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During its Annual Business Meeting on Jan. 24, the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association discussed creative ways to connect with residents in the digital age.
Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine discussed Arlington Visual Budget, an online presentation tool that lets the public see how their tax dollars are used. He said the tool illustrates the town’s financial history, outlook and fiscal trends, reframing the discussion about where tax dollars go by letting the budget “tell a story.”
For example, residents concerned with snow and ice removal can go online and see what portion of their taxes go to managing the Public Works Department.
Chapdelaine said the Arlington Visual Budget story is about three things: public-private collaborations, civic engagement and transparency. He said it lays the groundwork for the next generation of governmental accountability.
The concept of an online visual budget started with the question: “How can we make our long-term financial planning more accessible to the general public through the use of data and digitalization?” While the question was a good one, Chapdelaine said, there was only so much his office could do with Excel charts and graphs.
The town reached out to Involution Studios, an Arlington-based software design firm that specializes in data digitalization projects and was interested in collaborating with the town on a pro bono basis. After many months of staff meetings with Innovation Studios, Arlington Visual Budget (www.arlingtonvisualbudget.org) was launched in the fall of 2013 and has received favorable reviews from residents, Chapdelaine said.
He said the goal is to make the budget accessible and useful to everyone. You don’t have to be a municipal finance expert to understand it, and anyone with Internet access can find it.
“In order for government to be successful, it has to have the trust of the people it serves, and that trust can be built upon the cornerstone of transparency,” he said.
He said the online tool will enhance government accountability in the future and enable citizens to judge how well their community is run.
“It can be the next generation of how we can provide comparative performance-based information that will greatly enhance residents’ and town officials’ ability to consider the value that their local government provides,” he said.
Wellesley Police Lt. Scott Whittemore discussed how his department uses social media – Facebook, YouTube and Twitter – to communicate with the public and increase community engagement.
The Wellesley Police Department was one of just a few in Massachusetts experimenting with social media when it joined Twitter in 2007. (Whittemore said the department decided to try Twitter because one of the service’s founders, Biz Stone, is from Wellesley.)
“When we started there were no books or guidelines, Whittemore said.
Using Twitter, the police department could update its website from the field. The department started using Twitter for real-time traffic updates, then partnered with a third-party vendor, GovDelivery, which sends emails and text alerts to smart phones when emergency tweets are sent out.
Initially, Twitter was going to be for emergency notifications only, he said, but as the department received positive feedback and interaction with residents through social media, the department started to post real-time police updates and informational and fun videos on YouTube and Facebook as well.
“It’s not all doom and gloom,” Whittemore said, adding that it’s important to share positive stories with the public.
The Wellesley Police Department gained international recognition last year when it posted a YouTube video showing a golden retriever being rescued from the icy waters of the Charles River. Within hours, requests came from all over the world to use the video, and four firefighters made an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
Whittemore pointed out that most taxpayers have little or no contact with their police department until something goes wrong. Social media, he said, has allowed the department to show citizens what it does on a daily basis.
“It introduces us to the public so they feel comfortable approaching and interacting with us,” he said.
Whittemore said his department tries to avoid “generic” posts and focuses on stories that have a local connection. One challenge, he said, is keeping all posts professional. There are going to be some negative and inaccurate comments, he said, but it’s best not to respond.
Once you’re established on social media, Whittemore warned, there’s no turning back. People will look to you for updates, even for things that don’t fall within your department. It’s best for everyone in your city or town to get on the same page and know the protocol for releasing information to the public.