In November of 2016, 72% of Atlanta voters approved a half-penny sales tax — expected to raise $2.5 billion over the next 40 years — in order to expand and improve public transportation in Atlanta. Recently, MARTA released a list of proposed projects which has elicited strong opinions from many residents.
Read MoreThis week, more than 50 community members attended the Center for Civic Innovation's May Real Talk panel on the trial and error of community engagement. As Atlanta continues to grow and local governments launch increasingly ambitious projects, community engagement is increasingly important.
Read MoreWith rising concerns about the state of Atlanta, audience members were eager to know how the City can be held accountable to its proposed budget in addition to how citizens can become more involved in the budget process. Cynthia Searcy noted that the city provides monthly expenditure reports to the public but could increase its accountability by linking its spending to tangible outcomes through a performance-based approach.
Read MoreOn Monday, October 30, 2017, the Center for Civic Innovation hosted an interactive forum with the Atlanta mayoral candidates. The sold-out forum, hosted at Dad's Garage, brought out more than 200 attendees and prompted watch parties across the city. The theme of the evening was community engagement and the forum was treated as a job interview for the office of mayor.
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