Transparency and Green Savings Act

Here is a rundown of the legislation I proposed tonight: The Transparency and Green Savings Act.

1. Councilmembers, members of commissions, and the board of control will no longer receive stacks of paper. Instead, they will use an electronic tablet.
2. The city will create a Government Transparency Portal (GTP). It will be an online database of public documents that council and the administration uses to make decisions. It will be easily accessible to the public through the current city Web site.
3. Every city department will be required to cut back its paper budget by 10 percent for each of the next five years.
4. Electronic signatures will be recognized as being equivalent to manual signatures.
5. We will no longer spend thousands of dollars per year on hard copies of our city ordinances. We will keep them online only, except as requested by the police department.

The city spent $43,000 in 2012 in paper, toner, and cartridges. These initiatives will cut down on those costs significantly. I anticipate a minimum savings of $100,000 over the next five years, and then $20,000 per year thereafter. We need to repave roads, so these savings will help boost the budget.

Also, as this blog demonstrates, I am very interested in seeing that residents are able to obtain information about their government. That’s why the GTP is so important. With the GTP, anyone will be able to see the same documents that city council sees when it decides a matter. In my opinion, transparency leads to accountability. Accountability leads to better government.

These ideas have come to me at various times during my three years on council. Brian Reali helped me determine what was going to be feasible and what would not, and I appreciate his help in the drafting process.

If passed, the legislation will be implemented over the next nine months by a seven-member committee. Tonight, Chairman Jim Costello decided to hold the legislation for two more weeks — until the members who were absent can get a chance to review it.

In the few hours since the Akron Beacon Journal reported on the Transparency and Green Savings Act, I have received dozens of messages from residents and elected officials (both Republicans and Democrats), all in favor of how we are trying to modernize the city, save some money, and protect the environment. I appreciate those comments.

Click the link below to to read the first draft of the ordinance.

AMEND CODE CHAPTER 117-2-3

City council will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday.