City unveils interactive strategic plan and open‑data portal to increase transparency
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Summary
City staff demonstrated a new OpenGov‑based interactive strategic plan and transparency portal that will publish dynamic KPIs, capital project pages and an online budget book. The strategic plan portion will launch at the end of January, with the transparency portal and online budget book rolling out in the spring and after budget adoption.
City Manager’s office staff demonstrated a multi‑part transparency initiative on Jan. 21: an interactive strategic plan, an open‑data and transparency portal, and an online budget book. The city plans a phased rollout: the interactive strategic plan at the end of January, the open‑data portal in March–April and the full online budget book after the budget is adopted.
What the system does: The strategic plan site will show the council’s priorities and more than 90 strategic action items as living entries with status, last update, due dates and staff comments. The transparency portal will house department pages, KPIs and capital‑project dashboards where residents can drill into data, download spreadsheets and see project budgets, status and comments. The online budget book will present interactive fund summaries, forecasts and details that staff and residents can explore by fund, department and account.
Why it matters: Staff said the portal will reduce routine open‑records requests by publishing frequently asked datasets, offer residents clearer access to CIP and departmental performance metrics, and provide council and staff a shared, data‑driven reference for decision‑making.
Accessibility and use: Staff indicated the content will be continuously updated from the city’s systems, will include download and export capabilities, and will be captioned and made available for Spanish‑language audiences where feasible. Staff also said the project is already under development and will be used as part of budget and grant outreach and legislative briefings.
Quote
“The idea behind this portal is that it builds over time,” the city’s legislative liaison said in the presentation, summarizing staff’s goal of continuous transparency.
Ending
Council members endorsed the hybrid approach staff described — a mix of recorded explanatory videos and classroom‑style in‑person sessions tied to the portal — and directed staff to begin scheduling information sessions and publishing the interactive strategic plan at the announced cadence.
