" or app 337 data downloads to
development contest date
(see also section 8 of this
2 suggestions for new report)
datasets received and
evaluated
Connections established
with local municipalities
and open data community
for collaboration
Strategic Plan Community `Your Kitchener Your Say' Data to be analyzed by
Assessment: consultation completed staff and Compass
Explore citizen survey results including `Accountability Kitchener
through Compass Kitchener and Good Governance' Key findings and report to
community consultation to area of focus be presented to Council
understand feedback and Feedback and comments this fall as part of first
priorities for Accountability summarized phase of Strategic Plan
Identify any related strategic update
directions for the City Strategic
Plan 2015-2018
City Website Improvements: Project plan for website These improvements will
Improve the City's website to review drafted and staff be included in the larger
clarify roles of City vs. other resourcing plan established website review to begin in
levels of government (2014-15) 2015
Accessible Reporting: General staff training Staff training programs to
Continue to improve and programs updated and be launched this fall
expand training and guidelines refreshed Means to ensure
for staff on plain language and Training options expanded application of skills to be
accessibility requirements to address varying and established
(2014-17) specific writing needs
Customized small group
programs piloted
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B. Open Data Events
Open Data promotional events are intended to build awareness, interest, engagement
and use of the City's open data sets. Two types of events are typically undertaken by
government organizations:
• Hackathon: also known as a hackfest or codefest; computer programmers,
software designers and others with an interest collaborate to use open data for
social or educational purposes, or create usable software; usually run over a day
or up to a week
• App development contest: software developers use open data to develop
applications that will help address community issues or problems; runs over a
number of weeks or months
Staff are developing a two-phased approach to these events-
1. A hackathon-style event this fall which ensures staff capacity to plan and deliver
the event at a prime time for local educational institutions, and Council's ability to
participate after the election
2. Apps contest in spring 2015 to allow for growth in datasets, anticipated
momentum to the City's Open Data program, and time to establish
partners/sponsors. This event will be focused on using our open data offerings to
propose solutions to a real problem the City is faced with; this will ensure an event
that not only generates interest but provides a tangible benefit to the community.
Staff will explore collaboration with local municipalities, universities and other
organizations, and consider best practices to inform the planning, delivery and focus of
both of events. Prize monies are associated with these events to generate interest and
participation; these will be funded from existing budgets and partnerships/sponsorships.
C. eParticipation Tools
Citizen participation is a key principle for open government. eParticipation (approaches
to online participation) is a particularly rapidly-growing element in local government
communications and engagement. Implementing electronic means to engage with
citizens is a recognized priority of Council and has a strong base of community support
evidenced by the findings of the City's open government consultation and the recent
Environics citizen survey. Research into approaches in this area was a key first priority
in Kitchener's Open Government Action Plan.
Jury Konga (eGovFutures Group) has advised the City on the Open Government Action
Plan due to his extensive background in the field. Mr. Konga has been working with City
resources to investigate potential eParticipation tools, case studies, benefits and
implementation approach for Kitchener. An executive summary report is attached as
Appendix A and details the following:
• evolution of community engagement in Kitchener
• environmental scan of the global context and several municipal eParticipation
case studies
• opportunities to enhance existing engagement efforts
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• functional requirements and technology options
• staff resourcing
• draft implementation schedule
The recommendations and implementation approach support the Open Government
action plan with a focus on being Participatory as it is rolled out in the community. An
adequately resourced eParticipation community engagement program will enhance
decision making, service delivery and build trust with citizens. It will also respond to
calls from citizens for increased electronic engagement. Council is requested to
approve the recommendations of the summary report in principle and direct staff to
bring forward the associated funding recommendations through the 2015 budget
process.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The City's Open Government Action Plan and related priorities align to the following
areas of the City's Strategic Plan:
Community Priorities: Leadership and Community Engagement.
