(BLOOMINGTON) – The City of Bloomington is currently conducting a survey about the annual leaf collection program.
Through Monday, August 3, residents are asked to provide feedback on their experience of the curbside leaf vacuuming program the City provides in the fall. Accessible in both English and Spanish, the survey invites residents who are renters or homeowners to share their experience.
The survey is part of a larger effort to evaluate and improve the leaf collection system better to align with the City’s goals for environmental and economic sustainability, as captured in Mayor John Hamilton’s Recover Forward initiative.
Responses to the survey are being processed together with other data about the leaf collection service by a cohort of 11 City employees participating in a project led by the City’s Office of Innovation. Comprising staff from nine City departments, the cohort identified the goal of improving leaf collection as the pilot project for their work in an innovation training program. The cohort first met in early March for a “bootcamp,” the first stage in the months-long program initially led by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomington was one of fifteen cities across North America selected in January for participation in the training.
Next steps for the interdepartmental cohort will include interviews with various users of the leaf collection service, an evaluation of the data and perspectives collected, selection of one neighborhood for a pilot program in 2020, and the development of recommendations for the 2021 leaf collection program.
“Climate change means Bloomington’s stormwater systems will need to process a higher volume of water,” said Mayor Hamilton. “Taking an innovative approach to this challenge, we can prevent the cascade of problems to our streets and neighborhoods as a result of clogged storm drains, reduce our carbon footprint, and save taxpayer dollars.”
“Being a ‘Tree City,’ we have a lot of leaves to manage in partnership with our residents,” said City of Bloomington Innovation Director Devta Kidd. “Both residents and City staff agree that this is a service ripe for being reimagined.”
After completing this project and evaluating the process, the City’s innovation cohort will develop a system for sharing the knowledge gained through the project with colleagues at the City to foster innovative problem-solving throughout the organization.
Established by Mayor Hamilton in late 2016, the City’s Office of Innovation seeks to help City departments increase organizational effectiveness, create a culture of collaboration and innovation, and help departments prepare for future needs. To learn more about innovative tools and processes developed across the organization that have improved the delivery of City services, please visit the Innovation Success Stories page on the City website.
The complete URLS for the surveys are as follows:
More information about our City’s leaf collection program and our stormwater system may be found at the URLs below:
By clicking here to learn about the City’s leaf collection program..
By clicking here to learn about the City’s stormwater system.
