Carbondale first Illinois city to meet transparency criteria

The City of Carbondale’s new Web site, which Mayor Brad Cole said was modeled to provide accountability and openness, earned praise with few recommendations for improvement from a group designed to measure government transparency.

The Sunshine Review, a project of the Sam Adams Alliance, uses a 10-point system to measure the transparency of state and local governments, which Cole said the city used as a model in designing its new Web site. Although the review praised Carbondale as the first Illinois city government to meet all 10 criteria, it suggested Carbondale publish its checkbook registry online and disclose the names of members of the National League of Cities, a taxpayer-funded lobbying association.

“Carbondale is the only government agency in Illinois to have received all 10 check marks,” said Kristin McMurray, managing editor at the review, in a release. “It must be noted that the Sunshine Review has suggested Carbondale add their checkbook register online ... to improve their site, but overall the city and the public should be very pleased with the level of transparency found on the city Web site.”

City councilman Joel Fritzler has repeatedly raised questions about Cole’s unspecified travel expenses that appear before the council for approval. Councilwoman Mary Pohlmann said she would like more transparency in those expenses as well, though details about that spending are available upon request.

When the city introduced its new Web site March 2, it added a citizen access page that met the review’s “information is provided” requirement, outlining what information is available to the public under the federal Freedom of Information Act. This includes budgets, audits, money provided to Carbondale in the federal stimulus package, the city’s ethics code, tax information and public records.

The review requires government Web sites to include a budget, notices about public meetings, names and contact information for elected and administrative officials, public service announcements, ethics, municipal ordinance, audit, tax and contract information, and the name of the person in charge of fulfilling open records requests, with that person’s contact information.

The Web site must be user-friendly, secure, private and contain contact information for the person responsible for its maintenance, according to the review.

“It is the hope of the Sam Adams Alliance that all state and local government agencies in Illinois will emulate the transparency efforts of Carbondale,” said John Tsarpalas, Sam Adams Alliance President, in a release. “During a time (when) the state of Illinois has become the example of all that is wrong with government, Carbondale is providing a ray of sunshine when the clouds are at their darkest.”