Jackson gives taxpayers transparency with online data tool

JACKSON, Tenn. — The City of Jackson unveiled their latest step in providing transparency to taxpayers: the new Jackson Data Hub, located under the “Projects and Initiatives” tab on the City of Jackson website.

“You as a community will be able to see our growth and our improvement in all these different areas,” said Director of Performance Management Lauren Kirk.

There’s five sections of the data hub: public safety, efficiency, inclusion, innovation, and transparency.

The included data ranges from 911 calls, to potholes filled, and even average response time for things like a fire department call.

“Our hope is that we will bring more departments into it over time,” Kirk said. “We wanted to start with some of our key public services.”

With almost a year of data now in the system, we can see trends like this — 911 calls received, after a stable start to begin the year. The number of calls began to pick up after April, and only in October did the numbers finally see a decline.

It can also give a better idea of how taxpayer money is being spent.

A prime example is with potholes, since the data hub can now track progress throughout the city.

“We were able to justify that with the data, after seeing how many potholes were being reported. And then this new machine that we have, is able to fill them so much more efficiently, that we’re able to get them completed at a faster rate,” Kirk said.

The hope is that all these numbers can help residents understand what the city is doing, and why.

“Things that our taxpayers really care about, we want to give them the best accountability for their services,” Kirk said.

To access the Jackson Data Hub, click here.