Vacaville Parcels: Activating Dormant Spaces Through Public Dialogue
Every city has them. Vacant lots behind chain-link. Shuttered storefronts on otherwise busy blocks. Parcels that sit, year after year, while the city grows around them.
A blog for civic things
Thoughts on open governance in and around Solano County, California.
Assessing the Public Sector: Stewardship, Service, and the Tax Recirculation Loop
A mid-sized Solano County city operates on roughly $280M a year. About a third of that now services pension obligations, and the share keeps rising. The city is also, legitimately, one of the largest employers in town — public jobs are a feature, not a bug. So is the trajectory unsustainable, or just misunderstood?
FY2025 Budget Comparison: Fairfield, Vallejo, and Vacaville
How do Solano County’s three largest cities allocate their general fund dollars? We compiled FY2024-25 adopted budget data for Fairfield, Vallejo, and Vacaville to make side-by-side comparison possible.
Renewing Measure T: What Journalists Should Know
This reporter’s brief outlines what Measure T is, why it’s up for renewal, the fiscal impacts, accountability mechanisms, and story angles you can localize for your audience. Copy, adapt, and cite original sources linked below.
Building Digital Capacity in Solano County: Data Visualization for Civic Understanding
Effective civic engagement requires accessible information. Too often, municipal budget data remains locked in dense PDFs or spreadsheet formats that create barriers for community members who want to understand how their tax dollars are collected and spent.
Understanding Solano County's Housing Development Impact Fees
Housing development impact fees play a crucial role in funding public infrastructure needed to support new residential growth across Solano County’s cities and unincorporated areas.
Municipal Budget Transparency Across Solano County Cities
How accessible are municipal budgets across Solano County’s seven cities? A recent review reveals significant variation in how local governments present their financial information to the public.
Analyzing Land Use Patterns in Solano County: What the Data Shows
Solano County’s diverse landscape encompasses urban centers, agricultural land, and protected open spaces. Understanding current land use patterns through data analysis reveals important trends for future planning decisions.
Public Infrastructure Financing in Solano County: Bonds, Taxes, and User Fees
How does Solano County fund critical infrastructure like roads, water systems, and public buildings? The answer involves a complex mix of financing tools, each with different implications for taxpayers and service delivery.
About Open Solano
OpenSolano is a way to bring people together to work on shared issues that matter to them. In many cases, the issues are civic in nature; parks, education, public safety, public services, public accountability.
City of Vacaville - State of the City 2023 - Video
Each year, the City of Vacaville Executive Staff present on the State of the City.