Neighborhood associations meet to discuss what s going on in the neighborhood and plan events that help the neighborhood. Council members often go straight to the neighborhood association when they want to know how the neighbors feel about something. And, neighborhood associations are quick to place a call to city government when something needs to be fixed or when thieves break into cars on a neighborhood block. Block Watch is another neighborhood organization that is very involved with city government. Police officers help neighbors set up a Block Watch when citizens want to help prevent crime in their neighborhood.
Citizens also provide opinions about city spending and city policy.
Many city departments have an advisory group, board or commission . All of these are groups of citizens who meet to make decisions. For example, citizens on the Parks and Recreation Board make suggestions to City Council about the needs for parks and recreation programs. The Environmental Quality Commission finds out about environmental problems in the city and gives the City Council advice on how the city government can get involved in solving those problems. The Neighborhood Block Watch Fund Oversight Committee reads letters from Block Watch groups and makes suggestions about which groups should get money from a special crime-prevention fund.