These guidelines are applicable to participants in the Open and Smart Advisory Committee -- previously chartered as the Open Government Operating Board.
To coordinate and facilitate collaboration among City departments with regard to open government practices, emerging technologies, and the use of technology to increase transparency, citizen participation, and collaboration with internal and outside groups.
The Open and Smart Advisory Committee is authorized by the City Manager to:
Facilitate and coordinate processes and projects across departments that seek to increase transparency, civic participation, and collaboration inside and outside the City government.
Cultivate expertise, human capital, and relationships inside and outside the City (e.g., with industry partners, community organizations, civic technology groups).
Assess and enhance the City’s readiness to evaluate and adopt emerging technologies that promote open government and collaboration with external partners.
Advise the City’s technology governance process on business needs in support of the Committee’s mission.
Define and iterate the City’s vision, strategy, and practices regarding transparency, civic participation, internal and external collaboration, and smart city capabilities.
Define and oversee working relationships between the key departments involved in provisioning open data and information to the public. (Communications and Technology Management, Communications and Public Information Office, Performance Management Office, Law Department, Office of the City Clerk).
Define and oversee department participation in identifying, standardizing and releasing public information/data.
Define and oversee City participation and communication with community groups and businesses interested in open government issues.
Reduce barriers and facilitate collaboration efforts among departments and between City departments and external partners.
This charter organizes the members of the committee by the different perspectives departments offer on technology and open government issues.
The Chair and Vice Chair are responsible for setting agendas, facilitating meetings, and ensuring the purpose of the Committee is achieved. The Chair of the Committee is appointed by the City Manager and may rotate between two participating Assistant City Managers. The alternate Assistant City Manager will act as Vice Chair.
City Manager’s designee, Chair: Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano
City Manager’s designee, Vice Chair: (Open as of September 2018)
Executive members responsible for identifying and prioritizing needs and challenges facing projects, aligning projects to city-wide goals, and providing guidance and advice to project teams. Executive members are voting members. Executive members include the following directors and officers with oversight on cross-departmental issues of technology and strategy:
Chief Communications Director
Chief Equity Officer
Chief Information Officer
Chief Information Security Officer
Chief Innovation Officer
Chief Performance Officer
Chief Sustainability Officer
Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs Officer
Operational representatives provide insight on ongoing projects, departmental capabilities and challenges, and technical advice. Operational representatives include representatives of the following departments:
Austin Energy
Austin Water Utility
Code Department
Development Services Department
Planning and Zoning Department
Public Works Department
Transportation Department
Other departmental representatives may join on an opt-in basis.
Support services representatives advise on citywide rules and standards and on technical issues that impact successful open government and technology practices, including security, procurement, law, and policy. Support services representatives include designees from the City’s mission support offices:
City Clerk
Digital Inclusion program
Human Resources Department
Law Department
Open Data program
Purchasing Office
Facilitating staff assist the Chair and Vice Chair in setting meeting agendas, gathering information from participating departments, and managing meeting logistics and knowledge sharing across participating departments. Facilitating staff include designated staff from participating departments.
The Chair, Vice Chair, and executive members are each voting members (one vote per member). Each department named as an Operational Representative or Support Representative, but not already represented by an executive member, may cast one vote.
Committee decisions and recommendations will be made by majority vote of voting members unless otherwise provided in this Charter.
Committee decisions and recommendations will be documented in writing.
Committee meetings will take place at least quarterly. However, the Chair or majority of the Committee may call ad hoc meetings.
The Committee may form working groups to address specific areas of interest or projects related to open government or emerging technology. The working groups will be led by a Committee member and can tap into resources and subject matter experts from across the City to achieve specific goals.
The Chair, or designee, will periodically provide summary reports or updates to the following bodies:
The Austin City Council and its appropriate committees.
The Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission and its appropriate working groups or committees.
The City Manager’s Office, as a standing item on the City Manager’s Office meeting agenda.
The City of Austin’s technology governance process.
Charter approved October 30, 2018 by Chair Rey Arellano.
Here is a previous version of the charter used during drafting and revision.
Want to suggest updates? All this content is on github.
Date updated | Version number | Description of change |
October 2013 | Version 0.0 | Founding charter of the Open Government Operating Board (as directed in the 2013 Open Government Directive) |
January 17, 2018 | Version 0.1 DRAFT | Changed name of group from Open Government Operating Board to Open and Smart Advisory Committee to reflect advisory role in smart cities (technology) projects Purpose and Authority section revised to reflect designation from the City Manager (previously was designated under the Information Technology Steering Committee) Updated description of the committee’s purpose and responsibilities to reflect its advisory role in technology projects Reformatted charter layout |
March 13, 2018 | Version 0.2 DRAFT | Reorganized charter to position purpose and scope at beginning. No changes to content. |
September 28, 2018 | Version 0.3 DRAFT | Purpose and Authority and Reporting sections updated to reflect how the Committee relates to the City’s technology governance process. Updates to Membership and Roles section: - Vice Chair changed to open to reflect Assistant City Manager Mark Washington’s departure - Voting roles clarified for each set of members - Added department representatives (Public Works, Development Services, Planning and Zoning) - Reformatted section for readability Revised Reporting section for readability |
October 30, 2018 | Version 1.0 | Charter approved |