Effective and Efficient Government Priorities: Organizational Governance,
Communications, Marketing & Customer Service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None at this time. The Kitchener eParticipation Summary Report identifies technological
and staff resourcing considerations which must be funded if the recommendations are
to be achieved. Subject to Council's approval in principle, staff will bring specific budget
recommendations forward in 2015 as potential strategic additions.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in
advance of the council / committee meeting.
CONSULT — Section A of this report outlines specific consultation actions completed or
planned as part of implementing initial priorities in the City's Open Government Action
Plan.
APPENDICES:
A. Kitchener eParticipation Executive Summary Report
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO — Finance and Corporate
Services
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Kitchener e-Participation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background on Community Engagement in Kitchener.................................................................................3
History of Kitchener Community Engagement.........................................................................................3
Open Government—Being Participatory..................................................................................................4
Kitchener Community Engagement Principles and Framework...............................................................4
Kitchener's Community Engagement Principles...................................................................................4
Community Engagement Framework...................................................................................................5
Community Engagement—Environmental Scan ..........................................................................................5
ExternalView............................................................................................................................................5
TheCitizen View........................................................................................................................................6
TheInternal View......................................................................................................................................7
The Impact of Maintaining Status Quo.....................................................................................................8
Community Engagement Considerations.....................................................................................................9
Data—a Corporate and Community Asset ...............................................................................................9
Potential Integration Among Community Engagement and Communications Technologies..................9
Kitchener Commons Concept.................................................................................................................10
Addressing Enhanced e-Participation Opportunities..................................................................................11
Functional Requirements........................................................................................................................11
TechnologyOptions................................................................................................................................11
Operationalizing Enhanced E-Participation ................................................................................................12
StaffResourcing......................................................................................................................................12
ImplementationSchedule.......................................................................................................................13
Corporate e-Participation Recommendations and Conclusions.................................................................14
Introduction............................................................................................................................................14
Enacting Enhanced Community Engagement.........................................................................................14
Co-Developing with the Community.......................................................................................................15
Empowering Citizens through Kitchener Commons...............................................................................15
InConclusion...........................................................................................................................................16
Cover Graphic Source: 2Gather Community of Practice,Greece
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Summery—August 2014
2
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Kitchener e-Participation
e Participation can be viewed simply as technology tools and processes to
facilitate online community engagement., Fhis report is provided to assist the
City in understanding the current community engagement landscape and
technology options available for enhanced community engagement.,
BACKGROUND ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN
KITCHENER
HISTORY OF KITCHENER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
A review of prior strategic plan priorities illustrates the City's ongoing
commitment to enhancing community engagement to support decision making
and service delivery., Council support for community engagement includes
creation of its Citizen Advisory Committees., Fhe City has a strong record of
successful community engagements on an ongoing basis, as well as a
demonstrated desire to continually improve its efforts., Fhis is exemplified by
the significant consultation and inclusiveness of strategic planning process, Your
Kitchener,Your Say(and formerly Who Are You Kitchener?). Another recent
example is the King Street Reconstruction Project which had a significant
component being public input., Citizen input was translated into four concepts
for King Street, including incorporating some rather contentious matters like on
street parking, sidewalk widths, street furniture and landscaping., Residents
were again asked to comment on the four concepts., Following four interactive
rounds of consultation, what resulted was the creation of a community vision
that ultimately was awarded the International Community Places award, as well
as being featured in a number of publications.,
More recently, the City has seen success in community surveys:: the Statue
survey, for example, garnered over 2500 visits and a 75%completion rate; the
Casino survey saw over 4.500 visits with a 55%completion rate.The City's use of
social media continues to engage., Fhe twitter account has some 20,000
followers, and the activity on Facebook continues growing., Fhis illustrates the
public's appetite and desire for a forum for open conversation.
