OpenGov
will share your response with the City of Ann Arbor staff. Do you also want your response shown on this website?
Yes -
show it with my name
Sign in and be yourself
Sign in and let others know who you are and what you think. You can sign in now or after you submit your response. You'll be able to read your response on this website and change it if you change your mind.
Yes - show it without my name
Sign in and be someone
Sign in and let others know what you think. Only OpenGov will know who you are. You can sign in now or after you submit your response. You'll be able to read your response on this website and change it if you change your mind.
No - just show it without my name to staff
* required
Even though your response will be shared with staff, it won’t be shown on this public website so other community members won’t have the opportunity to see it.
Concerned about sharing your contact information with OpenGov?
What is a disruptive statement?
A statement
containing personal attacks, profanity, commercial advertising or content which is entirely off-topic, and/or
from a user who has falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence.
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government and broadening civic engagement. Many people will not participate if the forum has disruptive statements.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
Open Town Hall
moves the statement to a different web page,
describes the problem in an email to the author, and
invites the author to change the statement.
Does Open Town Hall ever edit or delete statements?
Never. Only the statement's author can edit or delete a statement.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog which, by necessity, includes disagreements.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Personal attacks are disparaging remarks which impute motives to a person's action. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Personal Attack
Not A Personal Attack
He lied.
He said he did X, but in fact he did Y.
She misrepresented the truth.
I don't trust her.
He is greedy.
He is making plenty of money.
It is merely a power play on her part.
She will announce her candidacy soon.
A2 Open City Hall has two participation channels :
The Registered Channel: Sign in before or just after you submit your response. Either way, Community Feedback will show your response on this website.The Unregistered Channel: Don't sign in and remain anonymous. Community Feedback will just share your response with Ann Arbor staff.
Note: The first time you sign in, you'll need to register (establish an account on A2 Open City Hall). Registration is free.
The City of Ann Arbor has contracted with Community Feedback to monitor responses shown on this website.
To prevent any single user from dominating the forum, the City of Ann Arbor restricts the number of responses any one user can post on selected topics. Registration helps Community Feedback enforce this restriction.
Users, staff and government leaders often want to know the neighborhood from which a response is posted. Community Feedback uses registration to show the neighborhood next to each response (not the address).
If a user posts a response that does not meet the City of Ann Arbor guidelines for civility , Community Feedback uses the user's email address to invite the user to resolve the issue.
Community Feedback will get your contact information. The company is under contract with the City of Ann Arbor to hold it in strict confidence per their privacy policy .
Since you'll see your own response on A2 Open City Hall, you'll be able to confirm that your response was posted as you intended.
You'll be able to change and/or delete your response as long as the topic is open.
Yes. Sign out, then set your privacy preference to be "No - just show it without my name to staff". You won't need to register.
While no authentication procedure can perfectly detect every fraudulent registration, Community Feedback is able to secure the registered channel against systematic fraud : cases where users submit enough statements with fraudulent registrations to sway the overall interpretation of the feedback.
Community Feedback is unable to secure the unregistered channel against systematic fraud, because unregistered users are anonymous.
Neither the registered nor the unregistered channel represent a certified voting system or ballot box - and that caveat is footnoted on every page of feedback. Instead, both are additional channels for feedback to government.
Users can participate on the registered channel (by signing in) or on the unregistered channel (by remaining anonymous). The City of Ann Arbor offers both channels in order to broaden participation and maximize decision makers' insights.
The registered channel enables users to assure decision makers that their feedback comes from a real person in a specific neighborhood. It also enables users to participate in a public discussion on the website, as well as manage their own response after posting it.
The unregistered channel is for users who want to provide quick feedback without registering, and/or whose privacy concerns would prevent them from participating if required to register. Because many users with valuable insights will only share them anonymously, this channel gives decision makers the option to consider those insights in their deliberations.
OpenGov is a non-partisan company whose mission is to broaden civic engagement and build public trust in government. The City of Ann Arbor has contracted with OpenGov to administer A2 Open City Hall.
