A critical element of my mayor’s vision for the coming year is crystal clear communication. In my State of the City address last month, I challenged the City Council and staff to be more efficient, effective and proactive communicators.
Although it will always be challenging, we need to continually find new and improved ways to keep our citizens, nonprofits and businesses informed and engaged. I know you want better information about what’s happening in your local government, and you deserve to have it.
This column, my Boulder City Magazine article, and the monthly utility mailer are convenient ways to obtain city information because, in most cases, they’re delivered directly to your home. However, I’d like to introduce you to some less obvious but probably even more valuable sources of city information that you may have overlooked or not yet taken full advantage of.
Website
You probably already know about the city’s website (www.bcnv.org). But when is the last time you accessed it? If it’s been a while, then you may not know that we launched a redesigned site in June 2015, which is constantly being updated to make it a more user-friendly, thorough and current source of information.
Subscription Tool
One of the tools I’m most excited about is our new subscription tool. It allows anyone to receive real-time text message or email notifications about public announcements, meeting agendas, utility outages, weather alerts, bid openings and other information as soon as it’s posted. To subscribe, simply visit the city’s website and click on the “Receive Updates” icon at the bottom right on the home page. This tool can easily be customized to suit your preferences and interests.
City Projects
Several of you have recently requested more information about major city projects. Although still in it’s infancy, a newly created Web page provides access to such information.
On the city’s website, place your cursor over the “How Do I” pull-down menu, then click on the “Projects in Boulder City” link under the “Learn About” heading.
Currently this page has information about the Interstate 11 project, the Boulder City High School remodel, and the Avenue I electric system improvements, among others.
Our goal is to continue adding to this page in an effort to provide relevant information about active, higher-profile projects like these.
Public Records Repository
Do you want information about a specific agreement, a meeting that occurred 20 years ago, how a park was named, or the like? If so, then the records repository is for you. It contains thousands of documents available for searching, viewing and downloading.
On the website’s home page, place your cursor over the “How Do I” drop-down menu, then under the “View” heading click on “View Public Records.”
The city’s presence on Facebook puts even more information at your fingertips. Follow us on Facebook by “liking” City of Boulder City, NV – Government Organization.
Four Ways to Watch City Council Meetings
There are now at least four ways to view City Council meetings. The obvious way is to attend. In my opinion, it’s also the best way since it allows you to participate by interacting with council and staff members and by giving your input during public comment.
With only a few exceptions, our regular meetings take place at City Hall beginning at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.
For those unable to attend, council meetings are also streamed live on our website. Place your cursor over the “How Do I” drop-down menu, then under the “View” heading click on “Watch Live and Previous Council Meetings.”
You also have the option of viewing council videos on demand at any time, from any computer or mobile device, by following the same basic steps as you would for live streaming.
Finally, you can watch council meetings daily at 1 and 7 a.m., and 1 and 7 p.m. on Cox Channel 2.
I invite you to regularly use these tools to keep abreast of city happenings and then to become more involved. The city clerk’s office (702-293-9208) can assist if you have questions.
And we always welcome any suggestions on how the city can communicate more effectively.
Rod Woodbury is mayor of Boulder City. He has been serving on the City Council since 2011 and is the president and managing shareholder of his law firm, Woodbury Law.