{"id":14162,"date":"2024-08-20T16:29:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T20:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/?p=14162"},"modified":"2024-08-21T11:13:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T15:13:21","slug":"solutions-exist-already-for-transparency-in-muncie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/20\/solutions-exist-already-for-transparency-in-muncie\/","title":{"rendered":"Solutions Exist Already For Transparency in Muncie"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Solutions Exist Already For Transparency in Muncie<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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August 21st, 2024 \/ Essay \/ By Brad King<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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“It’s difficult to hold public officials accountable if citizens don’t know who works for what public agency. Citizens are less likely to attend public meetings or contribute to them if they feel like they don’t know about the discussion topics, or even know when or where the public meeting is taking place.”<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Good governance is a principle of governing that is open, accountable, participatory, and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>responsive to the citizenry. It functions as effective management of resources, adherence to the\u00a0<\/span>rule of law, protection of rights, and promotion of inclusivity and equity. Government, especially local, directly<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Good governance is a principle of governing that is open, accountable, participatory, and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>responsive to the citizenry. It functions as effective management of resources, adherence to the\u00a0<\/span>rule of law, protection of rights, and promotion of inclusivity and equity. Government, especially local, directly <\/span>impacts our lives and community by implementing policies; when we\u00a0<\/span>have that decision-making process more effectively open, accountable, participatory, and\u00a0<\/span>responsive there is a greater level of trust and confidence in government.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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impacts our lives and community by implementing policies; when we\u00a0<\/span>have that decision-making process more effectively open, accountable, participatory, and\u00a0<\/span>responsive there is a greater level of trust and confidence in government.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The quality of the latter three aspects mentioned above relies on the first. An open government\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is one where public information is accessible. It\u2019s difficult to hold public officials accountable if\u00a0<\/span>citizens don\u2019t know who works for what public agency. Citizens are less likely to attend public\u00a0<\/span>meetings or contribute to them if they feel like they don\u2019t know about the discussion topics, or\u00a0<\/span>even know when or where the public meeting is taking place. And of course, there\u2019s not much\u00a0<\/span>for a government to respond to, if citizens aren\u2019t participating. In fact, without openness, a\u00a0<\/span>government can continue right along not being\u2026 well\u2026 good.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Bad governance leads to patronage governing; the status quo we\u2019ve become all too accustomed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to. In a patronage or spoils system of governance, loyalty to those in power is rewarded with\u00a0<\/span>positions, favors, and resources, regardless of qualifications or merit. This leads to cronyism,\u00a0<\/span>corruption, and inefficiency, as decisions are based on personal relationships rather than public\u00a0<\/span>interest or competence. It undermines principles of meritocracy, accountability, and fairness in\u00a0<\/span>governance.<\/span><\/p>

Strife between a government and its citizens arises from poor communication, misunderstandings, and therefore a fear that something “corrupt” is occurring. Unethical and even criminal behavior rarely happens when citizens are adequately informed, contributing, and heard. Making public meetings open and public records available for inspection is the basic guidepost for a good government.<\/span><\/p>

Open government or government transparency promotes accountability and provides\u00a0<\/span><\/span>information to citizens about government actions and decisions. The data collected and\u00a0<\/span>maintained by the government is an asset. Governments have more than an ethical duty to\u00a0<\/span>share information, but a legal duty as well.<\/span><\/p>

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires federal records to be fully or partially disclosed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>upon request. In Indiana, the Access to Public Records Act (APRA) provides citizens with the\u00a0<\/span>right to inspect public records. Indiana\u2019s Open Door Laws provide that public meetings must be\u00a0<\/span>advertised and open to the public. There are a few exceptions to those mandates including but\u00a0<\/span>not exhaustive; investigatory records of law enforcement, grand jury documents, personnel files,\u00a0<\/span>and other records with sensitive information.<\/span><\/p>

Many of Indiana\u2019s local government units, like Muncie, still run on an antiquated system where\u00a0<\/span>public meetings, such as the Board of Public Works or the Muncie Redevelopment Commission,\u00a0<\/span>are held in the morning of a weekday. Public records, like annual budgets or contracts, are not\u00a0<\/span>easily accessible online or through other means available to the public. Their website is\u00a0<\/span>incomplete and often slow to be updated.<\/span><\/p>

Input from the public is not necessarily guaranteed at public meetings either. However, one\u00a0<\/span><\/span>positive development to come from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown is the emergence of v<\/span>irtual meetings, which most public agencies still use to provide access to meetings, even if\u00a0<\/span>those agencies are not taking comments from their live streams.<\/span><\/p>

Indiana governments have been slowly modernizing, using services like MUNICODE<\/a> <\/span>to provide a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>database of ordinances and resolutions. Some cities, including Muncie, use it to provide\u00a0<\/span>agendas, minutes, and meeting packets. However, MUNICODE only hosts those documents for\u00a0<\/span>the City Council meetings, and no other public agency documents have been provided. In\u00a0<\/span>Muncie, specifically, this likely has to do with the office of the City Clerk being the office that\u00a0<\/span>contracted MUNICODE. Without knowing the full extent of capabilities of a service like\u00a0<\/span>MUNICODE<\/a><\/span>, but seeing the difference between how cities engage it, it tells us it has a greater\u00a0<\/span>capacity, and it could provide more documents than just ordinances and resolutions.<\/span><\/p>

