Information Services Advisory Board
MINUTES
November 1, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Town Hall Campus
Council Large Conference Room #10035
316 N. Academy Street, Cary, North Carolina
www.townofcary.org
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:04p.m.
Present
Lee Douglas, Mark Evangelista, John Fitzpatrick, Helen Hutchings, Nazi Kite, John Nolander, Vijay Raghavendran (6:27), Council Liaison Julie Robison (6:22), and Staff Liaisons Susan Moran and Teri Peralta
Absent
Terra Brown-Shelton, Tangie Hofer, Todd McGee
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from the September 6, 2007 meeting were approved unanimously.
Watch List: Web Site Overhaul
Ms. Peralta stated that Deanna Boone, Public Information Specialist-Writer, has been invited to the next ISAB meeting to share the new Web site with the board members.
Watch List: Traffic Management System Update to Citizens
There were no comments on this item.
Watch list: Dynamic Message Signs
There were no comments on this item.
Watch list: RSS Technology
There were no comments on this item.
Old/New Business: 2008 Meeting Day and Time Selection
Due to changes in council meetings days and times, the board decided to change the day of their meetings to the first Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. beginning with the January 2008 meeting.
Old/New Business: 2007 Annual Report
Mr. Evangelista opened the discussion by asking if anyone had any questions or comments on the draft Annual Report. After a brief discussion it was agreed that the report should include a section detailing what would be considered at the two final meetings of the current term. Mr. Douglas moved that the report be given to council with the noted updates. Mr. Fitzpatrick provided a second and the motion carried unanimously. Mr. Evangelista stated that he would forward the completed Annual Report to the clerk’s office for submission to council.
Ms. Robison arrived at 6:22 p.m.
Mr. Evangelista then noted that, of the topics chosen by the board for discussion in 2007, information kiosks had not yet been considered.
Old/New Business: Discussion of Board’s Mission
Ms. Moran stated that a discussion of the board’s mission was an important one and began the discussion by providing some background about the board. She noted that in February 1998 the council approved the formation of the Information Services advisory board and that council, working with staff, developed the mission statement for the board. She urged the board to keep this in mind when determining whether or not to suggest that council amend their charge for the board.
Mr. Raghavendran arrived at 6:27 p.m.
Mr. Evangelista asked if other boards came up with their own missions, and Ms. Robison replied that some of them do and noted that the mission of some of the boards have been reinvented at times. Ms. Moran referred to a comment Mrs. Hutchings made at a previous meeting, wherein she stated that as a group and individually more she felt more of the board’s efforts should be spent understanding Cary citizens and that Cary citizens are seldom discussed within the context of the technology and other board discussions. She was concerned that, since the citizens of Cary are the beneficiaries and primary audience of the board’s discussions, when a technology is discussed and conclusion are drawn, there should be more consideration of whether or not it is good for the citizens.
Ms. Robison commented that this charge really leaves the options for discussion open to policies, assessing value to citizens and the recommendation of tools and programs to council. Ms. Moran added that the stated purpose of the board should be externally focused, observing that some of the board’s discussions tend to be more internally focused, centering on whether or not the Town is implementing a particular technology or another. She suggested that a better approach might be to consider how a particular technology could be used to engage and more effectively communicate with citizens.
Mr. Raghavendran expressed the opinion that board discussions should not have any restrictions at the table, and Ms. Robison observed that it could be difficult to separate internal from external, since everything is ultimately related to and would have some impact on the citizens. She reiterated the stated purpose of the board and noted that sometimes there is crossover from technology to policy. Mr. Nolander asked if the board’s recommendations should be directed to the town manager, but Ms. Robison reminded the board that the staff liaison is the person who brings the board’s considerations and recommendations to council. If council determined to go forward on those recommendations then the town manager would be directed to take action.
In terms of policy, Ms. Robison commended the board for developing ideas, articulating them and bringing proposals to council. She suggested that Mayor Elect Harold Weinbrecht might be very interested in the mission of the board and suggested they invite him to one of their meetings and allow him to elaborate on his ideas. Ms. Moran agreed that Mr. Weinbrecht seems very interested in citizen engagement, noting that he has some specific ideas on facilitating more citizen interaction with local government, including possibly an electronic blog or journal and use of ad hoc committees. She added that the council elect as a whole seems to feel that one of their mandates is to increase citizen satisfaction with their role in the government process, exploring objectives for the organization to strengthen its relationship with the community.
Members cautioned against allowing discussions to get weighed down in technical details and encouraged providing citizens with meaningful information. Ms. Robison mentioned that there might be opportunities for community visioning and Ms. Moran stated that this is something that has been considered for a few months now. She noted the idea is to bring citizens together to articulate a shared vision, and then perhaps their satisfaction with how the government implements that vision could be increased. She added that when decisions are made there will still be disappointment for some, but if they were part of the process that led to the decision they may be more satisfied with the result.
Ms. Moran explained that she is in the process of formulating additional questions for the citizen satisfaction survey. Mrs. Hutchings suggested using focus groups to get a feel for what topics are on the minds of citizens before the survey is prepared and implemented.
The board confirmed that they would like to invite Mr. Weinbrecht to the December meeting. Ms. Moran indicated that she would extend that invitation and added that Ms. Boone would be making her presentation of the final Web site design as well.
Mr. Evangelista observed that the charge of the board is about getting information in and out of Town Hall. He expressed concern that there is a lack of involvement on the part of the citizens because they don’t feel that they are being heard. Ms. Robison commented that she has been thinking a lot about listening tours thought it might be beneficial to look into that option.
Statement of Findings
The board approved the annual report, which stands ready to be submitted to council. The board also opened a discussion about reexamining the mission of the board and will continue the discussion with Mayor Elect Harold Weinbrecht at a future meeting.
Citizen Comments
Mr. Fitzpatrick stated that he was glad to see the expansion of recycling and asked if a notice of acceptable recyclable products would be distributed. Ms. Moran replied that the information has been communicated through the BUD Newsletter, the Town’s Web site, a news release and the media. However, she noted that there were no fliers mailed because of costs.
Member Comments
Mr. Raghavendran asked if there was a reason why homes have to have two meters and why the water bill is close to $400 a month. Ms. Moran indicated that the second meter is an irrigation meter and Mr. Fitzpatrick explained that in the long run it pays for itself because the second meter doesn’t incur a surcharge. Ms. Moran added that the Town does not charge to the customer the full cost of the equipment.
Mr. Evangelista reminded board members that they have until December 1 to reapply if term is expiring.
Administrative
The next meeting of the ISAB will be held Thursday, December 6, at 6 p.m. in the Council Large Conference Room #10035, Town Hall, 316 North Academy Street, Cary, N.C.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.