National Solutions Sharing Platform | The Citizens Campaign

Culture Change Policing Reform:
Have your city adopt a proven multi-pronged policy to foster de-escalation in policing and move from a warrior culture to a guardian culture A DE-ESCALATION POLICY THAT INCENTIVIZES CULTURE CHANGE The cold blooded killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, by a white police officer using excessive force while three other officers stood by […]
COVID-19 Response Plan:
Engage the community for a powerful, bottom-up response component to address the impacts of COVID 19 and future pandemics
Urban Auxiliary Police Force:
Increase police visibility and improve public safety with relatively little cost
Online Reporting for Minor Crimes:
Lower the volume of non-emergency related calls by allowing residents to report minor incidents online
Change of Culture Police Reform:
A comprehensive ‘use of force as a last resort’ police policy can have significant impact on police/community relations, especially when incentivized in promotion decisions.
Community Emergency Response Team:
Establish a team of volunteers who can assist first responders in times of crisis and emergencies

Budget Sunshine Online:
promote cost-saving and innovation in government services by opening municipal financial data in an accessible, online format to facilitate constructive use of the information
Best Price Insurance for Municipal Government:
Eliminate wasteful spending on inflated insurance contracts and broker kick-backs
Pay-to-Play Reform:
Eliminate the practice where large campaign contributions are traded for lucrative government contracts or redevelopment agreements
Service Contracting for Vehicle Maintenance:
Rather than paying for vehicle repairs on an as-needed basis, enter into an ongoing maintenance service contract that will reduce overall costs and improve services
Municipal & School District Shared Services Agreements:
Municipalities & School Districts can share the cost of services, and ensure they are not duplicating services, like snow removal, in the same region (See also Education)
Competitive Negotiations for Professional Service Contracts:
Requires cities & towns to obtain competitive proposals from professionals seeking no-bid contracts so towns can then better compare services

Urban Climate Change Response Plan – Heat Islands:
Have your city adopt a tree canopy policy that will equitably address effects of extreme hot weather in urban neighborhoods One of the acknowledged impacts of climate change is extreme hot weather. The impacts of hot weather have been especially severe in densely-populated urban areas, and most notably in urban neighborhoods where residents are economically […]
Citywide “carbon free” energy purchased in bulk:
Help reduce the negative impacts of climate change and improve the quality of the air you breathe by having your city purchase electricity in bulk for its residents and participating businesses that is generated from carbon free energy
Storm Protection Planning Board Resolution:
Recommend steps be taken to better plan for more intense storms and flooding, to effectively reduce the impact of such events in your community
Tree Fund:
Establish a voluntary Tree Fund people can donate to that will go towards strategically planting more storm resilient trees in city parks and along the waterfront
Green Roofs:
Help reduce storm water pollution and flooding by establishing “green roof” zoning requirements
Permeable Driveways:
Create a site-plan requirement that minimizes off-site drainage, and is incentivized by an optional coverage bonus

Student Discipline & Restorative Practices for Student Development:
Restorative Student Development: Advance a school district policy of restorative intervention practices to address student discipline issues All schools have discipline policies governing student behavior so that learning in the classroom can take place effectively and efficiently, and all students benefit from a positive/peaceful learning environment. But how schools and communities address issues of discipline […]
Community-Based Code of Student Conduct:
Establish a process of gathering community input for the annual review of your School District’s Code of Student Conduct
Power Civics for High School:
Start an educational program to increase youth leadership and civic participation
Best Price Insurance for School Districts:
Eliminate wasteful spending on inflated insurance contracts and broker kick-backs
Municipal & School District Shared Services Agreements:
School Districts and Municipalities that share a geographic region have many opportunities to share services and cut costs. (See also Government Innovation)

A Path to Homeownership for Low Income Residents:
Cities tend to have low rates of homeownership. This is particularly the case for ones that are comprised of disproportionately high percentages of low-income residents.  Evidence shows that homeownership builds wealth and increases residents’ attachments to their neighborhood and city.  As a result, boosting the number of homeowners benefits the entire community, not just the […]
Supportive Housing Solution:
Address chronic homelessness with the purchase of motels to be turned into permanent supportive housing
Abandoned and Vacant Property Maintenance:
List and register abandoned and vacant properties and require owners to pay a registration fee to motivate owners to properly maintain, or restore and reuse the properties
Municipal Arts Council:
Establish a volunteer committee to support the arts in your city and seek grant opportunities
Mural Ordinance:
Promote and foster cultural expression in your city and connect people through public art

Community-Based Political Party Constitution:
Empower neighborhood-level political party members and ensure a democratic decision-making process in the political parties
Public Participation in Meeting:
Provide more meaningful opportunities for public comment
Call to Service Summit:
Establish an annual celebration of a city’s volunteer leaders and recruit residents to fill other service opportunities
Videotaping Public Meetings:
Establish a policy that encourages citizen participation and protects citizens right to videotape public meetings