Transparency is an oft touted ideal but when it comes to the city and its activities, we often fall short.
One of the questions I get most often from residents is around maintenance - when is a particular area going to be addressed, etc. For several years now I've been asking for a schedule of activities from our Maintenance Department regarding their regular activities, and Engineering department related to the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District. What areas of landscaping will be worked on, and when? When will the weeds be addressed? And so on. How are we managing our resources if we don't even have a schedule of activities?
Such a schedule would increase actual transparency and let people know what is supposed to happen and when. By preparing such a schedule, it allows for better resource management and helps city leaders and residents hold people accountable. Without such a schedule, no one really knows what is supposed to be happening, or when. This makes it more difficult to set expectations and foments community dissatisfaction.
Working with our departments to create such a schedule would be a valuable first step in demonstrating that the city is doing what it is supposed to be doing, or holding them accountable when they are not. That is actual transparency and would be an early goal of mine in the upcoming term.
