Newark City Dashboard

The Newark City Dashboard is a public transparency initiative designed to give residents direct access to the information that shapes daily life. It tracks how money is spent, how safe our neighborhoods are, and how well public services perform. Inspired by New York City’s 2012 Open Data Law, the goal is to make Newark one of the most transparent cities in America by putting residents, not politicians, in control of the facts.

The Data Residents Deserve to See

The dashboard will collect data across key areas of city life, including:

City Finances & Governance

  • Annual budget (planned vs actual)

  • Department and project-level spending

  • Revenues from taxes, fees, and grants

  • Debt levels and yearly debt service

  • Cash reserves and rainy-day fund

  • Cost of lawsuits and settlements

  • Consultant and contractor spending

  • Procurement transparency (vendor names, contract size, location)

  • Salaries and overtime for top officials

  • Property tax allocation (schools, county, city)

  • Pension liabilities and funding levels

  • Fines and ticket revenue

Public Safety & Justice

  • Crime statistics by type and ward

  • Police and fire response times

  • 911 call volume and resolution rates

  • Police misconduct complaints and settlements

  • Gun violence incidents

Housing & Development

  • Affordable housing supply and demand

  • Median rent and home prices

  • Eviction and foreclosure filings

  • Vacancy rates for homes and businesses

  • Tax abatements (recipients and costs)

  • Building permits issued

  • Public housing maintenance and waitlists

  • Homeless population and shelter capacity

Jobs & Economy

  • Newark unemployment vs state/federal average

  • Workforce participation rates

  • Job creation and small business data

  • Youth and summer employment programs

  • Median income vs cost of living

  • Business licenses issued

  • Top local employers

Education & Youth

  • Per-student spending and school budgets

  • Student proficiency in reading and math

  • Graduation and absenteeism rates

  • Teacher vacancies and turnover

  • School safety data

  • After-school and college readiness programs

Public Services

  • Trash, recycling, and street sweeping performance

  • Snow removal and pothole repair times

  • Streetlight outages and repairs

  • Water main breaks and lead pipe replacements

  • Public Wi-Fi and library usage rates

Health & Environment

  • Air quality and childhood asthma rates

  • Lead poisoning cases

  • Tree coverage and recycling rates

Civic Engagement & Democracy

  • Voter registration and turnout by ward

  • Public meeting attendance and comments

  • FOIA and open records response times

  • Community surveys and participatory budgeting results

Disclaimer:

This is an ideal model based on best practices and inspired by New York City’s Open Data Law (2012). The final dashboard categories and structure will evolve as more information becomes available and as Newark departments collaborate to ensure accuracy, fairness, and full public accessibility.