As a Town, we are about to embark on one of the most ambitious long-range planning efforts in the Town’s history. Creating a Community Plan for the future to be built on the values, needs and aspirations of the community. And we need your help!

Why a Community Plan? 

As we have grown over the years, the Town has done a good job in updating many of the various area plans across the community.  These plans are components of our overall Land Use Plan, and they have addressed the growing development needs across the town.  We could continue to “piece meal” these plans together, but to do it right – it became clear that we should update the entire Land Use plan that was last updated in 1996.  This comprehensive update will help align all of our many plans, reduce the overlap and blend all of the components into a comprehensive planning document that will guide us for the future.  

Background

We first started this discussion in January 2012 at the Town Council retreat, where council heard presentations on current trends and long range planning exercises done by other communities.  (I wrote a bit about that retreat in January.)  And later, those of us that went on the Austin Inter-city trip got a chance to talk to the folks that created “Imagine Austin” campaign – their long range planning effort to align for the future.  We got a taste of their plan, their “lessons learned” and the value they place on that entire process and its valuable result – a plan created by the community, to guide Austin for the future.

Join the Fun

The consultants and the folks we spoke to in Austin told us time and again how important this process is – and how community involvement is at the heart of a plans success.

While Cary has continued to be known as a fantastic community, exemplified by solid stewardship and its proximity to leading research and educational institutions, our continued success will rely on sound planning and development strategies in which dedicated community members, like you, will play a key and crucial role.

And, it will be fun.

More Information:

1.  Check out the Cary Community Project Page
2. Come to an information session
1. November 14 at the Cary Arts Center (101 Dry Avenue) or
2. November 26 at the Page Walker Arts and History Center. (Presentations and question/answer sessions will take place at noon, 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. on both days.)
3. Check out the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
4. Apply online

Thanks for being a valued member of our Cary Community!

(Pictures from the Town of Cary)

The Town has been surveying citizens for the past 14 years, since 1998.  It’s an opportunity for us, as citizens, to give vital feedback about the town; from all kinds of services such as Police, Fire and technology, our town staff, taxes, trash pickup, access and cleanliness of parks, facilities and so much more.

Positive Results

The results presented (and if you have time and interest in reading the statistically valid 185 page report, or 4 page executive summary) demonstrate that citizens gave “high marks” to the town for its services, and also to Town Staff.  They received “grades” that anyone would be proud of, from courteous (A-), professional (B+), knowledgeable (B+) and prompt response (B+.)

I’m thrilled that the Cary Police Department, Fire Department and Parks and Rec have continued to pull very strong marks, too.  From the Police’s A- to A, to the A+ (yes, A+) for the Fire Department.

It’s no surprise that Parks & Rec did well, too – with the opening of the Cary Arts Center, and their awesome service, they add great value to Cary’s quality of life.

Other Results

Many folks feel that the road and street maintenance has improved (comparing this year’s results against results from 2 years ago) – but a grade of “C”, although better than the “C-” from last time, is still the lowest grade received from citizens.  In many ways, this is due to the fact that so many of our roads are maintained (or not) by the state (such as Kildaire Farm, Davis, Morrisville Parkway, Cary Parkway, etc.)  so we are impacted by their maintenance schedules.

Not Surprising Results

I wasn’t surprised that folks reported that they had some barriers to getting involved (such as being too busy or not having time), and many felt that they didn’t know about opportunities for engaging.

The biggest concerns of Cary citizens continue to be growth, road improvements, schools and safety. It’s been that way as long as I can remember, and I’ve lived in Cary for about 15 years.

I was glad to see that some of the questions focused on “new media sources” that Cary should look at using to reach out to citizens. Usage of Facebook (23.7%), YouTube (10.5%), Google+ (8.7%), and others, show that these are great potential mechanisms to use. (Facebook usage increased from 16.6% in 2010 to 24.7% in 2012)

I was not surprised to see that 61.3% of folks get their information from the Cary News, it’s delivered, for free, to many citizens.  And, the fact that Cary TV Channel 11 dropped from 19.9% to 11.3% makes perfect sense, as more and more people move away from Cable to satellite services for TV.  I thought it was great that the CaryCitizen made an appearance, where 15% of the respondents are now getting their information.

Color me surprised

Looking at the results and the types of folks that took the survey, I found some items within the survey very interesting.