Future projects, like Planning Around Rapid Fransit (PAR FS) will require
significant public input from a variety of stakeholders, so it is timely that
investigation into a sustainable and strategic public participation process.,
Fhe updating of the Fransparency and Accountability policy,twinned with the
Open Government Framework,together with the most recent Environic's
Citizen Survey and community engagement in the Strategic Planning process all
speak to continued efforts to enhance the engagement with citizens.,
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Summary----Au gust 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
OPEN GOVERNMENT — BEING PARTICIPATORY
1 As noted in the graphic, e Participation is an integral cornpc rent
off the p artici p ator y principle of the City's Open Oovorrnrrternt
Parkicira2atir rr Framework, e°°Participatiorn is also the e(leetrornie) eornpornernt of
the broader eorrtrrturnity ernaerrternt discipline that the City has
IF been undertaking for years and understands that ernha neernernt
'wn , of these activities leveraging current technologies is important.
KITCHENER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORK
Fhe City of IKitcherner recognizes that meaningful citizen
ern a ernernt in government decisions is a way to improve
relations, build trust and create more insightful local decisions.,
KITCHENER'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPLES
Fhe principles for undertaking eornrn urnity ern a ernernt for the City are
surnrnarizecl as follows,
• Ccrrrgrrgunicotion. ..Fhe ern a ernernt process and each step of its progress will
be communicated to participants and the eornrn urnity at large using
appropriate rnethocls and technologies.,
• Inclus/nv/ty. Our ern a ernernt process will be based on building trust and
relationships within the eornrn urnity,
• Continuous Improvement. We will continue to seek Fetter ways of engaging
the eornrn urnity at large about complex issues,
• Tronsporency on d Acco mobility. Fhe city will be transparent and
accountable for acting in accordance with its "Commitment to the Pu blic"
and will dernornstrate that results and outeornes are consistent with the
promises it makes,
• Resources. Fhe city acknowledges the importance of engaging the
eornrn urnity and providing adequate staff, time and funding to do so,
• Eracgoging Portners
Fo the Lost of its ability,the city will work in partnership with individuals,
groups and organizations to seek mutually beneficial outeornes.
Principles sourced from City's "Community pity Enna ement TooWt"which provides
guidelines and Kest practices for undertaking eornrn urnity ern a ernernt by City
staff.,
City of IKitcherner e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 204
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Kitchener e-Participation
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
Fhe Cornrnunity Engagernent Frarnework was created to identify the possible
levels of cornrnunity ern gagernent and the relationship between the City and its
citizens in these ern gagernents.
Ml etho�d c* Inform Consult Collaborate Entrust
To provude the pUbHc wiith To obtain pUblHc iinput unto To partner,with the pUblHc iin various To address the needs of the
balanced and objectiive priorities or decisions, aspects of Vie planiniing and decision- Public and place the fiinal
inforniation to assust thern usually at one Point in the making process usually including the decision rn th6ir hands.
Definhion in Understand4ig the project planning or development of alternatives and
problem, alternative,or implementation process. identification of the preferred
sollutiions. solution.
We Will Ikeep YOU informed. We will inform you,Hsten to We wrilll look to youui for cliirect advice We will work wiithi YOU to reach
you,acknowledge your and iinnovatiion ins forMUlating a final decision and
Promise to the concerns, and provide solutions,and incorporate your implement what You decide.
PUbHc feedback oni how pUblHc input adVice and recommendations iinto
influenced th e de6i sii on. the decisions to the maximum extent
possiiblle.
What does
this hook like?
... ....... .......
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Ides��
�Examplles Aninounceirnent of Seeking input on a park Working with a ineighibourhiood A Neighbouirhood Coalition
funding or inewv loydaw developirnent plan association to develop a is irmade respoinsible for
coirnmunity centre allocating City grants
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT - ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN
EXTERNAL VIEW
In undertaking the environmental scan of technology supported cornrnunity
engagement, it is apparent that there is a great diversity of"solutions" available
for the public sector. The "solutions" may be characterized as follows:: single
function software, multi function software that is owned by the purchaser(i.e.
hosted on City data centre), SaaS(Software as a Service) hosted in the cloud
(internet based computing services that do not require much local l F support),
mobile only software solutions, web only solutions and integrated enterprise
software suite (often combined with other functionality e.g. CRM).
