A total of 265 proposals were submitted during the idea generation campaign for improving the use of Reykjavík City's time and financial resources. A diverse range of proposals was received, and the working group reviewing the submissions has already begun its work.
At the City Council meeting on March 4, the first action plan was presented based on the coalition agreement of the new majority formed by the Social Democratic Alliance, Pirate Party, Socialist Party of Iceland, People's Party and Left-Green Movement. Among the initiatives was an idea search for cost-saving proposals, with Reykjavík City's Consultation Portal serving as the platform for collecting these ideas. Everyone was welcome to submit proposals to the collection, which ran until April 30.
A special working group is reviewing the submitted proposals and compiling the key findings, which will be presented to the specialized councils, City Executive Council and City Council. The group has already begun its work and consists of Þorsteinn Gunnarsson, chief executive officer; Sigurlaug Anna Jóhannsdóttir, human rights office specialist; Margrét Berg Sverrisdóttir, administrative affairs project manager; Halldóra Káradóttir, director of finance and risk management; Vigfús Karlsson, finance specialist; and Arna Ýr Sævarsdóttir, head of office at the Department of Service & Innovation. The results will be used to shape City operations where appropriate, inform budget preparation, and develop projects that could lead to better use of both time and resources across the City's diverse operations. The only cost associated with the project is staff time.
Privacy is protected in the handling of all data from the idea collection.
Proposals viewable in the Consultation Portal
Submissions appeared immediately in the Consultation Portal unless the sender chose to keep their name and submission private. Many of the submissions are public and can be viewed in the Consultation Portal. The proposals received covered city operations in a broad sense and varied widely, including digitalizing receipt submissions for purchases, hiring in-house custodial teams for preschools instead of outsourcing, reviewing software vendor contracts, examining costs related to staff sick leave, and creating a flexible solution team to serve institutions and neighborhoods as needed.
The City extends sincere thanks to everyone who submitted proposals for their participation.