Resident urges Board to publish department performance metrics to bolster transparency

A resident during public comment at the May 28 Board of Public Works meeting urged board members and department heads to present regular, measurable metrics so the public can more clearly see municipal work and outcomes.

The commenter said, "We're halfway through the year. I sit at these meetings. Department heads have nothing to report," and suggested the city share statistics such as whether arrests are up or down year‑to‑date, numbers of fire calls, and street‑department budget status. The speaker offered approximate case counts: "We've issued a hundred code violations this year. We've had positive outcomes on 80% of them. Unfortunately, five of them are going to have to go to court," and urged officials to present similar figures at monthly meetings.

Board members responded that they accepted the constructive criticism and that staff meet regularly and will try to do a better job of sharing information with the public. One official noted that some work (for example, the police station construction) is visible, but agreed staff should provide more metrics in public reports.

Why it matters: The request highlights a community demand for clearer, comparable performance data from municipal departments so residents can assess progress, budget performance and enforcement outcomes. The board acknowledged the point and indicated an intent to improve public reporting but did not set a schedule or commit to a specific data format during the meeting.

The public commenter was not named in the meeting transcript; officials referred to the speaker as a resident making public comment.