The city of Syracuse has started taking steps to "demystify" local government, according to Mayor Ben Walsh.
A new performance management program is now online, that can tell citizens of the city what goals government has, and whether they are being reached. It can be as basic as how quickly potholes are patched, to whether the city is duplicating services by sending workers to the same scene more than once.
Walsh said this tool will help the city be more accountable to taxpayers.
"We receive a lot of questions about permit issuance, about snow removal, pothole filling, and the reality is we have much of that data, and as servants to the public, that data belongs to the community," said Walsh.
This not only creates more transparency, but Walsh said it can lead to efficiencies in government.
"It’s a learning tool for us. It helps all of us to better see how our resources are being allocated," he said. "So it’s not only ensuring that we’re hitting the mark, but that we’re giving the departments and our staff the resources they need to be successful.”
The dashboard will be updated each week using a series of key results and metrics. When a key result is achieved, more aggressive targets will be set, or priorities will change. There will also be meetings to update the public and offer the opportunity for feedback.
