How can the City of Hamilton provide dynamic procedural information to citizens wishing to speak to Council, and onboarding information for those citizens appointed to the City’s agencies, boards and sub-committees?
Project Description: This project aims to enhance citizen engagement and streamline the process for residents wishing to address the City Council and those appointed to the City’s agencies, boards, and sub-committees. We will develop a dynamic, user-friendly informational resource that provides clear and creative guidance on how to effectively communicate with Council.
The initiative will focus on:
1) Procedural Information: Offering comprehensive, accessible instructions for citizens on how to present their views to the City Council. This includes step-by-step guides, FAQs, and interactive tools to simplify the process.
2) Onboarding for Appointees: Providing detailed onboarding materials for new members of City agencies, boards, and sub-committees, ensuring they are well-informed about their roles, responsibilities, and procedural expectations.
3) Creative Solutions: Leveraging innovative approaches and technology to make the process more engaging and user-friendly, ensuring that residents have a clear understanding of how to participate in local governance.
Guided by the procedural by-law and the municipal act, the project will aim to foster greater community involvement, transparency, and effective communication between the public and City officials.
This project should address two key problems which relate to both the city staff and Hamilton residents:
1) The city’s current onboarding process primarily consists of a few digitized documents which are very long and dense with information. The first problem is that the current format makes it difficult for new and current local board members to efficiently access and utilize this information.
2) Secondly, the complex nature of the existing rules/procedures when delegating with the city council creates a gap in understanding that limits the participation/engagement of citizens.
City Staff: Loren Kolar, Legislative Coordinator, Office of the City Clerk
Instructor: Rachel Johnson, Semester in Residence Project Management