EngageRiverside.com is latest effort to increase transparency in government, involve residents

The City of Riverside has expanded its effort to connect with residents and provide a more open and transparent government through the creation of a new website, www.EngageRiverside.com, which offers easy access to reams of data about city government.

The new website brings together in one place facts, documents, data sets and tools for learning more about Riverside and how city government works. It offers easy access to more than 815,000 documents including 3.4 million pages of information; online permit viewing; crime reports and fire responses; agendas for City Council meetings, as well as meetings of citizen boards and commissions; and more.

The website is based on the premise that residents are best served when they are able to quickly and efficiently access information about how their tax dollars are being used.

“EngageRiverside is neither the beginning nor the end of our ongoing effort to improve transparency, but it is an important step forward,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “I encourage everyone to start their own fact-finding mission at EngageRiverside.com.”

Riverside has long provided substantial amounts of information about its budget, its financial condition, services, programs and other data through its website – www.riversideca.gov – but Engage Riverside goes further. It collects all that data in a convenient location for easy browsing, adds additional information and provides additional tools for connecting with City Hall.

Engage Riverside is the City’s first foray into the realm of social engagement through the use of an innovative tool called MindMixer, which allows Riverside residents to interact with their government like never before. MindMixer complements existing social media and email tools by providing a platform to engage residents in conversations about Riverside’s quality of life.

The MindMixer tool can be accessed through the “Share Your Ideas” tab on EngageRiverside. Anyone can view the results of questions posted on EngageRiverside.com. People who create an account have the opportunity to also provide feedback on projects, initiatives and other questions. Public input can significantly improve Riverside’s ability to provide needed services to its residents.

“I look forward to adding MindMixer to the tools the City of Riverside uses to connect with residents,” Bailey said. “We benefit daily from suggestions people make on all our various social media platforms, but this offers an opportunity to engage even further in terms of connecting with the community.”