As an academic researcher, and the head of our regional Code for America chapter, I've seen the amazing things that can happen when government data (like crime reports, housing statistics, and social services data) are freed through the web (when appropriate, of course). We shouldn't be afraid or embarrassed by our data, but instead should be allowing data to be repurposed for the sake of research and civic improvement. Oftentimes there's no additional cost to 'setting data free', but instead it's just having the will to do it. I would love for Cedar Falls to serve as a model community for transparency in our government operations, as well as in our ability to reuse all this information that's being collected at public expense.
For metrics on how we're doing, I'm using the Sunlight Foundation's City Open Data Census site. By December 2021, my goal is for Cedar Falls to have open data for nearly all of these areas.