Area 1 of 8 · Commitments 1.1–1.7
Know Your City
You can't hold anybody accountable to a system nobody explained.
The problem
Most people here were never taught how their own city works. They call the city about the school board. They blame the council for the county's ambulance. They don't know what a development authority is, when the budget gets set, or that they can stand up and speak at a meeting. That is not anybody's fault. Nobody ever told them.
What the city actually controls
Everything in this pillar. It costs almost nothing and needs nobody's permission.
One person asking is a complaint. A whole lot of people asking is a priority. But people can only ask if somebody showed them where the door is.
The commitments
1.1 – 1.7
Every one with a how attached, a label saying who has to agree, and where it applies, something countable you can hold me to.
1.1
Who Does What, on One Page
City council, county commission, school board, and the state — what each one actually controls, and who to call for what. Nobody ever taught most of us the difference, and it costs people time when they're just trying to get something fixed.
- Hold me to this
- Published within 60 days, in print and online.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.2
How to Get Something Fixed
Your street has a pothole. Your water's out. A house next door is falling in. Your streetlight is dark. Here is exactly who to call, what to say, and what happens next.
- Hold me to this
- Published within 60 days. Printed copies at City Hall, the churches, and the ag center.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.3
How to Show Up
When council meets, how to get on the agenda, how long you get to speak, and what actually happens in a meeting. A room nobody knows how to enter is a closed room whether the door is locked or not.
- Hold me to this
- Meeting calendar and speaking guide published within 60 days.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.4
Tell You When I Lose
When I bring something and it fails, you hear what it was, how the vote went, and what I think happens next. Not a complaint. A record. You cannot judge a councilman on the votes you never heard about.
- Hold me to this
- Every failed motion I bring, reported within one week.
First 90 daysI can do this alone1.5
Explain the Budget Like a Person
Once a year, a plain-English walkthrough. Where the money comes from, where it goes, what's fixed and what's actually a choice. No jargon, no eighty-page PDF.
- Hold me to this
- One published walkthrough per budget cycle, every year.
First yearI can do this alone1.6
A Town Hall Before the Budget, not After
An open meeting while the budget is still being built, so public input lands before the decision instead of after it.
- Hold me to this
- One before every budget adoption, every year.
First yearNeeds a council vote1.7
Civics for our Students
Bring Turner County students to a council meeting, and bring council to the school. Let young people watch a real decision get made in the town they live in.
- Hold me to this
- At least one student visit per school year.
Years 2–4Needs a partner
52 commitments across 8 areas.