[S]outh Burlington launched a new app Monday that lets residents give direct feedback to their local government. The app asks residents questions such as whether they ride their bike to work, if their streets are well-plowed in the winter, and how well their city roads are maintained.
The app uses blockchain, a kind of open database technology, that is very new to Vermont. A state law that went into effect in July 2018 paved the way for blockchain companies to come to the state. Blockchain is best known as the technology that is used in cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin.
South Burlington is the first city in the country to use blockchain for city engagement, according to the developers who created it.
“As far as I know, it’s the first one,” Dustin Plett said. “Prove me wrong.”
Plett along with Oleg Gutsol, who work for a company called Consensus AI, got their inspiration for the app, also called Consensus, from Estonia, a country renowned for its tech-savvy government. The Toronto-based developers have never made an app like this before, but say South Burlington’s pilot program could soon be replicated by city governments across the country.
“This is the next big thing,” Plett said. “Some people say blockchain is bigger than the internet.”
The pilot will last a few months, Plett said. They will use feedback from residents to update the app.
The app is private and secure. All answers submitted are anonymous. The only personal information the app would retain is verification that the user is a South Burlington resident.
Attorney General TJ Donovan, a South Burlington resident himself, was the first to try out the app. Donovan said it was very user-friendly.
“It starts here in South Burlington, with this pilot project, to say that we are willing to engage in this 21st century economy,” Donovan said. “We are willing to provide access to government services in a new transformative way for our residents. We are willing to be competitive and to create jobs. And we will not forget our values of protecting Vermonters’ privacy and their financial security.”
Helen Riehle, chair of the City Council, said residents need to download the app in order for the program to have an impact.
“This is direct access to democracy,” Riehle said. “Our government is only is going to be as good as the citizens who are willing to participate in it.”
The app is free and can be found in the Google Play and Apple stores.