Fhe approach to the environmental scan was to contact the community
engagement vendor community and municipal community engagement
practitioners., RFI�s were sent to eighteen vendors based on functional
requirements defined by staff., Most of the vendors responded with all defining
City of IKitchener e Participation Executive Summary—Au ust 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
a SaaS solution., Additional insight was gleaned front existing peer network as
well as interviews with leading cities in cornrnunity ern gagernent.
Fhe City of Edrnonton, as part of their Open City initiative, defined their second
goal as "Open Engagement" which over the last year has seen an uptake in use
of corporate cornrnunity ern gagernent tools. ..Fhe City of Vancouver recently
received the "Engaged City Task F=orce" report and have experimented with a
variety of online tools to "mirror the in person with online" experience. The City
of Calgary has a corporate Engagernent Resource team as well as departmental
"Web/Digital" Coordinators to address the need to both gather community
input and equally important to report back to the cornrnunity.,
THE CITIZEN VIEW
Recent surveys and ern gagernent carnpaigns have provided some insight into the
thoughts of citizens on the City's community engagement. Some highlights may
Ise surnrnarized as follows::
Opportunity for Enhanced Cornrnunity Engagernent
Environics Survey
Kitchener Community Engagement Research
Preparedfbr the,City of Kitdwner January 2014 Fhe research analysis identified that less than 20%of
lxxr1 0 "1 �1111U' respondents rioted they were "Very Satisfied"with
hhiw cornrnunity engagernent while an additional 53%
ENVIRONICS
RE � EARLH G " 0 U P rioted they were "Somewhat Satisfied",, In regards to
transparency,47%of respondents (highest response)
noted::"Designing new ways for residents to ask questions and give input
should be the top priority if the City wants to prove its cornrnitrnent to
transparency". Another question asked about the preferred method of
providing input to the City—a cornbined 57%of respondents indicated they
preferred a digital approach (online survey, cornrnents by email and digital town
hall). All of these results speak to the opportunity of enhanced cornrnunity
ern gagernent with e Participation tools.,
Strotegic 111onning 2015-18
Your Kitchener, Yo�ur Say! Integroted 1110 nning
Fhere are extensive findings and a lot of great
Ideas corning front citizens who participating in
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N ;; //�/r/ 1/, //�/����/�`����r/��//r��,�/ � ��r/, /rr„/ / //,rrr the strategic planning exercise that offered in
person workshops, online contributions and
-nailed in as well., Fhe
workbooks that could be
report on the outcornes will be provided to
Council in September. Without getting into specifics, it is clear that through the
City of IKitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
6
5 - 11
Kitchener e-Participation
strategic planning exercise, citizens have not only defined what they want their
City to be but also how they want to interact with the City—in rnany cases, the
desire for more online information and ern gagernent.
Sociol Medic Surveys - Communicotions on Morketing
Social Media use in the City continues to expand and
is well received by citizens., It provides good service
..........
in alerting citizens to new information as well as
affording therm the opportunity for online dialogue., Fhe importance of online
ern gagernent can be seen front statistics (Appendix B)that shows an increase of
82% in unique users front 2013 —2014. As community ern gagernent expands, it is
important to leverage social rnedia.,
THE INTERNAL VIEW
Fhis project has initiated the process of assessing the state of community
ern gagernent within the City., As noted in the recommendations section, there is
a need for a "deeper dive"to fine tune the opportunities and challenges
throughout the corporation., In conversations with staff, there is a clear need to
provide additional e Participation tools to staff to address citizen's desire for
enhanced community ern gagernent—particularly online., As community
ern gagernent is a corporate wide need, there was an internal survey/inventory of
community ern gagernent practices throughout the organization., Fhis was
accomplished through a series of questions applied to all the core city services
as illustrated below.,
Fhe following general observations can be made front this exercise::
• Majority of core services include some degree of community ern gagernent
and most are not required by legislation;
• Majority of core services undertaking community ern gagernent are Inform
and Consult;
• No core services associate the Entrust level of ern gagernent;
• Majority of core service owners believe there is potential for use of e tools
in their community ern gagernents.
