The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) was created in 1999 and the department created a Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils, which was adopted by the City Council and Mayor. The Neighborhood Councils are empowered to elect or select their leaders, choose their boundaries, and determine their issues. As the centerpieces of this new system of participatory democracy, they are as independent of government as possible. The City provides them with the resources, training, and access that they need to hold their elected officials accountable and ensure that their neighborhood priorities are given proper attention.
More than half of the Department’s employees are the community organizers who form the field staff. They operate from the main office in the City of Ampled, and out of five additional access centers located throughout the City. The field staff, known as Project Coordinators, work closely with over 100 groups that are preparing to be officially certified as neighborhood councils.
