Dr. Stephanie Bellar and Dr. David Edwards have received a subcontract in the amount of $32,500 from the Community Research Council to assist with the development and implementation of chattanoogaCITIZEN, a program designed to improve Chattanooga government services and accomplishments by engaging residents to provide input and feedback.
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the chattanoogaCITIZEN project is designed to facilitate communication between the city of Chattanooga and its residents. The city selected Dr. Bellar and Dr. Edwards to support the project by facilitating public meetings to engage Chattanooga residents in the redesign of the city's website and the development of new performance measures. Through this program, citizens will help determine the priorities for performance measurements and participate in an ongoing assessment of government performance. Drs. Bellar and Edwards will provide services to ensure the project's success.
Dr. Bellar and Dr. Edwards, along with UTC political science students, will meet with Neighborhood Associations throughout the city to gather input which will be used to ensure that city services and communication channels are meeting the needs of residents.
This program maximizes the role of citizens in improving access to government services via the web, fostering a municipal government that is more accessible to the public and more driven by performance outcomes, officials said.