County officials reveal transparency plan

Burlington County Times

By Mark Zimmaro Staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 5:00 am

MOUNT HOLLY — Burlington County is going to make it easier for residents to find out what’s going on with their government.

A five-point transparency plan, which was introduced by county officials Tuesday, will include a new user-friendly website for documents, a new Facebook page, and a traveling meeting schedule to make freeholder meetings more accessible for residents.

“For starters, we are taking our show on the road,” said Joseph Donnelly, director of the Burlington County Board of Freeholders. “We will work with local officials this year to schedule and publicize three or four meetings at different municipal locations throughout the county.”

New Freeholder Aimee Belgard said taking the meetings on the road was an important factor to address because of the size of the county.

“Geographically, it’s the largest county in the state,” Belgard said. “Not everyone knows what a freeholder is or what the board does, and it’s hard for people to always be in Mount Holly for a meeting. … If more people know what goes on at the meetings, there is more outreach and we can better address the needs of all the residents in the county.”

Donnelly said the Facebook page would allow residents to receive important updates instantly through social media.

“Hopefully, this entrée into social media will give more residents a front-row seat to county business and an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about programs and services,” he said. “But this is just one element of a bigger transparency package.”

The transparency plan includes easier access to meetings, agendas, budgets and other documents. Freeholder meetings will be condensed to the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month instead of being held every week.

“The intent is simple,” Donnelly said. “This will give staff more time to assemble agendas. More important, it will ensure that freeholders have the time they need in advance of public meetings to review items and ask questions.”

More information on county departments and services will be highlighted during meetings, according to Donnelly. Department supervisors will provide reports on programs and activities during the second meeting of the month. They also will be available for questions pertaining to their departments.

“This is another key step toward familiarizing taxpayers and residents on the responsibilities of county government,” Donnelly said. “Everyone knows we collect recyclables and plow snow, but there is a much larger menu of services that need to be better understood.”

A “transparency” Web page will be launched this week in addition to the Facebook page. The transparency page will offer key documents, lists of municipal recreation grants, meeting minutes and election results. The link will be posted on the current county website, www.co.burlington.nj.us.

“Most if not all of this data can already be found on the website, but it takes some searching to find it,” Donnelly said. “Putting all these documents in one location just makes it easier for everyone. Best of all, this page will be a work in progress, as the list of documents is expanded over time.”

The Facebook page also will be launched this week as part of an effort to connect residents with county government and make it more user-friendly. It also offers residents a chance to provide constructive feedback.

“We discovered that our program to collect clothing and food for Sandy victims took on a life of its own when others publicized it on Facebook,” Donnelly said.

Belgard said she hopes freeholder meetings also can be videotaped and put on YouTube for residents who can’t make it to meetings as another form of feedback. She said she had a friend tape the last freeholder meeting as an experiment.

“The county is a very expansive area, and it’s important to be in touch with all areas,” Belgard said. “We want to make sure we are able to communicate with people in the entire county.”