Rebuilding Citizen Engagement and Pride
City of Wellington, FL
Population: 56,000

Time: Friday April 20 - 9:00-10:15am

Let’s face it: most residents in your city would rather watch funny cat videos on YouTube than attend a public meeting. It's tough to engage in suburbia, especially with less funding and fewer resources. But the City of Wellington, Florida is turning that notion on its head, transforming a disenchanted public into community partners. And instead of busting its budget with a typical community outreach program, Wellington is raking in donations from businesses and individuals. Our city has yielded rapid change in less than two years: crime is down; code compliance is up; residents are active volunteers; landlords have joined forces; HOAs, local not-for-profits and faith-based organizations are ready partners. By stabilizing neighborhoods and attracting businesses that generate family-sustaining employment, Wellington is securing its tax base, taking the City from bust to boom.

Whether it’s behind the scenes or front and center, all city departments are contributing to citizen engagement, Case in point: Wellington’s Finance Department is working directly with residents to see how they want their taxpayer dollars spent through its interactive budget challenge and its award winning financial transparency website, Open Wellington. Information Technology is also a key player, supporting a citywide Wi-Fi system as well as mind-blowing and money-saving GIS technology. By realigning existing resources, Wellington has carved out two new departments – Wellington 2060 and Community Services. These teams have created a roadmap for engagement through education, job creation and sustainability. They’re hosting neighborhood meetings with a twist – exciting sessions that residents actually want to attend. They’re collaborating with landlords to identify problems and develop solutions. They’re also attracting new businesses without offering unsustainable tax breaks. Most importantly, staff is listening to residents and delivering results. Wellington is refocusing priorities and reinvesting into the community to transform neighborhoods and inspire residents. From reaching out to schoolchildren to design a playground to listening to the needs of adults and planning a Medical Arts District, Wellington is taking citizen engagement to a new level. And you can do it, too!

What you’ll learn:
• How to effectively engage residents, change attitudes and boost community pride
• Soliciting business and civic partnerships to bring neighborhoods from bust to boom
• Education, Job Creation and Sustainability: busting out of the bubble to improve your neighborhoods, city and region