Citizen participation is a key benefit of transparency.

Citizen participation really means that a person shares information with their government. Whether it’s a phone call, text or email to a representative, participating in public comment in a meeting, or volunteering to serve on a committee, it’s all about letting the government know something they might not have heard otherwise.

It allows agencies to learn about previously unknown issues.

Citizens are stakeholders in their communities. They drive over the potholes, notice missing or broken signs and dangerous intersections. They’re on the front-line of everything that happens in the community. They provide critical feedback on agency initiatives.

It allows citizen experts to contribute solutions.

Sometimes solutions are more apparent to someone outside the problem.
You may have heard the story of the semi that got stuck going into a tunnel. The truck driver, firefighters, and engineers gathered around and couldn’t figure out how to get the truck unstuck. Finally a little girl in a passing car suggested that they let the air out of the truck’s tires. It worked!

It builds trust.

Stakeholders are more inclined to trust an agency that listens to their concerns and solutions. That trust leads to more involvement, which in turn leads to better information flow between the agency and the public.

Empowering the public in turn empowers the public agency.

What does your community do to make the public feel included?