Allen County, serving over 355,000 citizens in northeastern Indiana, sits nearly equidistant from Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, and Indianapolis. The Allen County website gives an immediate picture of how “open” this government strives to be. Beyond some of the more typical resources one finds on a county website, Allen County’s homepage contains links to a GIS portal, an online version of the County Code, and Public Records Request. The agency also connects with citizens via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Video on Demand. These efforts to provide relevant, easy-to-find information are the hallmark of an open government.
Why YouTown?
“One of our top priorities has been to search out and take advantage of new ways to get information to our citizens,” says Mike Green, Public Information Officer for Allen County. “With the growing use of smart phones, a mobile app seemed the next logical step. But because of budget constraints, we figured it would be some time before this could be addressed.”
This has been a common concern among government agencies over the last several years. That’s why YouTown is available for free, and Allen County has proudly joined the ranks of other agencies who have signed up for the platform, announcing to citizens in a recent blog post that the app is not only free to residents, but free for the county as well.
Favorite features
Mike Green says the simplicity of the YouTown admin interface has been appreciated by County department heads and elected officials. The re-purposing of news items from the County website using the RSS feeds, he says, is a great way to share information while saving the time of copying/pasting from once source to another. Other agencies have also noted the convenience of this feature. At the same time, YouTown continues to offer a manual option for entering news/events right in the dashboard, to accomadate cities that may not have RSS feeds published elsewhere.
Green also mentions the Events feature as an easy way to showcase the “important and unique” activities available to Allen County residents. Recent upcoming events include:
- Cedar Creek Canoe Trip — The Parks Dept. invites residents for a paddle down a local creek, in search of heron, beaver, and songbird sightings.
- Tox-Away Day — An annual event that allows residents the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted household hazardous waste.
- Glow-in-the-Dark Hike — The Parks Dept. invites residents on a nighttime hike to search for glowworms and bioluminescent mushrooms.
- Tire Amnesty Day — An annual event that allows residents to properly dispose of old unwanted tires.
Each of these events are listed in the app, with contact info, links to further information, and even directions in GoogleMaps. Having this information in a mobile format makes it easier for folks in Allen County to be aware of the opportunities available to them.
Like many other agencies, Allen County uses the News feature to keep people up-to-date on auto accidents, construction notices, and other traffic alerts. Mike Green suggests creating a whole section of YouTown dedicated to such information. “Considering this is a mobile app, it might be a good idea to include a separate section for Traffic Alerts. That would allow us to make travelers aware of roads under construction or areas affected by major accidents that should be avoided,” he explains.
Overall, Green says that Allen County is pleased with what YouTown has been able to offer. They’ve only recently announced the app to citizens, so public feedback is still forthcoming. But on the part of Allen County, an impressive effort is being made to inform and connect with residents — a government that is servant to the people, as it should be. And here at YouTown, we’re just honored to be part of it.