1. Of the people surveyed, 55% said they voted in the last municipal election, although less than 14% voted in Cary.
2. A very low number of people watched the 2011 Cary Candidate Forum (9.4%) which slipped from last time (17%) in 2010) and (30%) in 2008.
3. 54% of citizens own or plan to buy a smartphone this year, with 51.6% of those currently owning an iPhone. The heaviest users of mobile phones to access the internet were the 18-25 age group (31.6%) No surprise there.
4. 10.9% of surveyed citizens ONLY have cell phone service (not a landline)
5. Downtown revitalization has significant Cary-wide support.  (78% of respondents had been Downtown in the last year, with the highest potential draw for the future being cafes/restaurants.) Shopping and Festivals received significant support, as well.
6. There seems to be support for using taxpayer dollars to pay to create and maintain a Farmer’s Market in Cary. (73.5% on the support side)

 Information at your fingertips

One of the questions on the survey dealt with citizens satisfaction with Cary making information available about services, projects, issues and programs.  The survey indicated that there is a high degree of satisfaction from citizens (80.4% on the “satisfied” side), with only 5.1% on the “dissatisfied” side.

It makes sense to end on this note, since next week is Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is an initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.  When it comes to government – we work for YOU.  It’s important for you to know that Town meetings, agendas, minutes, and work session information is all on the Town website.  And emails and information that we share is open to public record, and can be examined by through a simple public records request.

Thanks again for being the MOST IMPORTANT part of Cary – its Citizens.  You make Cary what it is, a vibrant community where people want to come to live, work, play and raise a family.

I should first say that I love doing that.  It’s always been my passion to help people use technology to improve their lives – whether as a Product Manager or Homeland Security Advisor at Cisco, teaching internet safety classes or training teachers to use technology in the classroom as a way to excite and engage students.

 Confessions and Solutions

My iPhone

And, I have a confession. I have an addiction to the toys.  It’s true. I have 2 smartphones, 2 Macs, a desktop PC, an iPad, and other gadgets.  I just love the stuff. And, I don’t think I’m alone.  Wherever you go in Cary, you can find people on their devices.  Folks texting, tweeting, or updating their Facebook status.  They’re “checking in” or using Foursquare, sharing tips and restaurant reviews, shopping and navigating.  They’re Pinterest-ing (an online bulletin board), posting photos on Flickr, and stumble-upon  new information.  (If you didn’t get any of those references, click on the links to learn more.)

So, we use these tools in our day-to-day lives – so why can’t we use them to improve our engagement with at the town, and with our citizens?  I think we can.  Scratch that, I know we can.

Town of Cary Webpage from 2004

Many years ago, a citizen (now Mayor Weinbrecht) joined and led the Information Services Advisory Board.  It’s an advisory board to council on technology and communications used by the town.  That board, under his leadership, did some incredibly innovative (at that time) things.  They worked closely with staff and council to recommend website updates & communication ideas, with a goal of opening up more of our processes to the web (such as online permitting, and posting meetings over video.)  Much of this work has garnered awards for the town back in 2003.

But, in my opinion, we haven’t continued that progress. We once called ourselves the “Technology Town of NC” – but that isn’t where we are today.  But it COULD be.

My Vision

A town that leverages our fantastic infrastructure to deliver “just in time” information to it’s Citizens. Using Social Media (like the town’s Twitter feeds and Facebook pages) to outreach to citizens – posting park and field closings (no more calling the phone and waiting for the answering machine.)

Raleigh's SeeClickFix

Enabling SeeClickFix – (here’s Raleigh’s version) a mobile app that empowers citizens to assist the town in identifying non-emergency issues such as potholes, broken traffic lights or clogged sewers. Citizens will be able to help us locate and identify issues, and be part of the solution to help improve our community.

Streaming Town Council and other meetings for those of us without access to CaryTV 11. A growing number of us have DirectTV, without access to our cable access channel. Let’s create channels of information, in small nuggets making it easy and quick to digest the content.

Mashups of GoogleMaps with greenways, bike paths and other “citizen created” layers. (Take a look at one from New York City.)

Teach Cyber Security and Cyber Safety to our citizens. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. and we should find ways to teach our citizens how to stay protected while they’re connected.  (Full disclosure:  I have a board seat on the National Cyber Security Alliance – www.staysafeonline.org. )

Citizen outreach and reducing paper – using online surveys and portals/blogs to more quickly engage with citizens, use more online communications to reduce mail and postcard printing costs, and collaborate with citizens.

 What’s Next?

So many of these capabilities and applications are not only low or no cost – but some may save us money down the road, while also increasing citizen engagement and satisfaction.  Plus, there’s always the cool factor.

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Featured photo by: Seth Meranda