Nationwide Survey of Cities

Local governments will continue to face severe fiscal constraints for the foreseeable future, and, as a result, their ability to improve services through increased spending will be limited. In addition to budget restraints, new challenges and modern technologies put pressure on governments to adapt in order to effectively serve their citizens. Innovation is key for achieving higher levels of performance and allowing jurisdictions to forge strategic, sustainable paths into the future.

There is no single element that leads to success.

The following questionnaire serves as a self-assessment tool to evaluate local jurisdictions’ innovation efforts. The survey looks at “key elements,” stated as outcomes, some combination of which, if achieved, would confirm that cities are “equipt to innovate” or that innovation is occurring in that city government; and that evidence exists that the government is likely experimenting with, using and embedding a new urban practice to improve the lives of low-income people and all their city’s residents.

Questions below are separated into the seven focus areas. Each section is prefaced with descriptive text to help you understand the purpose of the questions. Each section concludes with an open text box. Please add supplemental detail in the text box at the end of each section to help contextualize your responses. Your additional comments will help with not only the judging process, but also with determining best practices for sharing with other jurisdictions and developing a model of local government innovation.

Element 1: Dynamically Planned

The purpose of this section is to examine how your jurisdiction’s planning serves to activate a clear, long-term vision and broad strategic goals for the city. As your city pursues its strategic plan, are there sufficiently transparent as well as resident-engaged systems in place to track progress toward those goals and evaluate results?

1.  The city has a published, long-term strategic plan that has been updated in the last 18 months.

  1. Yes
  2. No

2.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “highly ineffective” and ten being “highly effective”, please assess the effectiveness of your city’s strategic planning.

3.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “exceptionally poor” and ten being “exceptionally well”, how well is the city soliciting and using resident input to inform its strategic plan?

4.  Approximately how many agencies, departments, and groups were asked for input into the most recent strategic plan for the city?

  1. 0
  2. 1-5
  3. 6-10
  4. 10+

5.  The city uses shared outcome-based metrics to assess progress and to inform all plans.

  1. Yes
  2. No

6.  Approximately what percentage of departments within your city government regularly report to the mayor or other officials on performance, using performance metrics?

  1. Please enter an estimated percentage ___

7.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “not aligned at all” and ten being “fully aligned”, how would you rate the alignment of departmental plans with the strategic plan of the city? If you do not have a strategic plan, enter “1”.

8.  Are business processes in place to ensure that managers assess progress and make adjustments in moving toward the goals outlined in the city’s strategic plan?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Not applicable; we don’t have a strategic plan

9.  What approximate percentage of all city plans (transportation, economic development, sustainability, etc.) have demonstrable, direct ties with the overall strategic plan?

Please enter an estimated percentage: ___

10.  Which of the following best describe how city programs get developed? [matrix question with “currently doing well”, “needs improvement” “not doing at all”].

  1. Evidence-based
  2. Focused on achieving measurable impact
  3. Clearly linked to the strategic goals of the city
  4. Actively uses stakeholder input from multiple departments
  5. Actively uses resident input
  6. Coordinated with other levels of government
  7. Publicly transparent

11.  What strategies are in use within your jurisdiction to make data regarding initiatives and progress toward strategic goals available to residents?

  1. Open data sets
  2. Transparency sites
  3. Regular press releases
  4. Tracking tools on the city webpages
  5. Other (please describe):
  6. None of the above; we do not have strategies in place

12.  Please add any other detail or extenuating factors that you believe will either help clarify responses above, or help identify best practices for your peers. Up to three hyperlinks may be included. Character limit is approximately 500 words. [Open text]

Element 2: Broadly Partnered

Siloed systems and processes and a lack of communication are often cited as the main obstacles toward achieving better coordination, efficiency, and improved outcomes in government. In addition to improving internal collaboration, working with the private, philanthropic or non-profit sectors can help jurisdictions achieve large-scale progress against urgent and complex social problems. This section takes a look at how your government collaborates internally and externally to activate partners and resources from across all sectors and generate collective action for addressing the needs of your community.

13.  We have a culture that fosters and supports inter-departmental sharing and collaboration to achieve targeted outcomes.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

14.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “highly ineffective” and ten being “highly effective”, how effective is the city at engaging in multi-sector initiatives that involve intergovernmental partners (county, state, federal)?

15.  City government facilitates and participates in cross-sector (private, non-profit, philanthropic) initiatives focused on improving outcomes, whether or not those initiatives originate from city hall.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

16.  Does the city actively collaborate with philanthropic organizations or business entities in multi-sector initiatives?

  1. Yes
  2. No

17.  Please select the single statement which best describes how city staff are supported and encouraged to work with external partners.

  1. Mandate from current leadership
  2. External partnerships are part of our city’s strategic plan
  3. Resources to support such partnerships are available to city employees, such as a task force, website, or guide
  4. A committee has been mandated with fostering these partnerships
  5. Other (please describe):
  6. None of the above; city staff are not encouraged to work with external partners

18.  Communication mechanisms are in place to help residents stay informed of progress toward the city’s goals.

  1. Yes
  2. No

19.  Communication mechanisms are in place to help employees stay informed of progress toward the city’s goals.

  1. Yes
  2. No

20.  How does the city work with other levels of government? Select all that apply.

  1. Memorandums of Agreement (MOUs) are in place where needed
  2. Cross-agency committees meet on an ongoing and regular basis
  3. Strategic planning is coordinated at the highest level to coordinate efforts
  4. Stakeholders at other levels of government are consulted when overlapping jurisdictional responsibility renders it appropriate
  5. Other (please describe):

21.  Please rate the collaboration of the city with other levels of government: (Matrix question: “currently doing well”, “needs improvement” “not doing at all”)

  1. Special districts
  2. School districts
  3. County agencies
  4. State agencies
  5. Federal agencies

22.  How well does your city test and adopt ideas from the private sector and community groups to inform practices of governance?

