John Grooms over at Creative Loafing endorses ads on CATS buses, the latest example of catching up to common-sense ideas we touted years ago for the system.
It takes a full-blown investigative commission to understand that the CMUD rate plan approved a couple years ago by Charlotte city council effectively exempted low-usage ratepayers from paying the full cost of their service. How perfectly Charlotte. Together with the revelation that at any given time, due to malfunctioning water meters, CMUD is essentially guessing [...]
I got a chuckle out of this NPR dispatch on the new FCC “broadplan” that is supposed to make broadband faster, cheaper, whiten your teeth, etc. We are simply back to the ancient FCC model of wise gnomes in DC “managing” the disruptive and wild forces of competition for the supposed public good.
The FCC’s genius [...]
And the program finishes about $2m. in the red as a result.
CNBC went to the numbers released to comply with The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act to find that Duke is massively out-of-whack compared to other institutions. ACC regular season co-champ Maryland only spends $45K per player, for example.
The cash champ? Louisville — with a [...]
Black got sweetheart deal As jailed former state House Speaker Jim Black mounts a campaign for early release, critics contend that the state justice system did favors for Black regarding the settlement of his $1 million fine.
Questions about Black settlement Wake County officials say imprisoned former House Speaker Jim Black satisfied a $1 million fine by surrendering some Mecklenburg County real estate, but questions remain about the real market value of the property.
Black settlement may not add up Imprisoned former House Speaker Jim Black used undeveloped land with a tax value of less than $150,000 to pay off an outstanding $500,000 state fine.
Fat CATS Colleen Calvani writes that the Charlotte Area Transit system will scale back some routes in an attempt to counter three major decreases in funding.
McCrory’s failure Jeff Taylor argues that Pat McCrory failed to carry Mecklenburg County because he failed to move its conservatives.
Lynx And Exploding Pipes Jeff Taylor says there may be another factor to blame for CMUD’s recent series of water leaks.
Did city ruin future hope for Eastland? CHARLOTTE — The owner of the soon-to-be-vacant Burlington Coat Factory space at Eastland Mall says the city of Charlotte has hastened the shopping center's decline by adding to confusion and scaring off prospective tenants. In 2007, a city-sponsored Urban Land Institute report recommended tearing down Eastland to make way for a mixed-use development. In 2008, the city bought options to purchase parts of the struggling mall. Last fall, it got to the edge of buying the entire 90-acre property, then backed away.
Task force: Cut rates on highest Charlotte water users CHARLOTTE — A citizens task force from Cornelius has criticized Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities for what it calls a "high error rate" in meter-reading equipment, and said the utility should roll back some rate increases it imposed on high users after the 2007 drought. The task force, appointed by Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte, said many large water users have been stunned by their bills, causing much of the concern over unusually high bills.
Mecklenburg won't release DSS report CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County on Monday released more documents from its probe into a Department of Social Services charity, but officials won't produce a related report they say is protected under state personnel laws. The newly-released papers include copies of receipts for gifts bought for the now-defunct Giving Tree program, summaries of problems found by a county auditor and a list of items in storage. But officials have repeatedly refused to provide the full Giving Tree audit.
Mayor Foxx reaches out to developers CHARLOTTE — n the final weeks of Anthony Foxx’s campaign for Charlotte mayor last fall, Foxx attacked his opponent, John Lassiter, for being too cozy with developers. The state Democratic Party produced a piece of campaign mail that said Lassiter sided with developers, “hanging homeowners out to dry.” After three months as mayor, Foxx has softened his message - a shift that has concerned some supporters.
Judge gets 2nd reprimand in cases involving family member CHARLOTTE — For the second time in a year, Mecklenburg District Judge Timothy Smith has been formally reprimanded for inappropriate behavior during court cases involving his family. On Thursday, Smith was reprimanded by the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission for outbursts directed at prosecutors who were trying cases against his wife, a public defender. Smith was a spectator - and not the presiding judge - in the trials. The prosecutors each won their case against his wife, Jacquelyn Smith.
Charlotte home sales, prices inch up again CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-area housing market eked out another sales gain in February, despite a dreary economy and nasty weather, and there are signs the general upward trend could continue. However, a leading indicator from a Charlotte research firm points to continued weakness for new home construction. The number of houses, townhouses and condos sold last month rose 3.6 percent from a year ago during the deepest part of the slump.
