Americans think local government is boring. Social media could fix that.

When's the last time you talked to the officials who governed your city or town

You know, the ones crafting laws, passing ordinances, and writing codes that quietly

shape your everyday life. Maybe it's a noise rule that tells you when the party's over

or a zoning code that decides what can be built next door

But here's the real question. How often do you show up when those decisions are being made

City council meetings and public hearings are infamous for being long, and let's face it, boring

But a growing number of local governments are trying to change that, and it starts on social media

Christy Dalton knows this space better than most. She's the founder of Government Social Media

the world's largest network of social media managers in government. We've created this community because it takes a lot of creativity

for folks who work in government and want to share the story of government

to think about how can we frame this in a little bit different way

Dalton says agencies that speak in a conversational tone, the same language people use every day online are seeing results Anything that governments can do to ensure that they are humanizing themselves they are becoming more known in the community

for things that are outside of disasters and emergency situations. From creative short videos to playful campaigns like this one

designed to boost attendance at city meetings. This council meeting has every day, minutes to approve

Library board reappointments. What about the charter? We're going to modernize it

The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, took a page out of the entertainment playbook

leaning on the roar of monster trucks with a simple strategy, make the serious stuff fun

They're really the ones that are actively pursuing that democratic process. And that's what we want

to see because, you know, the more diversity and representation that we have in the process

the more positive the outcome will be for the broader community. Amanda King is the chief communications and engagement officer for the city of Fort Collins

She says this push for fun isn just about going viral It a council priority aimed at making local government more approachable and about an hour away in Denver

The water department put their own spin on the Backstreet Boys hit, I Want It That Way

turning it into a playful lesson on how to properly water your yard

Even if you see these posts from your local government, not everyone can show up to a city council meeting at two o'clock on a Tuesday

In Houston, one resident decided if people couldn't be there, she'd bring the meetings to them

I started in June of 2020. It was high lockdown time and George Floyd had just been murdered and Breonna Taylor had just been murdered

and a lot of people were organizing to attend virtually the public safety committee hearing

because it was budget season in Houston at the time. Emily Hines put her notes on Instagram

The first set drew people in. Soon Hines was building slides launching a website even starting a podcast all to translate what happens inside Houston City Hall into language people actually want to read I totally trying to catfish people

into caring about city council for sure, in whatever way that means. Today, thousands follow

her updates. And while the city streams meetings online, Hines argues accessibility is about more

than just a live stream. It's about breaking down barriers. The city does a poor job of that

And they do what the bare minimum of what is required of them by state law. It also just

really sucks to exclude a whole group of people who are disabled or chronically ill enough that

they don't feel comfortable going to a public space. At the end of the day, laws, codes and

ordinances don't just happen. They're written and passed in rooms that depend on public voices

And whether you join online or in person, yours could be one of them. You can read Maggie Gordon's

full piece on this topic right now on the Straight Arrow News mobile app or on san.com

Just search local government. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kaylee Carey