Fhis inventory was undertaken as a starting point to identify the current state of
community ern gagernent with the City departments. A more detailed internal
assessrnent/audit rnust be undertaken to better confirm requirements (e.g.
functional requirements) and assess the value proposition for the individual
core services undertaking community ern gagernent and to what extent.,
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
THE IMPACT OF MAINTAINING STATUS QUO
Fhe environmental scan of community ern gagernent has shown that::
• the e Participation marketplace is growing and becorning rnature;
• leading municipalities have recognized the value of enhanced community
ern gagernent and have developed strong pro rams;
• Citizens are increasingly asking for enhanced community ern gagernent with
requests for more online capabilities; and
• City staff have confirmed the need for more effective and efficient tools in
supporting community ern gagernent.
Fhe strategic priorities of Council have included staternents of the importance of
effective community ern gagernent to support decision making and service
delivery.,
Fhe impact of maintaining the status quo on current operations may be
surnmarized as
0 Erosion of trust between government and its citizens due to lack of
response to request for improved community ern gagernent;
0 Anticipated reduction in citizen participation due to lack of online choices in
communicating with City;
0 Loss of efficiencies in carnpaign designing, communicating, managing
feedback data and reporting back to citizens;
0 Possible ineffective carnpaigns and initiatives due to insufficient citizen
feedback needed to support effective decision making;
0 Less effective use of staff resources (e.g. cut & paste versus e tool report
autornation); and
0 Delay in implementation of Council endorsed Open Government Action
Plan.,
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnmary—August 2014
8
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Kitchener e-Participation
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Community engagernent also aligns with a citizen centric service focus with
"Citizen F=lrst" mantra of the Institute for Citizen Centred Services
(h11E.ZLwwwJccs-isac.orgL._lt has been rioted by many,that in today's hectic
and rnobile world, time is the most precious cornrnodity of people. As such, a
citizen centric approach rnust seek to provide citizens with the highest value
while taking the least arnount of their time.
DATA — A CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY ASSET
Fhe following schematic illustrates a high level view illustrating the importance
of collecting, maintaining and accessing community engagernent data.,
p
Citizens,Businesses,CommunityGroups l3TV�—Oerson
—W As noted in the following section, it is
Fe,edlbaick
Online Online equally important that the data be
Data In integrated arson g other enterprise
systems to ensure effective
information rnanagernent.,
Reports Also note value of integrating data
out from all levels of government and
community groups with the
tit community engagernent data.,
Data exchange a Bong
..........
POTENTIAL INTEGRATION AMONG COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
Fhe e Participation initiative is based on the premise
uum that there is a need for a holistic, corporate wide
approach to providing services and managing
community engagernent and communications.
Fhe CES(e Participation) is the focus of this project
while the CRM is a key to the corporate custorner
f 9S service strategy and the CMS relates to managing web
(Content content., It is important to seek to optimize the
Manageirnent
Software), integration arnong these different software systems.
City of IKitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
KITCHENER COMMONS CONCEPT
Fhe term cornrnons is often associated with a rneeting place for everyone and
discussion., Cornrnons can be both physical and virtual., For purposes of this
initiative, it is recornmended that the idea of a Kitchener Cornrnons be
considered., Fhis would have two elernents:: the physical cornrnons (where
people physically meet) and the virtual commons ("meeting" online).
Kitchener Cornrnons—the Physical Cornrnons
Fhis aspect of Kitchener Cornrnons has been in constant use by
the City for various information and cornrnunity ern gagernent
initiatives., Fhis structured interaction with citizens only captures
a fraction of the discussion happening in the cornrnunity., A
%ii .. reat d a I -tare information could be added by collecting
........ ge
information where the people are—in the parks,the malls,the
cafes and at events., Fhis can evolve over time with the
opportunity to further facilitate both structured and
unstructured engagernent arnong citizens, cornrnunity groups,
businesses, acadernia and government. It should also be viewed
as an opportunity to extend where City services are delivered
(e.g. City 11 lall in the Mail).
