Area 1 of 8 · Commitments 1.1–1.7
Know Your City
You can't hold anybody accountable to a system nobody explained.
The problem
Most people here were never taught how their own city works. They call the city about the school board. They blame the council for the county's ambulance. They don't know what a development authority is, when the budget gets set, or that they can stand up and speak at a meeting. That is not anybody's fault. Nobody ever told them.
What the city actually controls
Everything in this pillar. It costs almost nothing and needs nobody's permission.
One person asking is a complaint. A whole lot of people asking is a priority. But people can only ask if somebody showed them where the door is.
The commitments
1.1 – 1.7
All of them say what gets done, how, and when, with a label saying who has to agree and, where it applies, something countable you can hold me to.
1.1
Who Does What, and How to Get Something Fixed
City council, county commission, school board, and the state each control different things, and nobody ever taught most of us the difference. One guide that says who handles what, then the everyday version: your street has a pothole, your water's out, a house next door is falling in. Exactly who to call, what to say, and what happens next.
- Hold me to this
- Published within 60 days, in print and online. Printed copies at City Hall, the churches, and the ag center.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.2
How to Show Up
When council meets, how to get on the agenda, how long you get to speak, and what actually happens in a meeting. A room nobody knows how to enter is a closed room whether the door is locked or not.
- Hold me to this
- Meeting calendar and speaking guide published within 60 days.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.3
Tell You When I Lose
When I bring something and it fails, you hear what it was, how the vote went, and what I think happens next. Not a complaint. A record. You cannot judge a councilman on the votes you never heard about.
- Hold me to this
- Every failed motion I bring, reported within one week.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.4
A Town Hall Before the Budget, not After
An open meeting while the budget is still being built, so public input lands before the decision instead of after it.
- Hold me to this
- One before every budget adoption, every year.
First yearNeeds a council vote1.5
Civics for our Students
Bring Turner County students to a council meeting, and bring council to the school. Let young people watch a real decision get made in the town they live in.
- Hold me to this
- At least one student visit per school year.
Years 2–4Needs a partner1.6
One List of Who's Already Helping
The churches, food pantries, recovery groups, and nonprofits in this town carry a lot of it on their backs, mostly without the city in the room. Put every one of them on one page, with what they do and how to reach them, so a neighbor in trouble knows where to go. Then bring them together a few times a year, and help them go after grants the city qualifies for that they don't, and the other way around.
- What it unlocks
- A map of who is already doing the work, so the city backs them up instead of starting over.
- Hold me to this
- Directory published within six months. First gathering in the first year, then at least twice a year.
First yearI can do this alone1.7
A Scorecard for This Whole Plan
Every commitment in this plan says hold me to it. This is how you can. Every three months, publish where each one stands: done, moving, or stuck, and why. In print with the city update and online. If something is stuck because I couldn't get the votes, the scorecard says so.
- Hold me to this
- First scorecard at 90 days, then every three months.
First 90 daysI can do this alone
65 commitments across 8 areas.