Open Data in Denton – Putting Government in the Hands of the Citizens
Cities around the nation are fueling innovation both within and outside of City Hall by unlocking city data and making it accessible to citizens. What do they do with it? Whatever they find useful, of service to others, or even profitable for them.
We are all aware of some examples of government open data and the services and businesses that have been created around it: Global Positioning System (GPS), National Weather Service data, local crime data, street and building data, public transportation data, and the like.
Cities are starting to get into this game and joining the Open Data movement, or Gov 2.0. Check out what has come about as a result in these select cities:
Austin
Chicago
Boston
San Francisco
Having two major universities, ranking 6th in the nation for high-tech jobs, and fostering a growing and engaged creative class, Denton is ripe for the power and possibilities that would come with opening up our data. You might recall a hackathon I hosted at my house last Spring which resulted in the creation of VoteDenton.org – that serves as a great example of what happens when you put government data into the hands of engaged citizens seeking innovative solutions to civic problems.
In my role as Chair of the Council Committee for Citizen Engagement, I’ve brought this concept up for council consideration. I recently presented the following overview of Open Data and why I think it is good for Denton. Read up and let me know what you think…
A Few Comments on the Eagle Ridge Lawsuit
Many of you now know that the city filed for a Temporary Restraining Order last week against Eagle Ridge Operating LLC to stop drilling operations on wells near Bonnie Brae and Vintage. You can read up on that case in the Denton Record-Chronicle. A hearing for a Temporary Injunction was scheduled for next Wednesday, October 30.
It is important to note that on Tuesday afternoon of this week, the city filed for “non-suit” in this case, effectively pulling out of the lawsuit. As such, there will be no hearing on this issue next Wednesday.
As news broke on Wednesday that the city had done this, understandable concern ensued from many people in the community who had been following this issue. Here’s what I can tell you:
I assure you that the city is fighting to preserve the integrity of the ordinance and the citizens and environment that ordinance is meant to protect.
The city initiated last week’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order because, as the legal documents made clear, we demand that all operators follow our laws. This continues to be our stance and Tuesday’s move to back-off this particular suit is not a retreat from that position.
Realize, however, that there is a bigger picture here of vested rights and a bunch of existing well sites out there where claims that our rules don’t apply will continue. Many of these sites happen to be in parts of the city where we anticipate some of the biggest population growth in the next 20 years. Check out Professor Adam Briggle’s brief article visualizing the drilling landscape in Denton and notice how many well sites exist in the Western part of the city. It is therefore imperative that we get this right and proceed prudently to set legal precedent in our favor.
As you saw from the judge’s initial rejection of our request for a Temporary Restraining Order, these issues are highly complex, legally speaking, and aren’t always as simple as “this is a clear violation of the law, now punish them.” We expect any successful legal strategy defending our ordinance will mean we have to be committed for the long haul.
The drilling that is occurring in that area is awful, given its proximity to homes and kids who play in their streets and yards. I urge all of us to temper our initial desire for quick justice in this instance with what is in the long-term interest of our community so as to make sure we are in the best position to defend our ordinance from here on out. I’m asking for patience and a bit of trust while we work to do this right and reorient our strategy to achieve the best possible outcome.
City Council Preview – October 1, 2013
Despite the dysfunction in Washington, your local city government continues to operate, pass balanced budgets every year, and get things done. As such, it’s time for another City Council meeting in beautiful Denton, Texas! Tuesday’s meeting begins with a Work Session at 3pm followed by a Regular Session at 6:30pm. Click here for the full agenda with backup materials. Here are a few items that might interest you…
POSSIBLE BAN ON USING MOBILE DEVICES WHILE DRIVING
The city’s Traffic Safety Commission recently recommended an ordinance making it against the law to use a mobile communication device while operating a motor vehicle. We will hear more about that recommendation, how other cities approach this issue, and so much more during this Work Session discussion. We are not voting on an ordinance, rather we are hearing the information and giving guidance on whether or not to proceed with exploring this possibility.
Have thoughts on this? There’s a great discussion taking place on my council Facebook page right now – join in.
I35 EXPRESS PROJECT UPDATE
As early as later October, construction on the I35 expansion is set to begin with an estimated end date in 2016. We will begin seeing work in Denton at some point this summer. The goal of this phase of the project within our city limits is to see an additional general purpose lane in both directions from the city line to the South all the way to US380 to the North.
Council we hear an update on the project and more information on how to stay current on all the upcoming changes. In the meantime, I’d encourage you all to head over to the DCTA website and begin acquainting yourself with the ins and outs of the A-Train. The mess of I35 these next couple of years will cause many people to reconsider their relationship with public transportation.
