Many have wondered when/if the city of Decatur would officially join the online discussion, allowing for public input outside the commission room.  Well that time is nigh upon us my overly vocal contemporaries.

The city is currently working on a 3-month pilot project with Peak Democracy through the Alliance for Innovation to bring Decatur civic issues online sometime next month.  (Apparently, we were one of ten cities picked nationwide because we’re so civic-ly inclined.  So be proud. )

But this isn’t a traditional blog, thankfully.

Instead, here’s the way it will work.  The city will post an issue on the Peak Democracy site, with potential “pros” and “cons”.  Then each resident will have the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” on the issue and attach a comment.  But you only get to comment once.  So its a lot more difficult for things to get out of hand…though I have to assume that if you started dropping f-bombs regarding your dislike of artificial turf at DHS or the heartless cyclist that made you late for pilates class, your comment would be deleted or blocked.  Also, I believe (though not confirmed) that residents will have to use their real names, which might restrain comments a bit.

As Linda Harris noted in an email about the program, the city doesn’t see this form of feedback ever taking the place of public participation, but hopefully will enhance it.  Also, those afraid to speak amidst their rabid neighbors (I know people often mistake my salivary gland problem for uncontrollable anger) might be more willing to voice their opinion.

Personally, I believe this is a smart compromise for the city.  They are able to get the issues out there and gauge opinion, but don’t have to do much moderating.  They can happily leave that fun to me and other Decatur bloggers.

This will be a three month test initially.  After that, the city will provide feedback to Peak Democracy about the site, since it sounds like its still in a beta-phase.  In turn, Peak Democracy will provide the city with a report about residents’ comments.  (Perhaps this is something that can be submitted during city commission meetings?) Then we’ll see where it goes.

I’ll let everyone know once the first questions are posted.