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). <\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
I have a few thoughts:<\/p>\n
1. 20mbps per second (bi-directional) wireless internet available to every Dane County resident by 2023, for no more than $15.00 per month.<\/p>\n
2. Reverse Mentoring. All elected officials and public managers meet with diverse mentors monthly. The reverse mentors include;<\/p>\n
a. High school and college students<\/p>\n
b. Small business entrepreneurs, who discuss the reporting, licensing, tax and benefit obligations they navigate<\/p>\n
c. Homeowners<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
3. Improved quality of life<\/p>\n
a. 80% of Dane County students exhibit reading skills among the top 10% world wide by 2025. 90% by 2027.<\/p>\n
b. Hospitals and clinics should publish medical fees monthly, starting in 2021, along with annualized outcome data.<\/p>\n
c. Meaningful crime reductions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
4. Reduced cost of living<\/p>\n
a. Benchmark healthcare, tax and education staffing, costs and outcomes in Austin, Minneapolis, Nashville, Denver, Birmingham, Shanghai, Charlotte, Berlin, Cape Town, Taipei and Osaka.<\/p>\n
b. Compare housing costs and regulation in those same communities.<\/p>\n
c. Compare job opportunities, requirements and compensation among those cities. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
5. Accountable interactions<\/p>\n
\na. 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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
c. Parcel data shall include links to public sector budgets for the past 10 years along with staffing and benchmark data. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
e. Voter data shall be freely available online, updated daily.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Why don’t we enjoy some or all of these things, today? The answers may be illuminating. <\/p>\n