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Citizen focus – Citizen involvement
If both the process of performance management and the gathering and reporting of SEA performance information hold so much promise for better public services, then why has it taken so long for governments to get into the practice? Why are so many governments still not involved?
One major reason for this delay is simply that initiating the process of performance management and establishing a performance measurement system are enormous undertakings. The experience can be difficult, frustrating, and sometimes unrewarding, for the government officials involved. However, with the support and assurance from their constituency, that indeed SEA performance information is valuable and wanted, elected officials will continue to experiment with SEA performance measures. Therefore, as citizens you can encourage your government and public officials. Assure them that the public really wants the information. Tell them you appreciate their efforts. Offer to help where needed.
The participation of citizens is a crucial part of the process of developing and assessing public service performance measures that are useful, relevant and understandable.
Ways to lend a hand locally:
- Make direct contact with your public officials (governor, mayor, legislative representative, city manager, budget or finance director, or agency commissioner) by letter, email, or telephone.
- Contact a local community or advocacy group with an interest in SEA reporting and work with them to influence the process.
- Contact a local community or advocacy group that is not working for better SEA reporting, and convince them to get involved.
- Attend public council meetings, neighborhood association meetings, etc.
- Participate/respond/ to surveys, questionnaires, and public notices.
- Encourage and make other people aware of performance management, performance measurement, and SEA reporting.
Other ways to get involved:
- Volunteer to work with national organizations or efforts, such as the GASB, Governing, NCPP, or ICMA.
- Contact us, here at the GASB, and inform us of any efforts, initiatives, projects, resources, web-sites, etc. that collect, use, and/or report performance information so we can add it to this website.
- Sign up for one, or all, of the discussion forums on this site:
- Become a member of the Financial Accounting Foundation. By doing so, you can support the work of the GASB, not only in SEA reporting, but in establishing and improving standards for governmental financial reporting.
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