AURORA | Barry L1, AlexW and LindaS4 write about their level of support for the construction of a 900-car parking lot at the Iliff light rail station. Meanwhile, PamelaW1 and BrentT talk about their thoughts on the potential mill levy tax extension for transportation projects.
In the city’s latest foray into social media, a website is used as a platform where people can share their opinions on hot topics without having to physically attend any meetings. City officials call it a “virtual town hall.”
“It’s a great way to use technology that’s so pervasive in people’s lives to make it easier for them to weigh in,” said Kim Stuart, the city’s communications director.
The website, EngageAurora.com, officially launched on May 4 with only a handful of “members” or commenters. In two weeks, the number of registered users has grown exponentially.
As of May 14, there were more than 60 members.
Conversations on EngageAurora.com give city officials a barometer of Aurora residents’ feelings about certain issues.
“We’re pleased to provide such a convenient way for residents to get involved in the conversation about issues in our community,” Stuart said.
The website costs about $15,000 for city officials to develop and maintain throughout the year. That’s cheaper than the average cost of conducting one official, city-led survey, Stuart said.
People are also voicing their opinions on the website about ways to improve road access to Buckley Air Force Base, Anschutz Medical Campus, the Parker Road corridor, and median and pedestrian improvements.
“We are always looking for new ways to capture the feedback and input from our residents and businesses in the community,” said Michelle Wolfe, deputy city manager. “Any method we can find that taps into that is one more step toward having better information from our constituency.”
Commenters can earn points depending on how much they post to the website, and city officials hope to eventually give rewards to those who earn the highest points.
The city is promoting the website through its other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Aurora City Council members will be keeping tabs on the comments, and some of that information will be used to make decisions like whether to move forward with a mill levy tax extension for transportation improvements.
“I definitely want to drive people to use it,” said Councilwoman Molly Markert. “I think as long as it features current topics, it’s really valuable.”
She has concerns, though, that some people could use profanity and little tact in their comments.
According to the “Rules of Participation” section on the website, the city will not edit or alter comments but will remove content under certain conditions. For example, city officials will delete posts if the language in them is obscene, racist, explicit or incites violence.
Tom Tobiassen, Regional Transportation District board member, has posted comments to the website about transportation issues.
His only worry is that people could post inaccurate information and present it as factual.
“If they are making statements that aren’t accurate, how does that information get corrected? How do you put the right story out?” said Tobiassen, whose district covers Aurora.
But he does see merit in the virtual town hall format.
“It’s another way to outreach to people in the community,” he said. “I think that’s key.”
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.