Kitchener Cornrnons—the Virtual Cornrnons
Fhis aspect of Kitchener Cornrnons speaks directly to e
Participation and the "digital citizen". This becornes the
virtual rneeting place for citizens that provide therm with
rnultiple opportunities to engage with their fellow citizens
and their government. With every new cornrnunity
ern gagernent initiative or pro rare, citizens can be assured
that it will appear in the Kitchener Cornrnons and that they
6/��������, can sign up for push notifications of those aspects of the City
that are of rnost interest to thern. City staff has the
6
"hare Your ideas '10CIA1 MMIA-101110W LA,Mllk U U� opportunity of introducing new elernents to their
ern gagernent strategies and tools and be confident that the
Y,4,
Cornrnons will keep citizens informed and engaged., In fact,
the design of Kitchener Cornrnons should start as a concept
and then be co designed with citizens., Fhis should also be a
consideration of the upcorning website review.,
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
ADDRESSING ENHANCED E-PARTICIPATION
OPPORTUNITIES
e Partici patio n has va I ue both to citizens and to govern rnent., Iln I ooking at
opportunities for enhanced e Participation, a set of high level functional
requirernents were defined which were subsequently provided to the
marketplace as a RFI. Fhe following describes this in snore detail.,
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Frorn discussions during this project,the following were defined as the general
functional requirernents for enhanced e Participation services to citizens::
• 11)iiallogue. Fhe ability to allow for two way discussion between the City and
its stakeholders as well as arnong stakeholders.,
• PoI111. iJndertakingsurveys/polls.
• lldeaflon., A function that allows citizens to put forward ideas to the
cornrnunity and allow both cornments and voting.,
• Worm/Nofify., Fhe ability to autornatically inforrn/notify(distribute)to
various rnediurns/destinations simultaneously is imperative-,
• Anallyfics/Metriics. Fhis function should be included in all software either
directly or interfaced to software such as Goo le Analytics.
• I)ata/Wo Management& 11)ata llntegraflon., Fhis functional requirernent
speaks to the need to effectively store, rnanage and integrate data
• Report/Pulblliislh. Ease and flexibility of this function will likely directly
irnpact on user efficiencies in their communications and report generation.,
Chew functions support the cornrnunity ern gagernent continuum.
TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS
Based on a review of the cornrnunity ern gagernent technology rnarket, it appears
that there is no dorninant technology solution that rneets all the functional
requirernents within one package., Based on preliminary review of vendor
responses, the following are sorne general observations/perceptions::
0 ...Fhere is a consistent trend towards providing e Participation tools as
SaaS(Software as a Service).
0 A few packages rioted "support" but few included cornment monitoring
services.,
0 Integration and sharing with social rnedia is the norrn.,
0 Further detailed assessment is required to understand the "back end"
technology ease of use and custornization of user interface.,
City of IKitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
OPERATIONALIZING ENHANCED E-PARTICIPATION
e Participation is relatively early in its development and use within government.
Fhe municipalities contacted as part of this project indicated that their
experience in this area is essentially 1 2 years old and lessons are constantly
evolving., Operationalizing e Participation as a strategic initiative of enhanced
community ern gagernent will be discussed in terms of technology acquisition,
metrics to be co nside red a nd reso u rci ng the e n ha nced services to i nte ma I
clients and citizens.,
• Acquiring the Technology., Indepth dernoing of leading software solutions
will provide insight into backend ease of use and degree of intuitive end
user interface., All solutions are Software as a Service (SaaS) and will
therefore not require significant l F support.,
• Metrics. Possible reporting could focus on Core Service Community
Engagement metrics; e Participation tools usage; and internal/external
feedback on e Participation impacts.
• Resourcing the e-florticipation Service., Requires:: business solution
acquisition; initial implementation support (external); and ongoing staff
resourcing.
