I've said many times that Open Government isn't just a talking point, and in South Orange, we do our best to live it every day. And as an elected official, I try my own personal best to serve openly and transparently, and encourage others to do the same. And being an OpenGov proponent at the municipal level isn't just about what we can here and now, but it's about imagining what government could be, and advocating for innovative changes at the state and national levels that will help make truly participatory and inclusive government a reality for everyone.
Before I go on any further, it is important to note that South Orange has, for a long-time, been an advocate of utilizing our website and online platforms for getting information out, and this has only grown recently. These things cannot be accomplished without a team, and in South Orange, we are fortunate to have professional staff that are incredibly forward thinking about how we use technology to improve government services. None of these things are possible without them.
Open Budgets. South Orange has a track record of putting budget information online and presenting clear information about budgets during the meetings. In 2012, we took it a step further, by placing our actual $32 million municipal budget online in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. This allows anyone to download the budget, play with the numbers, see what changes have what effect, as well as help put our information out in there in a standardized format that can be used by third party application developers or services. Read about our open
budget on our website and in the local media. You can also download the 2012 South Orange municipal budget. In 2013, we released the budget, back to 2008, in an interactive online tool, bringing groundbreaking transparency to municipal finances.
Detailed Issue Explanations. When village-wide reassessments took place in 2012 and many residents found themselves wanting more information about how the budget worked, how much of the increase came from the Village versus the reassessment and more, we didn't shy away from explaining the details, but rather placed a very detailed explanation and discussion of these issues on our website and in local media.
Board of Trustees Meeting Restructuring. Realizing that there isn't adequate time for community members to present their comments in the Board meetings, in 2012 I added a second public comment period to every single Board meeting. One comment period before the Board takes any action, and one after, allowing members of the public to comment during both periods. South Orange has a long history of placing agendas (and other public documents) online, and these new comment periods help allow citizens to give us their feedback on those items.
Procedural Organization. For example, by requiring that all agenda submissions for considering at a public meeting be submitted through an online form, instead of just by open-ended email, more information is able to be gathered, tracked and logged. Agenda submissions (By Board members as well as department heads) require estimated budget impact, narrative, scheduled meeting priority, history of committee review, for example. More information is able to be presented to the governing body and the public before the meeting.
Accessibility. Being an accessible elected official is important. And although many community members find it easier to stop into one of our local businesses or Starbucks when I'm working down there (in my "mobile office"), I also instituted weekly office hours in Village Hall, inviting the public to come speak their mind and meet with me every Tuesday afternoon. Additionally, being available on Facebook and Twitter are great benefits to being able to keep a pulse on what's happening, share important (and sometimes emergent) information and connect with people who live in town.
Digital Village. As of October of 2012, the Village is currently at the beginning of the stage of a multi-pronged approach to getting our government even more online than it already is. Currently, we have a wealth of public documents, such as agendas, minutes, resolutions, ordinances, permits, forms, applications and much more online. Now we want to make that information easier to find, but totally redesigning the website from ground on, taking care to use cloud based tools to help us manage our information. Next, we will examine new and more redundant emergency notification systems that will allow emergency management personnel to send village-wide notices from a smartphone or tablet - ensuring that we can always get information out quickly. And next, we will institute a 311 system for taking complaints, service requests and other permitting/application processes right on the website. This allows our employees a more efficient workflow, while also allowing for email notices to residents when permits are completed and easy access to reporting issues from public works problems to new ideas for the downtown.
Aditionally, by using task management software in the administration office, we have created a more easily trackable database of the work done, which can be analyzed for efficiency at a later date while helping organize the chaotic environment that is municipal government, policy planning and constituent services. Currently, we use Asana project management.
Citizen Involvement. South Orange has a number of active advisory committees that help advise and assist the Board of Trustees and Village government in its work, such as the Transportation Advisory Committee, Citizens Public Safety Committee and Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, to name a few. Also in fall of 2012, the Village re-established the Public Information & Marketing Committee, which has the goal to assist the Village in communications, marketing and finding more ways to engage its citizens.
Check back often, this page is continually updated!
Recent Media on Open Government:
Open Government isn't just at talking point by Alex Torpey - Huffington Post
Torpey Honored for Open Government Initiatives - The Alternative Press
South Orange Releases Budget in New Transparent Document Formats - South Orange Patch
How our community will help us prepare for the next Super Storm
Get Involved in Open Government:
New Jersey Foundation for Open Government
2012 State Of The Village Address
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MFq5wFOEYC0
