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Enhancing Government Transparency Through Effective Website Usage

In an increasingly online society, government entities must adopt the best practices for transparency through their websites. With over 50% broadband adoption, taxpayers expect real-time access to critical information, including budgets, meeting agendas, and contact details for elected officials. Utilizing a comprehensive approach, such as the Sunshine Review 10-point checklist, can bolster public trust by keeping essential data at citizens' fingertips. This guide explores the standards for transparency and the importance of maintaining accessible online resources to foster accountability and informed citizen engagement.

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Enhancing Government Transparency Through Effective Website Usage

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Open and Transparent Government Why Website Usage Assists

  2. Is There A Problem? • Why do this? What's the Precedent? • “At Internet speed” • We have become an online society (over 50% broadband adoption [Ars Technica] • What's the Question? • How does my account look? (corporate sites) • How can I pay my bill(s)? • Where's my information? (consumer sites) • Who is thinking what? (opinion sites) • I just want to talk (forums)

  3. Effect on Government? • Expectations are now “all online” • Need to be sensitive to its “customers” • Taxpayers want to see information at their fingertips • When other sites display similar information, people ask “why not us?”

  4. Main Questions (and Answers) • What is going on? • Announcements • Agendas • Minutes • How much is it going to cost me? • Overall budgets • Departmental budgets • Where is my money going? • Budget status • Check Registers / Manifests • Collective bargaining agreements

  5. Is There A Standard? (1/2) Sunshine Review - 10 Point Checklist The Website should include: • Budget: current and past budgets. Graphs showing trends help • Meeting agendas / minutes • Elected officials: names and contact information • Administrators: names of key administrators and contact information • Checkbook Register • Vendor contracts

  6. Is There A Standard? (2/2) • Right To Know - How and where to file: contact information of the person who is in charge. • Assets: latest audited statement of assets owned by the municipality and liabilities against those assets. • Taxpayer-funded lobbying disclosure statement: If the unit of government belongs to any lobbying associations that it helps to fund by paying association or membership dues, that information should be disclosed on the government unit's website. • Election information: how candidates gain access to the ballot, when elections are held, et al

  7. How Does Gilford Rate? Sunshine Review: • Town of Gilford - Sunshine Review • Gilford SAU

  8. Examples • Rochester, NH - Budget, Wages • Gerrish Township - check register • City of Nogales, AZ - check register • Round Rock ISD - Financials • State of Kansas - KanView

  9. How Hard Is It? • Source for a document • Decide its ultimate format • PDF • EXCEL • TXT • Decide where it should reside on the website • Move it • Publish it Demo time!

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