The quarantine introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic continues. City councils continue to work almost as usual. City residents, on the other hand, have limited opportunities to control the authorities. How can citizens stay active so that important decisions of officials do not go unnoticed, and to what should we pay special attention?

• During the quarantine, the public cannot attend the sessions of the city council or the meetings of the permanent committees. It's a good idea to watch online broadcasts of sessions and meetings.
• Local authorities should update official websites. This way citizens can check whether draft and passed decisions of the city council are published in a timely manner. In addition, the minutes of meetings of the Executive Committee and specialized commissions should be published. This way you will understand what issues were discussed at the meeting and what decisions were made. For instance, you'll know whether officials followed the procedures  hen deciding whether to allocate this or that land plot within the city. In addition, thanks to the results of the roll-call vote, you will know the position of each particular council member on the issue that concerns you. This information is valuable, because you will see whether the council member fulfills the promises of the election campaign.
• Because of the coronavirus pandemic, city councils have been forced to review their budgets. This entails high corruption risks. It is important for residents to monitor all budget changes and redirects. The city council must publish the decision on changes to the budget on its official website.
• It is also best to control the procurement done by the city council and municipal enterprises. This can be easily done on the DOZORRO portal. Of course, in the situation of the quarantine and unprecedented need for medical equipment and PPE, this sphere is by far the most corruption-prone one. For example, recently colleagues from DOZORRO shared their procurement story from Odessa. A hotel owner there managed to make over UAH 3 million of COVID-19-related public procurement.