Commissioner proposes web forms, searchable charter explorer and quiz to boost public participation

Commissioner Elise proposed a suite of online and outreach tools to broaden participation in the charter review: a web public-comment form, a mechanism for civic groups to request a charter 101 presentation, a searchable charter explorer adapted from civic-tech code, and a 10-question quiz to introduce residents to charter topics.

"The 1st resource is just a public comment form, a way for community members to submit a testimony if they can't come in person," Elise said. The motion was seconded and prompted discussion about Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) compliance, routing submissions to a city-managed inbox, and whether the city’s current ecode/website software or contracts would permit adding duplicate search tools. Commissioners agreed to postpone action while staff checks FOIA, back-end routing and software-license issues and to revisit the proposal at the next meeting.