STAFF RESOURCING
It is imperative that staff resourcing for an enhanced e Pa rtici patio n/Cornrn unity
Engagement be sustainable., Fhis considers that, as with Social Media, Corporate
Communications and Marketing leads this area.,
• Sufficient"toff E-ssentiol for Success of Community Engogement. 1-hiscannot
Ise overstated—if there are insufficient staff resources to rnanage and
report results to the community, the lack of feedback will turn citizens away
front future participation, destroy the credibility of the City and further
erode citizens'trust in government. Fo accomplish this, sufficient staff
resources need to be available for the short term implementation and the
longer term sustainable community ern gagernent.
• "toff Responsibilities. Social rnedia; e Participation tools rnanagernent; staff
training; website content; coordinating service with departmental clients;
issue watch/rnonitor current events and support analytic review of feedback
(estimated requirement 1—1.,5 F FE)
While not ideal, if e Participation needs to be accommodated within existing
staff cornplernents, the following scenarios could be explored::
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
• Estoblish Deportmentol Web Content on e-Porticipation Roles. Consider
defining a role for a departmental Web Digital Coordinator who provides
support in both web content and digital engagernent with stakeholders
utilizing the corporate e Participation tools provided (Calgary uses this
approach).
• Investigate opportunities to outsource some Communicotions& Morketing
Projects or,upport. While there will be cost implications which rnust be
evaluated and assessed, outsourcing sorne annual or special projects while
maintaining rnanagernent and coordination of all communications and
marketing projects may be beneficial to ensure sufficient resources are
available to sustain the e Participation program.
Irrespective of which approach is taken, there are financial requirements
to support enhanced community engagement,
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
Fhe following is a high level implementation plan for 2014 16.
casks 20.14 201.5 201.6
Q3 Q4 Q.1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q.1 Q2 Q3 Q4
eParticipation Strategy
e Partudpatuori Report
Sokituori rram/Derno Festurig
Cornrnuriuty Engagement Po�ucy
Fechrio�ogy&Servuce lritegratuori
Muriudpa� Co��aboratuori group
eParticipation Process Prototyping
Sokit0or1 Acqu sffiori
Process Dever oprnent
Cornrnuriuty group uriventory
Kitchener Commons—co cleve�op
Kitchener Commons .ro��out
Staff Frauriurig&Gu. d0ries
Cornrnuriuty Engagement projects
Metrucs Assessment
Assess e.Fools dept. Opporturiffies
Sokituori Re0ew
eParticipation Program Operation
Acqu. re Supp. Soh.itbris-as requ reel
Rria�uze Processes&Gu d0ries
Conturiue Metrucs aria�ytucs
Cornrnuri0ty Vakie Assessment
Opturn ze e Partudpatuori (orig6rig) J
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnmary—August 2014
Kitchener e-Participation
CORPORATE E-PARTICIPATION RECOMMENDATIONS
AND CONCLUSIONS
INTRODUCTION
Fhis project is focused on the highly sought after e participation cornponent of
cornrnunity ern gagernent. Cornrnunity ern gagernent is a critical service that
creates that relationship between government and the public they serve and
directly impacts the trust in that relationship., e Participation was identified as
an action item for the "Participatory" principle of the Open Government Action
Plan—it also contributes inherently to the transparency and accountable
principles.,
Fhe City of Kitchener continues to develop a forward thinking roadrnap for the
provision of service excellence and open government for its citizens., ll n
providing the following recommendations, it is suggested that e Participation,
as a significant contributor to cornrnunity engagernent, which will benefit
citizens through::
• Enacting Enhanced Cornrnunity Engagernent;
• Co Developing with the Cornrnunity; and
• Empowering Citizens through Kitchener Cornrnons,
ENACTING ENHANCED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
"ln my mind, customer service is everything," said Mayor Carl Zehr. This
staternent was rnade in November of 2013 as the City rolled out the corporate
contact call centre to 2417 service., Cornrnunity Engagernent is integral to the
design, development and delivery of City services and projects., As such, it is
recommended that the City undertake the implementation of"Enhanced