CONVENTION CENTER UPDATE
We’ll hear another update on a possible Convention Center project that has been in the works for some time. This has been a goal of the city, the university, and the business community for several year and the issue has been a source of contention in recent city council elections, with those advocating for it being elected each time. As we get closer to a possible agreement, council will continue to vet the terms of any such agreement to make sure the city is not only well protected, but that such a project brings the city many benefits.
VALET PARKING IN DENTON?
Because Queenie’s Steakhouse (formerly the Love Shack) in downtown is interested in running a valet stand outside their restaurant, the city is having to look at its policies in this regard. We’ll be hearing about suggested ordinances.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel to let me know!
City Council Preview – September 17, 2013
Tuesday’s Denton City Council meeting begins with a Work Session at 3pm followed by a Regular Session at 6:30pm at City Hall on McKinney Street. Go here to see the full agenda with complete backup material.
Here are some items that might interest you…
ADOPTION OF 2013-2014 BUDGET
After a couple months of discussions, it seems we are now set to adopt the budget for the next fiscal year. This city’s budget is set at $825.4 million for this year and the city is made up of 1450 employees. Only $99 million of that is considered “general fund,” meaning it gets its revenue from the typical sources of property and sales tax. The rest is made up of a bunch of other funds due largely to the fact that we are a full-service city and provide things like electricity to the city.
While I feel confident the city is in good financial shape, I’m concerned about our outlook moving forward. We continue to have major infrastructure needs – this is most clearly seen in the condition of our roads. We are addressing this with more funding this year and are set to pursue other new paths to raise revenue for it throughout this year. But we have yet to get us to a point beyond just NOT declining in the overall condition of our streets.
I’m also concerned at what appears to be a stagnation of our revenue growth. The housing market has stabilized, but we are seeing only modest growth in property tax revenue. Sales taxes revenue this far for FY 2012-13 are only .93% higher than FY 2011-12 and less than what was predicted or budgeted. This combined with predicted growth needs of the city (beyond the growth of the current revenue) and our five year projections includes the assumption of a tax increase for the next fiscal year. That is not a great place to be in considering we are moving forward with economic recovery and considering that other cities in our region are able to experience much more significant growth in their revenue streams.
This is part of the reasons why I have advocated additional investment in economic development resources heading into this next fiscal year. And this is why I have advocated approaches to this that are a bit different than what we typically pursue as a city. We can’t simply bring in more box stores to up sales tax and bank on the next major industrial corporation to relocate here to up property tax. We need to begin the long, yet healthier process of building our economy from within. This means ramping up our efforts of fostering entrepreneurship, targeting industries such as high tech that better matches the skills of our workforce (and allows us to retain more of our smart college graduates), innovative approaches to building out brand as the startup capital of North Texas by ensuring our creative downtown has the fasted speed Internet in DFW and creating a downtown Innovation District, and tackling the growing gap between the rich and the poor on Denton. We can’t celebrate our prosperity when 1 in 2 school children in Denton qualify for free or reduced lunches. We can do better and it will involve innovative approaches and innovative leadership moving forward.
In the meantime, here’s where you can find everything you ever wanted to know about the budget we will be voting to approve Tuesday.
BETTER BLOCK IN DENTON?
Several of you came out to the late August info meeting about the Better Block project. Click here to catch up on that. The entire council will hear more about the project, what it could do for Denton, and some of your ideas from that info meeting. We will be giving direction on whether or not to pursue this for Denton. Here’s why this is a great idea…
CONVENTION CENTER UPDATE
It has been a while, but the city is still working on a possible partnership between us, UNT, and a private hotelier to develop a hotel and convention center on the site of the old Radisson near Apogee Stadium. We’ll get an update on the project.
REORGANIZATION OF PLANNING DEPARTMENT
The city’s Planning Department is set to brief us on a new organizational structure it hopes to unveil. It will create two distinct groups: Neighborhood Services and Development Services. This is meant to tackle the “silo effect” found in many large institutions and encourage an interdisciplinary approach to community building, problem solving, and customer service. From the looks of it, we are heading in the right direction.
Downtown Vehicle and Pedestrian Safety Report
In July, after meeting with the recently formed Denton Downtowners (an association of downtown residents) and a couple of unfortunate accidents around the square, I requested a report on traffic issues in the area along with an analysis of possible solutions to make the area safer for the many people who visit and walk around on foot.
The report was released last Friday – you can read it here.