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HOW WELL DOES YOUR CITY SHARE INFORMATION?   

Whether you are a homeowner, renter or landlord.  Whether you are an older adult, disabled, low-income or not.  Does your city have clear guidelines and information about services, property standards and supports? Are you able to easily access the information and services you need to fully participate in being a good neighbor and part of the community?

INFORMATION ACCESS
Having access to information is the key to ensuring that residents know what is required, what is available and when.  The city website is a great place to start.  Reviewing  your city website for the basics.  Is the information available?  Is it easy to find? Easy to understand?  Who to contact with questions?  Is it current? For residents who are not online, how do they get the information?

SERVICES
When is trash and leaf pickup and what are the rules?  Does your community provide enough information on city services and how to ask for an accommodation on things you may need help with?  This can include trash and yard debris, community center or public building access, council meetings and more.

PROPERTY STANDARDS & INSPECTIONS
How clear is the process and the standards?  Do you know when your property will be inspected and what that looks like?  What if there are violations?  

LANDLORD – TENANT
Do you know the rights and responsibilities of the landlord/tenant relationship?  What about the local ordinances?  Is there a rental registration requirement? Does your community have an ordinance against income discrimination?  What are the rules for short term rentals?

PROGRAMS & RESOURCES
When your city has resources available for home repair and maintenance, modifications or other, are you made aware of these available resources and offered assistance with applying?

GENERAL CONCERNS & COMPLAINTS
How do you report concerns you may have?  This can include potholes, cable and power line maintenance, sidewalks, roads etc.  Do you know who to contact?  Does your city have a portal to share these concerns?

GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES
Who are your local government representatives? What kind of ordinances are being passed? When and where are council meetings held? How soon can you get the agenda, and are meetings recorded so you can access them easily later?

Start by visiting your city website, spend some time navigating and sign up for their newsletter.  You can quickly link to your city website here.  

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