Flying and photographing above a fanless Camp Randall recently [1], I pondered a conversation with friends on a vision for Dane County (the area surrounding and including Madison).
Perhaps the choice is between caretakers, that is, largely more of the same, or a go big vision. What might a go big vision include?
I have a few thoughts:
1. 20mbps per second (bi-directional) wireless internet available to every Dane County resident by 2023, for no more than $15.00 per month.
2. Reverse Mentoring. All elected officials and public managers meet with diverse mentors monthly. The reverse mentors include;
a. High school and college students
b. Small business entrepreneurs, who discuss the reporting, licensing, tax and benefit obligations they navigate
c. Homeowners
3. Improved quality of life
a. 80% of Dane County students exhibit reading skills among the top 10% world wide by 2025. 90% by 2027.
b. Hospitals and clinics should publish medical fees monthly, starting in 2021, along with annualized outcome data.
c. Meaningful crime reductions.
4. Reduced cost of living
a. Benchmark healthcare, tax and education staffing, costs and outcomes in Austin, Minneapolis, Nashville, Denver, Birmingham, Shanghai, Charlotte, Berlin, Cape Town, Taipei and Osaka.
b. Compare housing costs and regulation in those same communities.
c. Compare job opportunities, requirements and compensation among those cities.
5. Accountable interactions
a. Every public sector document and digital publication shall include a link or QR code to the publishing agency’s most recent 10 year budget and staffing data.
b. The county shall publish an annual guide to staffing costs, including number of employees, pay range (with median and averages) along with benefit descriptions and costs.
c. Parcel data shall include links to public sector budgets for the past 10 years along with staffing and benchmark data.
d. A group of citizens, professors and business people shall review Taiwan’s digital democracy tools and determine which experiences might be implemented here, in 2022.
e. Voter data shall be freely available online, updated daily.
Why don’t we enjoy some or all of these things, today? The answers may be illuminating.
1. Fanless football.