Technology today allows agencies to provide more documents proactively for inspection. The\u00a0<\/span><\/span>open data movement is a digital age initiative that advocates for the free and unrestricted\u00a0<\/span>availability of data to the public. Advocates look to increase transparency, collaboration, and\u00a0<\/span>innovation across many public sectors. Openly sharing data supports public oversight over <\/span>public actions which helps to reduce corruption and inequity in those actions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Not all Indiana municipalities are waiting to catch on to the open data movement. South Bend, in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>2013, started an open data portal<\/a><\/span> in an effort to improve transparency and empower residents.\u00a0<\/span>The portal provides citizens with access to the City of South Bend\u2019s data such as Code\u00a0<\/span>Enforcement cases, abandoned property locations, employee compensation, financial\u00a0<\/span>transactions, investments, and grants. GIS maps show parks, libraries, historic districts,\u00a0<\/span>streetlight and abandoned property locations, land use areas, and legal boundaries, including\u00a0<\/span>those for the city. In 2016, the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) began proactively\u00a0<\/span>providing more data sets such as an incident map, and crime dashboard which includes the\u00a0<\/span>total number of service calls, incident information, and public comments regarding SBPD work.<\/span><\/p>

South Bend\u2019s Transparency Hub<\/span><\/a> is an interactive dashboard portal that makes City data visual,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>usable, and user-friendly for all South Bend residents. City dashboards are powered by the City\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Open Data Portal, making City analytics transparent and available for download by elected\u00a0<\/span>officials, small businesses, and residents. The Hub has features that allow the public to gather\u00a0<\/span>information, see crime data, and even leave comments. Both the open data portal and the\u00a0<\/span>transparency hub were voluntarily initiated by the Buttigieg administration. South Bend\u2019s actions\u00a0<\/span>towards open government act as a model for other Hoosier cities to follow, especially since it\u00a0<\/span>can be achieved with existing ESRI ArcGIS software most cities or counties use. In 2015 that\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>just what Indianapolis<\/span> <\/a>did; joined by Fishers, Zionsville, and Greenwood, they launched their own\u00a0<\/span>open data portal.<\/span><\/p>

The less the public knows, the more the government can do against public interests and for its\u00a0<\/span><\/span>special interests. The only way for the public to ensure its government is acting appropriately is\u00a0<\/span>open and free access to public records and meetings. This is vital in maintaining an educated\u00a0<\/span>electorate, however, if the public doesn\u2019t know what to ask for, or whether or not a specific\u00a0<\/span>public record exists, they cannot request it. It is incumbent upon the government to proactively\u00a0<\/span>provide public documents for open, easy, and free inspection; it is their duty to share.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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One of the largest political protests in modern Muncie history occurred in 2019 when the R<\/span><\/span>edevelopment Commission was assisting in the redevelopment of a brownfield site for a metal\u00a0<\/span>recycling facility. Once word got out about the potential pollution such a facility produces,\u00a0<\/span>protests erupted and the public, rightfully so, wanted to know how this could be approved. They\u00a0<\/span>wanted accountability but to get there, they needed to know what, when, and who. So, the public\u00a0<\/span>wanted transparency and was not shy about demanding it.\u00a0<\/span>That year the Shafer Leadership\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Academy (SLA) hosted a Transparency in Local Government Summit<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>

This was part of SLA\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>(and partners\u2019) attempt to aid citizens’ interactions with their government.\u00a0<\/span>During that year\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>municipal elections, government transparency was a big issue. Candidates made promises of\u00a0<\/span>actions to improve accountability but as stated earlier, the most that came out of it was the\u00a0<\/span>MUNICODE database of ordinances and resolutions (negotiations of which had begun under the\u00a0<\/span>previous Clerk).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Proposed Waelz Sustainable Products facility.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Citizens protesting the Waelz facility in front of City Hall.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe method by which citizens may interact with their government, be it by attending meetings or\u00a0<\/span><\/span>inspecting public records, is by design and not by accident. Those governments that go above\u00a0<\/span>and beyond the legal threshold for compliance are inviting public participation and attempting to\u00a0<\/span>support government accountability while working to soothe conspiracies of government\u00a0<\/span>corruption. Unfortunately, in Indiana, there are more antiquated governments than modern ones\u00a0<\/span>but with the public\u2019s demand that can change. While cities like South Bend and Indianapolis are\u00a0<\/span>leading the way into the future many Indiana cities are unfortunately falling behind with\u00a0<\/span>antiquated governments. Even cities, like Muncie, that have made some modernizations have\u00a0<\/span>not done enough to engage with the communities they serve. We can build transparency. We\u00a0<\/span>have the technology. We can make the government better than it is. Open, accountable,\u00a0<\/span>participatory, and responsive.<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Brad King is\u00a0<\/em>a long time community advocate who previously served as Muncie’s\u00a0<\/em>Historic Preservation Officer.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Brad King is\u00a0<\/em>a long time community advocate who previously served as Muncie’s\u00a0<\/em>Historic Preservation Officer.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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SHARE<\/a><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Solutions Exist Already For Transparency in Muncie August 21st, 2024 \/ Essay \/ By Brad King “It’s difficult to hold public officials accountable if citizens don’t know who works for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14162"}],"version-history":[{"count":177,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16925,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14162\/revisions\/16925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}