Accountable Government
We are matching our financial resources with goals that are clearer and more open to the public - and can be measured to work better, cost less and put citizen priorities first.
The City Council has set the goal of making Ventura a national model of accountable government by tracking our tangible progress toward achieving the 10 Strategic Visions in our 2005 General Plan. Each month, the City Manager and Department heads review 2 sets of "performance measures" to closely track progress. Each quarter, these are reviewed by the City Council in open session. The first set, Tier One, cover the numeric measures on everything from our crime rate to sewer line interruptions. The second set, Goals and Controls, track specific projects.
We measure our "outcomes" based on both quantitative data as well as customer satisfaction. That's why we do an Annual Citizen Survey to ask opinions on city services. We do a separate Communication Survey to gauge how well we are communicating with citizens and look for ways to improve.
Finally, all this work is summarized in the Annual Report City Report Card giving a broad grade for each of the Strategic Visions.
Only a handful of cities in California track and report such a comprehensive set of objective measures. As with public schools, the Ventura City Council believes our citizens expect and need to know how we spend their tax dollars and how our community is progressing in achieving the Ventura Vision.
Improved openness, transparency and access
- Adopted first General Plan in decades - on August 8, 2005 - after over seven years of public meetings, 200 workshops and input by thousands of residents - setting long-range goals for Ventura's future
- Added City Manager Blog and web surveys to city website for citizens to provide input and get information
- Launched My Ventura Access (MVA) in 2006 as a 24/7 online connection for residents to ask questions, request information and track service responses
- Improved tracking, response and resolution of Code Enforcement active cases and violations using new MVA module - resolving in just one month (July 2007) 34% of all 491 active cases and 30% of all 810 active violations
- Created ten-minute "Budget 101" video to increase community awareness of city's budget challenges with a fast-paced "run through" of municipal funding sources, expenses, and management innovations. The mayor presented the national award-winning video at his State of the City address and to civic, business and service clubs in February 2007
Measured performance
- Adopted "Budget for Outcomes" process that sets annual fiscal goals, clear responsibilities and specific results as benchmarks that are accountable to the public
- Created "Annual Report Card" so the public can review grades for each department's progress on achieving top goals
- Surveyed residents annually to get their independent and statistically valid opinions to guide and improve City performance
The Road Ahead
- Shift to a "Budget for Outcomes" process of innovation, partnerships and accountability that creates smarter government that works better and costs less with a focus on results that put citizen priorities first
Community Partner
"Accountable government requires a real commitment on the part of staff to open up the decision making process in a way that engages residents in collaborative work and decision-making. It's much more diffi cult to engage rather than dictate. I applaud city staff for the kinds of tools they have made available to facilitate the process of community-building. I think that much of the passion and energy in this community - out of which so many positive things arise - is a result of that sense of collaboration and innovation."