The John Locke Foundation provides this glossary as a public service because one is lacking in the DAR, which is written in a highly euphemistic language that could just as well be called “PlanningSpeak.” The planners not only use the technical jargon of their profession, but also they intentionally distort language to serve a political end. That is, they use language to cover the reality that their recommendations reduce basic individual freedoms.
Specifically, the recommendations in the DAR, if they are approved and become city ordinances, would transfer many of the most important decisions about the use of private property from the rightful owners to the political process, dominated by planners and the city’s most powerful and vocal special-interest groups. With such important freedoms at stake, this glossary is necessary to help Raleigh’s citizens decipher the fog of obscure terms and Orwellian language in the “Diagnostic & Approach Report.”
Regulating the Regulators: Seven Reforms for Sensible Regulatory Policy in North Carolina The excessive regulatory power allowed by North Carolina imposes great costs on its citizens and businesses and hurts the economic competitiveness of the state. This report identifies seven reforms that North Carolina should adopt to improve the regulatory environment in the state.
Trust But Verify: Open government is better government Executive Summary
Governments have been seeking ways to adopt or advertise their efforts at open government, sunshine, and transparency. Recent history is rife, however, with examples of how they have failed – such as Gov. Mike Easley’s financial dealings and the hole in the state health plan.
Open government helps build trust with taxpayers. Tools that improve openness with taxpayers have also helped government officials and managers better use their resources. Some state and local governments found ways to save money through improved transparency.
Financial transparency is an important step toward open government. Online budgets, contracts, salaries, and check registers make information more accessible. Corporate financial statements provide a model in clarity and accessibility. Too many government documents are not searchable in any way. When tied to outcome measures such as test scores in education, this greater accessibility can provide better insight about which government programs work and which ones do not.
Process transparency opens the closed doors elected officials try to hide behind when drafting laws. Putting bills online 72 hours before debate and voting begin, instead of in the middle of the night the day of a vote, would leave fewer surprises in legislation. Five-year fiscal projections for state and local budgets would also make clear the impacts of program changes over time, not just for the year or two a budget is in effect. Governments should also take further steps to publicize their meetings beforehand, record their proceedings, and make minutes or archived recordings available online.
Regulatory transparency means making the proceedings of non-elected bodies as open as those of the legislature, county commissions, and town councils. Proposed regulations should be easier to find and understand for those with an interest. The state auditor or an independent body should perform any audits or performance reviews. Reviews should cover not just how well an agency or program accomplishes its mission, but also whether the mission is appropriate for government.
Why Transparency Matters
Open government is needed for a healthy democracy. Yet much of how government operates is unknown. Carolina Journal first reported on Gov. Easley’s financial dealings in 2006, but it took until Bev Perdue took office and opened state police records for details to emerge.
The state spent as much as $226 million in excess cost for mental health services over three years. It took months for the costs to become large enough to gain attention and the full extent of the problem was not realized until the legislature’s Program Evaluation Division presented its findings in July 2009. The $250 million hole for 2009 in the state health plan also caught legislators by surprise.
Open government builds trust and improves government operations. It can even save money, as witnessed in Texas, where the state comptroller found $73,000 dollars in savings just through cutting the number of contracts for toner cartridges.
There are many facets of open government. The John Locke Foundation created the web site NCTransparency.com to improve online fiscal transparency, and the response from local governments has been very promising. The Greensboro News & Record complained that Guilford County commissioners work behind closed doors too much. Guilford is not alone. Few governments broadcast their meetings online or on television. Fewer still post proposed ordinances, rule changes, or even agendas online in advance of their meetings. Open contracting with competitive bidding is another essential element of open government.
Making information accessible is about more than making it available. Citizens need to be able to understand it. Elected and unelected officials need to change their approach to information. It is not simply about responding to citizen requests for information. The problem is that government documents are often difficult to understand even for those who use them on a daily basis. Is it any wonder that few citizens ask for budget information when that information comes in a form that is almost unintelligible?
Asheville, for example, has its budget available in twelve sections plus a glossary. Wake County Commissioner Stan Norwalk voted against putting information online because he worried about both the cost of putting data online and the effect on county employees who would “be bombarded with so many requests for information … that they will spend too much time dealing with frivolous inquiries.”
The answer, however, is neither to avoid making the information available nor just to put it online in any format. The answer is to present the information online in a way that can be easily understood.
The remainder of this paper will examine the three aspects of open government – fiscal transparency, process transparency, and regulatory transparency. Each section will provide examples of what transparency means in that area, steps governments are taking to become more transparent, and opportunities to improve transparency.