  1. Very well
  2. Well
  3. Neither well nor poorly
  4. Poorly
  5. Very poorly

23.  Please add any other detail or extenuating factors that you believe will either help clarify responses above, or help identify best practices for your peers. Up to three hyperlinks may be included. Character limit is approximately 500 words. [Open text]

Element 3: Resident-Involved

Communicating with residents is key to understanding the issues facing your city, getting feedback on government programs, and improving service delivery. The following questions will gauge how effectively your jurisdiction engages a broad spectrum of the community, especially harder-to-engage, underrepresented populations, and to inform and involve residents in policy design, decision-making, and service delivery.

24.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “highly ineffective” and ten being “highly effective”, please rank the effectiveness of your city’s outreach efforts to solicit resident input into city projects and initiatives, including targeted efforts to reach and involve harder-to-engage and underrepresented populations (such as youth, low-income residents, people of color, and new immigrants). If you do not have any outreach efforts, please enter a “1”.

25.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “highly ineffective” and ten being “highly effective”, please rank the effectiveness of the city at designing community engagement strategies based on the issue-at-hand.

26.  What communication technologies are in use to support the city’s engagement strategies?

  1. Social media
  2. Website detailing projects and initiatives
  3. 311 call centers or telephone hotlines
  4. Mobile apps for citizen input
  5. Active review of feedback through third party apps (e.g. Yelp, “See. Click. Fix.”)
  6. City employee directory tools
  7. Mechanisms by which residents can comment, vote, or otherwise give input into city hall meetings
  8. City has an interactive online platform
  9. Other (please describe):
  10. None of the above. We have no communication technologies in place to support resident engagement.

27.  When the public provides solicited feedback, suggestions, or commentary, there is a follow-up mechanism in place so that the public knows when and how their ideas are and aren’t used.

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Not applicable; we have no outreach efforts to solicit resident input.

28.  On a scale of 1-10, with one being “highly ineffective” and ten being “highly effective”, please rank the effectiveness of your community engagement mechanisms in eliciting resident input and feedback in response to new initiatives.

29.  Resident input when received is meaningfully incorporated into making policy, improving service delivery and solving complex problems.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

30.  Please add any other detail or extenuating factors that you believe will either help clarify responses above, or help identify best practices for your peers. Up to three hyperlinks may be included. Character limit is approximately 500 words. [Open text]

Element 4: Race-Informed

In order to authentically represent and effectively serve their diverse communities, jurisdictions must be intentional about confronting the dimension of race in addressing social issues such as poverty, public safety, and health. That means bringing a racial equity lens to all aspects of government work and addressing racial disparities through good policy and practice. This segment will help assess if your jurisdiction’s policymaking and operations are “race-informed” and if your city has been effectively adapting to changing population demographics.

31.  The city is intentional about addressing racial disparities (educational attainment, health, housing, etc.) through policy and practice.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

32.  Within our city’s immigrant communities and minority communities, there is trust of local government.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

33.  Are training programs in place for city staff to help them understand how race affects their work and the outcomes they are working to achieve for city residents?

  1. Yes
  2. No

34.  How well does your city government workforce reflect the racial/ethnic makeup of the city?

  1. Very well
  2. Well
  3. Neither well nor poorly
  4. Poorly
  5. Very poorly

35.  Do the human resources and personnel departments for the city have plans and initiatives in place to ensure that the local government workforce will one day, or will continue to, reflect the racial/ethnic makeup of the city?

  1. Yes
  2. No

36.  Do you use data to understand if and how racial disparities affect program outcomes?

  1. Yes
  2. No

37.  Do you use data disaggregated by race to inform policy development?

  1. Yes
  2. No

38.  The city’s communities of color and its white population have equal access and opportunity to take advantage of city services and infrastructure.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

39.  Relationships between the city police and its communities of color are:

  1. Very good
  2. Good
  3. Neither good nor bad
  4. Bad
  5. Very bad

40.  Please describe the interviews, programs, and initiatives underway to improve community and race relations. Open text, character limit 500 words approx.

41.  The educational achievement gap between students of color and white students in our city is:

  1. Non-existent
  2. Decreasing
  3. Constant
  4. Increasing
  5. Increasing dramatically

42.  The city is effectively targeting the social determinants of health outcomes. (Social determinants of health are social, economic, and environmental factors that can affect the health of an individual.)

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

43.  Regardless of neighborhood, there is an equitable provision of services such as public safety and public transportation across the city.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

44.  Please add any other detail or extenuating factors that you believe will either help clarify responses above, or help identify best practices for your peers. Up to three hyperlinks may be included. Character limit is approximately 500 words. [Open text]

Element 5: Smartly Resourced

The following questions will examine how strategic and prudent your government is in deploying its resources, financial and otherwise, toward maximizing positive results for the greatest number of residents. From sound fiscal stewardship and savvy planning to performance-based budgeting and creative financing strategies: Is your city managing its resources smartly?

45.  The city’s resources are strategically deployed to achieve the biggest impact for residents.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

46.  Financial timeframes are future-focused (for example, five-year fiscal planning, ten-year or greater capital plans).

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Somewhat agree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

47.  Does the city offer a revolving loan or other fund for locally-owned small businesses?

  1. Yes
  2. No

48.  What innovative funding strategies are being used by the city to achieve quality of life objectives for all its residents?

  1. Social impact bonds
  2. Civic crowdfunding
  3. Social innovation funds
  4. Public infrastructure banks
  5. Other (please describe):
  6. None of the above; our city only uses traditional funding/budgeting methods

49.  What approximate percentage of your budget allocations are based on evidence and oriented toward results?