2014-03-06 Committee on Citizen Engagement Minutes
COMMITTEE ON CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT MINUTES
March 6, 2014
After determining that a quorum was present, the Committee on Citizen Engagement convened
in a meeting on March 6, 2014, at 9:20 a.m. in the Council Work Session Room at City Hall.
PRESENT: Council Member Roden, Council Member Gregory, Council Member Engelbrecht,
George Campbell (CMO), Betty Williams (CMO), Bryan Langley (ACM), John
Cabrales (ACM), Howard Martin (ACM), Kevin Gunn (Tech Services), Katia
Boykin (Planning), Brian Lockley (Planning), Alison Ream (CMO), Chuck Springer
(Finance), Ethan Cox (Customer Service), Kiersten Dieterle (PCO), Tonya
Demerson (Reprographics
1.Council Member Roden called the meeting to order.
2.The Committee considered approval of the minutes from the meeting of January 13, 2013.
Council Member Engelbrecht motioned to approved minutes; Council Member Gregory
seconded. Minutes approved.
3.The Committee received a report and held a discussion regarding mobile application CRM
systems (review of Public Stuff).
Ethan Cox, Customer Service Manager, made a presentation to the committee. Cox explained
work flows, service level agreements and presented examples of Public Stuff sites and calls.
Council Member Roden asked how calls/requests were currently handled in the City.
Cox stated that there was not much automation. There was some self-service; however, many
calls go to switchboard or citizens call departments directly. This caused many human touch
points; which could lead to more dropped calls or errors.
Council Member Roden stated that citizens were already not receiving the level of expected
service.
Cox stated that the main concerns with Public Stuff were the lack of customization, the need
for standardized input, and automation errors.
Cox recommended a consultant review.
Council Member Roden stated that he felt that there was sufficient expertise internally to
understand the current needs and possibly build an FAQ database. A $2.5 million budget
request was currently unrealistic. He asked what else the City could do to move forward even
if it was a knowledge database. He questioned what other options were available.
Council Member Engelbrecht asked how calls were currently tracked and what percent of the
calls were re-routed. He asked if police calls were tracked by service type (warrants, animal
services, etc.).
Cox stated that different systems were used, and he could check with the task force members.
COMMITTEE ON CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT MINUTES
March 6, 2014
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Council Member Roden stated that something should be done progressively. This item
should be a standing committee agenda item to track progress.
4.The discussion regarding the University of North Texas community engagement efforts was
tabled.
5.The Committee received a report and held a discussion regarding Open Data information.
Kevin Gunn, Director of Technology Services, provided an update on the Open Data project.
A website had been created (data.cityofdenton.com). A Draft Open Data policy and volunteer
agreement were included in the packet.
Council Member Roden suggested a feedback button specific to open data be added to the
website.
Gunn stated that he could setup a dedicated mailbox to receive feedback requests. Gunn
asked that the committee review the directive and volunteer agreement and provide feedback.
Gunn would also have a potential volunteer review the agreement for feedback.
6.The discussion regarding the Neighborhood Empowerment Program was tabled.
7.Management Report – tabled.
8.The Committee held a discussion to set the next meeting date and topics for discussion.
Neighborhood Empowerment Program would be first item on agenda.
Progressive steps towards a CRM system/process would be standing agenda item for
committee review.
Next meeting set for April 3, 2014.
9.With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.