Mayor Hamilton Accepts Innovation Task Force Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2016

For more information, please contact:
Mary Catherine Carmichael, Communications Director, 812.349.3406, carmichm@bloomington.in.gov

Mayor Hamilton Accepts Innovation Task Force Report

Bloomington, Ind. - On Monday, August 15, Mayor John Hamilton received the final report from the City of Bloomington Task Force on Government Innovation. This group was tasked in January with reviewing and subsequently offering recommendations to enhance the City's interactions with its citizens and improving its internal efficiencies.

The Innovation Task Force presented their recommendations as eleven priorities for the 2017 City of Bloomington budget year. Five of the eleven priorities are ranked as top tier:

1. Create a Department/Director of Innovation

2. Run a 2017 budget participatory budgeting pilot

3. Define, measure and publish metrics

4. Create a Public Engagement Officer and/or Office

5. Create an Ombudsman position

The remaining six priorities are as follows:

1. Develop an updated U-Report system

2. Create a community calendar

3. Encourage staff development to facilitate better customer service

4. Utilize web and mobile messaging services to provide assistance and guidance to citizens

5. Support city-run invasive control days to pull invasive species at Cascades and other areas

6. Develop a Community Innovation Fund for innovative projects that produce community value

An overarching message from the task force, supporting all recommendations, is the importance of creating and fostering a culture of innovation and openness within city government.

Following receipt of the task force's report, Mayor Hamilton will take the recommendations under advisement and share the findings with other legislative bodies and City of Bloomington departments.

Mayor Hamilton expressed great appreciation for the work and commitment of the Innovation Task Force members:

• Daniel Bingham, Software Engineer, co-chair

• Darryl Neher, Kelley School of Business, co-chair

• Claudia Avellaneda, SPEA

• John Barnes, City of Bloomington

• Alex Crowley, Excello Solutions

• Christian Freitag, Sycamore Land Trust

• Kathy Gutowsky, Center for Disaster Philanthropy

• Lucy Schaich, City of Bloomington

• Robert Shrake, City of Bloomington

• Mike Trotzke, Sproutbox

• Sue Wanzer, City of Bloomington (retired)

• Matthew Wolf, SPEA/City of Bloomington

City of Bloomington's Deputy Mayor Mick Renneisen and Director of Information Technology Services Rick Dietz provided staff support.

The final task force report can be found at bloomington.in.gov/boards/innovation/report.

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