One of the most strenuous tasks that local government officials must face on a daily basis is keeping constituents on their side. It is a necessity that constituents feel heard and supported by leadership, and an important ingredient to this is to build trust and honesty in this relationship. There are numerous benefits to creating this sense of transparency within communities.
Local government leaders should prioritize transparency in their government because it helps operations run smoother for employees and improves the trust the community has for their local leadership. Local governments are in charge of all the important decisions in the community and this often comes with skepticism from community members who may not be sure how they feel about local democracy.
The best way to improve community skepticism is to be completely honest, and transparent with the decision-making processes of the local government so community members feel in the loop and connected to their government officials. Credibility of leaders is also greatly improved with transparency.
Continue reading to learn how to improve transparency in your own local government.
What is Transparency in Government?
Transparency in government refers to the practice of making government activities, decisions, and processes accessible and understandable to the public. It also involves providing constituents with reliable and regular information about government operations, policies, budgets, and decision-making processes.
Communicating to the residents under your leadership in a clear, timely, and easily accessible manner is what makes a government honest and transparent. It matters that local governments provide this clarity to constituents so they feel a newfound trust for their government officials and become reinvested in the community.
Some principles of transparency in government include:
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Access to Information
Governments should ensure that information related to their activities, policies, and decisions is readily accessible to the public. This includes data on budget allocations, legislative proceedings, procurement processes, and public service delivery.
Regularly reaching out to the members of your community online is a tried and true way to inform the public of local updates quickly and effectively. Sharing your updates and information online makes the information easier and more available to virtually all community members who have internet access.
Ensuring that your government website meets ADA standards and is readable, and understandable to the average reader in your community makes the information more shareable and honest for citizens. Including accessibility options such as audible and closed captions on media on your government website to make the information accessible for anyone with a potential disability.
Check out GovPilot’s ADA Website Compliance Checklist here.
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Openness Toward Constituents
Government officials should operate in an open and transparent manner, allowing for public scrutiny and oversight. This may include conducting meetings and deliberations in public forums, providing opportunities for citizen participation, and fostering a culture of openness within government agencies. Local governments need to be humble and accepting of feedback from citizens to prove their credibility and effort to be open to public opinions.
Why is Transparency Important?
Transparency makes constituents feel more trusting and positive about their local leadership and their intentions to govern with the best interest of the community members in mind.
Improving government attitudes and opinions of the local government improves constituent engagement in the community and investment in their own neighborhoods. Constituents want to be more involved in local government, and often feel compelled to engage with the local government when they trust their local officials to listen to their concerns and be open with information.
Being honest and transparent about local government operations and local community news draws interest from community members as they can sense the authenticity of the information. This ensures constituents stay informed on local issues with genuine interest and care for the local decisions or current events in the community. Benefits of improving transparency also include improving voter turnout and attendance at local public events.
Learn more about Building Trust in Local Government and Keeping Your Constituents Happy here.
Key Ways Your Government Can Improve Transparency
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Create Clear Citizen to Government Communication Channels
Giving community members the ability to reach out to the local government when they have needs or concerns is vital. In the modern day, it's simple to give constituents channels of communication with their local government via online communication or the use of digital government polls and forums. Community members should feel that their opinions and feedback in local government decision making is wanted and encouraged from their local government. One way to do this is to establish reliable, easy, and secure online communication channels between citizens and government officials.
Check out our Report-a-Concern Software here.
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Implement Open Data Initiatives
Publish government data in accessible formats that can be easily analyzed and understood by the public by online through your local government website. It is also smart to provide an online portal where citizens can access and download data that is related to government operations, budgets, spending, and other relevant information they would like to see.
Open data initiatives encourage local governments to be honest and reliable to constituents and provide them the opportunity to access data within their rights.
Learn about Public Data Storage and How Local Governments Can & Should Use the Cloud here.
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Keep a Transparent Budget
Make detailed budget information easily accessible to the public, as they are surely curious to see what their tax dollars are going towards, and where public officials have decided to dedicate community funds. Including revenue sources, expenditures, and financial reports to constituents in a clear and understandable format, using plain language and visualizations for accessibility should be a standard for local governments.
Consider How to Perfect a Local Government Year In Review here.
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Hold Public Meetings and Share Recordings
Ensure that local public meeting schedules, agendas, and minutes are readily available for the public to check out through your local government website. It is even beneficial to post live-streamed or recorded meetings and public forums online for those unable to attend in person but who hope to watch later.
Sharing these recordings and streams of information for residents to watch and stay informed behooves the local government because it keeps community members invested in their community, and more informed when voting and weighing in on public decisions.
Learn How to Manage & Improve Local Public Meetings & Events with our resource.
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Accept Resident Feedback
Residents who care about their community are going to give local governments feedback and opinions on a regular basis, because they hope to improve their community. This noble citizen involvement is very beneficial to local governments because it provides insight into what residents actually care about. Hearing directly from their constituents gives local leadership a clue on how to provide the best services.
Report-A-Concern software is a module provided by GovPilot. This software allows constituents to report issues such as potholes, fallen electrical wires, inaccessible infrastructure, etc. to the local government on a quick and accessible mobile platform, available on any smartphone.
Learn More About How To Utilize Report-A-Concern Software here.
Prioritize Improving Transparency In Your Own Municipality
Local government leaders should prioritize transparency in their government because it helps operations run smoother for employees and improves the trust the community has for their local leadership. Local governments are in charge of all the important decisions in the community and this often comes with skepticism from community members who may not be sure how they feel about local democracy.
The best way to improve community skepticism is to be completely honest, and transparent with the decision-making processes of the local government so community members feel in the loop and connected to their government officials. Learn more about GovPilot and book a 15 minute consultation with GovPilot!
Improving Transparency In Government FAQs
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Why is transparency the government's responsibility?
Transparency in local government is the responsibility of government leadership because they hold the access to information that should be shared between the two parties. Residents want to see data and information regarding the community they live in, so the local government is responsible for providing this easily and honestly.
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What is local government transparency?
Local government transparency refers to the practice of local government leadership being open with providing accessible information to the public and is a vital practice in any local government.
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Who is transparency in government for?
Transparency in government is for constituents to be able to understand information regarding their community and for government workers to also have open access to information they may need when on the job.
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