Community Engagement". The following provide specific actions to support
this.,
Short Ferrn (2014 1)
L Establish a corporate policy of Cornrnunity Engagernent that integrates
with Citizen Service Delivery strategy.,
2. Develop e Participation SaaS trials to identify possible user interface,
back end rnanagernent issues and basis for annual market reviews.,
3. Initiate a collaborative Canada wide municipal cornrnunity engagernent
group that can share information and address cornrnon issues.,
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
Mediurn—Longer Ferrn (2015 18)
4. L.Jndertake detailed review of internal cornrnunity ern gagernent
inventory confirming opportunities for leveraging e Participation tools.,
5. Establish a consistent Cornrnunity Ern gagernent approach throughout
the organization addressing the new policy, update the Cornrnunity
Ern gagernent Foolkit and provide staff training.,
Co-DEVELOPING WITH THE COMMUNITY
Fhe City of IKitchener is fortunate in having a great staff of municipal
government professionals that collectively contribute to the wellbeing of the
cornrnunity., Fhe City is also fortunate in having a strong infrastructure of
cornrnunity groups and individual citizens that contribute to the wellbeing of the
cornrnunity., Co development allows the strengths of City staff citizens to
cornbine for addressing cornrnunity challenges and opportunities., With this
valuable talent pool, in the spirit of collaboration in cornrnunity building, it is
recornmended that a nurnber of cornrnunity ern gagernent projects be co
developed between staff and cornrnunity.,
Short Ferrn (2014 1)
6. Co develop the goals and design of IKitchener Cornrnons identifying how
information and ern gagernent opportunities can be shared with citizens.,
T Co develop a Cornrnunity Group/Civil Society Inventory with assistance
of interested cornrnunity groups.,
Mediurn—Longer Ferrn (2015 18)
8. Co develop the design of an annual external Cornrnunity Ern gagernent
audit with consideration of potential oversight role by Cornpass
Kitchener.
EMPOWERING CITIZENS THROUGH KITCHENER COMMONS
Cornrnunity ern gagernent throughout rnuch of government lies primarily with
the functions of:: inforrn, consult and collaborate., Fhe ultirnate level of the
City's engagement is Entrust which, again, in most governments is riot currently
achieved., Fhe concept of the IKitchener Cornrnons speaks to facilitating a
rneeting place, both physical and virtual, where citizens can contribute to the
discussion and be empowered as part of the decision making process.,
City of IKitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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Kitchener e-Participation
Short Ferrn (20 14 1)
9, Develop Kitchener Commons' engagement approach that is sensitive to
the time constraints of average citizens ensuring they have an
opportunity to contribute.,
Mediurn—Longer Ferrn (2015 18)
10. Create a physical and virtual Kitchener Commons that ensures
inclusiveness and provides citizens with a valuable input, report back
and community engaged decision making process.,
11. Equip the current 2417 call centre with the Kitchener Commons
community ern gagernent information.
12. Provide access to Kitchener Commons in locations that citizens can
easily contribute to the discussion such as e IKiosks in libraries, malls,
mobile surveys in parks, sports facilities.,
13. Optimize possible Integration of Kitchener Commons data with other
corporate systems that assist in the overall delivery of efficient and
effective services to citizens.,
IN CONCLUSION
Fhe City of Kitchener has a rich history of community ern gagernent and proposes
to enhance its current approach via e Participation tools and processes.,
Community ern gagernent and e Participation has been recognized as a Council
priority.,
Fhere is significant support for improving community ern gagernent front the
citizens as dernonstrated by the Environics Survey findings and feedback front
the initial strategic planning process.,
Fhe recommendations and implementation plan support the Council approved
Open Government Action plan with a focus on the principle of being
Participatory.,
Fhe resources for enhanced community ern gagernent via e Participation can
provide operational efficiencies, support decision making, service delivery and
building trust with citizens.,
City of Kitchener e Participation Executive Surnrnary—August 2014
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