DEFINITION
The Center of the City Task Force is charged with creating a vision for the Commons and we would like your help with shaping our definition of a Commons. Currently, we understand Commons as a traditional form of shared space based on mutual benefit, mutual responsibility and mutual respect, conveying a culture of sustainability now and for generations to come.
What does your ideal commons look like?
What experiences support your ideal commons?
ACTIVITIES
The Task Force is interested in learning what type of activities the community most desires on the block enclosed by Fifth, Division, Liberty, and William, which includes the surface of underground parking structure and Liberty Plaza . Listed below are possible indoor/outdoor activities. Please share what you think would be good idea, or not, for the community use of this space for the general public, not just for yourself.
(1=A good idea, 4=Not in favor)
Do you have any comments on the listed activities?
What type of activity would you especially imagine for yourself?
AUDIENCE
The Center of the City Task Force is interested in hearing from you about potential audiences for the space and how you imagine their ideal experience. Your answers to these questions will help us understand how to create a Commons that will serve the entire community.
Name a potential audience/user group of the Commons. (For example, senior citizens, children, etc.).
What does this user hear in the Commons?
What does this user see in the Commons?
What does this user do in the Commons?
What does this user feel in the Commons?
Besides the user group you named above, what additional audiences do you think might use the Commons?
Do you have other ideas that would help create an inspirational Community Commons leaving a lasting legacy?
Are there any additional thoughts about the Commons you would like to share with the Task Force?
DEMOGRAPHICS
Thank you for engaging with the City of Ann Arbor. The city is trying to gain a better understanding of who we are reaching in order to continuously improve public engagement efforts and support inclusivity. To help us gain this understanding, please complete this brief, anonymous survey. This survey is voluntary; you are not required to fill it out.
Do you live within the city limits of Ann Arbor?
Do you rent or own your primary residence?
Do you work within the city limits of Ann Arbor?
Which best describes your household income last year?
What would make it easier for you to engage with the City of Ann Arbor?
What is a disruptive statement?
A statement
containing personal attacks, profanity, commercial advertising or content which is entirely off-topic, and/or
from a user who has falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence.
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government and broadening civic engagement. Many people will not participate if the forum has disruptive statements.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
Open Town Hall
moves the statement to a different web page,
describes the problem in an email to the author, and
invites the author to change the statement.
Does Open Town Hall ever edit or delete statements?
Never. Only the statement's author can edit or delete a statement.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog which, by necessity, includes disagreements.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Personal attacks are disparaging remarks which impute motives to a person's action. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Personal Attack
Not A Personal Attack
He lied.
He said he did X, but in fact he did Y.
She misrepresented the truth.
I don't trust her.
He is greedy.
He is making plenty of money.
It is merely a power play on her part.
She will announce her candidacy soon.
Translate
What does your ideal commons look like?
The Terrace in Madison
What experiences support your ideal commons?
The huge success that the Terrace has become in Madison.
(1=A good idea, 4=Not in favor)
Do you have any comments on the listed activities?
It's missing watch a movie outdoors.
What type of activity would you especially imagine for yourself?
Something that involved a fun eating experience combined with a festival of somee sort.
Name a potential audience/user group of the Commons. (For example, senior citizens, children, etc.).
To be successful, it needs to be accessible and amenable to all.
What does this user hear in the Commons?
Laughter, chatter...NO BACKGROUND MUSIC.
What does this user see in the Commons?
People passing through, people lounging, people interacting.
What does this user do in the Commons?
Just have fun.
What does this user feel in the Commons?
Like they've found an oasis.
Besides the user group you named above, what additional audiences do you think might use the Commons?
All should feel equally welcome and engaged.
Do you have other ideas that would help create an inspirational Community Commons leaving a lasting legacy?
Look to see what other midwestern cities have that has worked...don't compare to cities in areas that are dissimilar to A2.
Are there any additional thoughts about the Commons you would like to share with the Task Force?
No response.What would make it easier for you to engage with the City of Ann Arbor?
More frequent and informative emails.