Online, public access to council decisions TrackDem
Tracks
Web & Digital/Comms Room: Matiu
| Wednesday, November 20, 2024 |
| 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM |
| Breakout Room Matiu |
Overview
Kylie Buck & Sean Johnson, Wellington City Council
Speaker
Kylie Buck
Culture And Collaboration Lead
WCC
Online, public access to council decisions TrackDem
Abstract
Wellington City Council has revolutionised public access to council decisions with the launch of an innovative online tool. Responding to declining civic engagement and demands for transparency, this tool breaks away from the cumbersome PDF format, offering citizens and staff a streamlined, user-friendly platform built on structured data.The new system, accessible via the council’s website, enables users to easily browse over 7,000 decisions linked to more than 1,000 reports from 350+ meetings since 2021. Residents can track decision progress, and staff can update actions in real-time, ensuring a transparent flow of information.Built with scalability in mind, the platform is set to expand, incorporating features like elected member voting records, councillor overviews, and breakdowns of the in-meeting decision-making process.Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, heralding this initiative as a major step forward in local government transparency.
Biography
Kylie Buck has a passion for the people behind the technology and making sure that we always put people at the heart of what we do. Since joining the Wellington City Council in 2018, Kylie has delivered in a variety of roles across customer experience. In her current role she champions collaboration and culture in the ICT and Customer Experience areas. Alongside the Council Decisions project she works on enhancing the team's operational rhythms, facilitating workshops, and conducting targeted micro-investigations.
Sean Johnson is the Democracy Team Leader at Wellington City Council. His work is at the intersection of the political and non-political sides of Council, ensuring that Council’s decision-making processes and elections are run efficiently and lawfully. A self-described “local government nerd”, Sean started as a member of Wellington’s Youth Council in 2013 and joined the Democracy Services team in 2019. A highlight of Sean’s work has been leading operational delivery of the 2022 Wellington City elections – working to successfully bring customer-centric design to the return of voting documents. A digital native, Sean champions the use of technology to make important information about Council decisions more open, accessible, and transparent – and make our jobs easier at the same time!
