Leveraging Technology to Promote Citizen Engagement
City of Olathe, KS
Population: 125,872

Time: Thursday April 19 - 10:30-11:45am

The City of Olathe, no longer content at announcing public hearings and hoping for attendance, sought to make it easier for residents to voice opinions, preferences and priorities. The City found new ways to engage its citizens and obtain input on two critical documents: the City’s Comprehensive Plan and the FY12 Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program.

The City was able to reach citizens in a new and innovative way during its budget process through an interactive e-Town Hall event, while approximately one in 84 residents was engaged in the effort to update the Comprehensive Plan. The results have been unprecedented success in gaining citizen input—in some cases, from residents who have never participated previously. The high-tech techniques and formats used in Olathe are replicable to other local governments.

Take-Aways:
• We will share proven successes at obtaining citizen input.
• We will share the development process of the two engagement strategies so that they can be easily replicated in other jurisdictions.
• We will share how new technologies can be leveraged for public outreach activities.