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O-3

IN CITY COUNCIL

February 28, 2011

COUNCILLOR CHEUNG

WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has long been a hub of innovation, ideas and action but in order to stay in the forefront, we must continue to adapt and challenge the status quo; and



WHEREAS: Cambridge must find new ways to push the envelope in how we offer services to our constituents and to make our City government work better for the families that live here; and



WHEREAS: The City of Boston has recently opened the Department of Urban Mechanics that will develop and implement new ideas that improve City service delivery, such as next generation applications for the City's Citizens Connect iPhone suite. The office will also focus on tapping into local sources of innovation including residents, employees, communities and institutions; and



WHEREAS:
Additionally, many cities have created mobile apps to make it easier to communicate with City Hall. Some examples include SeeClickFix, CitizensConnect, and DC31. Additional examples of how governments are using new web 2.0 tools can be seen by the thousands of Twitter and Facebook accounts of government officials, allowing them to directly interact with their constituents; and



WHEREAS:
The City of Cambridge's greatest resource is its citizens. If we can somehow facilitate greater interaction between our city's entrepreneurs and City staff, the entire region will benefit; and

WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge would greatly benefit from a program similar to that of Boston's that will foster entrepreneurs and innovation and improve communication and delivery of services to our constituents; and



WHEREAS:

The hope here is that by making it easier to connect with City Hall more people will be engaged in their community. It is by no means a substitute for interaction in City Council meetings but it can help with collaboration and exchange of ideas. Technology empowers people to interact with government in a way that is more efficient and transparent; now therefore be it



ORDERED:
That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to confer with the Budget Department and direct the appropriate department heads to create a similar program in Cambridge and report back to the City Council with a funding and human resource plan to implement such a program.