Local Resident Launches CivicWatch: An Open-Source Tool to Boost Transparency in Alamogordo City Commission Meetings

Alamogordo, NM – A dedicated local resident and city employee has created a new independent online resource aimed at making Alamogordo City Commission proceedings more accessible and understandable for the public.

Sven Sears, who has called Alamogordo home since 2005, recently launched CivicWatch, a personal project designed as a tracker for City Commission meetings

The free tool, available at https://coa-commission-tracker.netlify.app/, allows residents to easily search voting records, agenda items, and related discussions without needing to sift through lengthy video recordings or scattered official documents.

Sears emphasizes that the project is entirely his own initiative and has no affiliation with the City of Alamogordo, where he is currently employed. “This is a private citizen effort using only publicly available data,” he said. “My opinions and this project are completely personal.”

Before his current role with the city, Sears worked in the legal department for the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) and as a Judicial Specialist at the 12th Judicial District Court. He describes the motivation behind CivicWatch as deeply personal: “Ultimately, I want this town to be the best it can be for my daughter, Delilah, and for everyone who lives here. Keeping our local government accessible is a big part of that.”

The tool includes several user-friendly features to help community members stay informed:

• Insight Hub: A dashboard that visualizes overall pass rates on agenda items and patterns in commissioner voting.

• Searchable Archives: A collapsible, easy-to-browse list of past meetings, allowing users to quickly locate specific agenda items or topics.

• Direct Video Links: For each agenda item, the site provides a YouTube timestamp that jumps straight to the relevant portion of the official meeting recording, saving time for viewers.

• Open Source Commitment: True to principles of a free and open internet, the entire codebase is publicly available, enabling others to adapt or build similar tools for their own communities.

Alamogordo City Commission meetings, typically held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m., are already recorded and posted on the city’s YouTube channel, with agendas and minutes accessible via the official CivicClerk portal. CivicWatch builds on these public resources by organizing and enhancing them for quicker public insight.

Sears spent several weeks developing the site and hopes it serves as a valuable resource for residents, journalists, and anyone interested in local governance. “I would be honored if people take a look,” he noted. “If it’s helpful, please share it.”

As Alamogordo continues to discuss topics like transparency, economic development, and community priorities—as seen in recent commission sessions—tools like CivicWatch aim to empower everyday citizens to engage more effectively with their local government.

For more information or to explore the tracker, visit https://coa-commission-tracker.netlify.app/

The project remains an independent, community-focused effort dedicated to open government and informed participation, which totally is inline with the more recent calls for transparency tools and information for citizens. This is citizen activism at its best! 

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