It has been said that with great challenges come great opportunities.   If true, it may be the only good news for citizens and taxpayers to be found in the state budget crisis.

State and local governments today face unprecedented fiscal challenges and unprecedented opportunities for fundamental reforms. In the coming weeks and months, citizens can forge truly historic changes in both state and local government by reforming the budget process, privatizing services, and returning professional full-time legislatures and councils to more traditional part-time bodies, among many other worthy initiatives.

Successful reform depends on access to budget and government information. Information empowers every citizen to hold government officials accountable for the conduct of the public's business and the spending of taxpayers' money. Official accountability to the citizen is the cornerstone of self-government and liberty.

Sunshine Review recently announced the recipients of the "Sunny Award" to state and local government Web sites scoring a nine or 10 on a 10-point transparency checklist of information about taxes, budgets, contracts, audits, permits and officials' contact information.

Since its inception in 2008, Sunshine Review has analyzed the Web sites of all 50 states, more than 3,140 counties, 805 cities and 1,560 school districts.

While we applaud the recipients, we hasten to point out the truly stunning truth that we were only able to recognize 39 out of more than 5,000 Web sites Sunshine Review analyzed. Less than 1 percent of state and local government Web sites fully share the information that should be available to every citizen, every taxpayer.

Citizen engagement is crucial. Success in meeting the challenges of the budget crises depends on transparency, accountability and the ability of informed citizens to secure the information they need to participate in reform and hold elected officials accountable.

State and local officials owe their constituents transparency. It's time to embrace open government fully.

 

Filed Under : Transparency