A mayor's app that tells residents when their issue is on the agenda

Panama City, Florida, has a new way to tell residents what their government is about to decide. Mayor Allan Branch launched PorchPing on 24 September, a free service that emails users when a meeting agenda includes a topic they have chosen.

How it works

Users pick from topics such as utilities, transportation, schools and youth activities, parks and recreation, housing, health, development and planning, jobs, and budgets or fees. PorchPing breaks long agendas into a more digestible form and alerts people only to the items they care about.

Branch says he hears "I didn't even know this was happening" far too often. "There's no tool for elected officials to get information out on the things that are about to be voted on," he told WJHG, adding that "citizens are desperate for that information."

Small tool, real gap

Agendas are public almost everywhere, but they are long, published close to the meeting and written for officials. Turning them into a personal alert is a modest idea that addresses one of the commonest complaints about local government: finding out after the vote. The app covers Panama City for now; other cities and counties may follow.