Location
Ivy Tech – Fisher Building (map)
Multi-Purpose Room
345 S High St, Muncie, IN 47305
Class Schedule
Saturday, September 14, 2019
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuition
Free!
Purpose
The purpose of this summit was to explore solution-focused, and nonpartisan, opportunities to foster transparent local government.
Summit Goals
- Provide citizens tools for identifying transparent local government
- Share examples of transparency in local government
- Facilitate a public conversation regarding transparency
What Happened
50 community leaders gathered on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at Ivy Tech Fisher Building Multi-Purpose Room for the Summit.
Click here for a brief audio recap of the Summit
Welcome / Introductions / Overview
We began by welcoming the audience, followed by introducing our coordinating committee, and sponsors. We reviewed the schedule for the day, explained the breakout format, and explained the location of breakout rooms, restrooms and other notable facilities. Dr. Chip Taylor, Director of the Bowen Center for Public Affairs, provided a brief primer on current laws governing transparency.
Breakout Sessions (Click the links for the provided Power Points)
“Opportunities and Challenges with Transparency: A State Perspective” presented by Tiffany Mulligan, Chief Legal Counsel for the Indiana Office of Inspector General, and Jennifer Cooper State Ethics Director; Office of Inspector General
“Taking a Look at Transparency” presented by Brad King, Planner 1 for the City of Muncie and Jason Donati, Stormwater and Recycling Educator for the Muncie Sanitary District
“Translating Raw Data to Information – How You Can Help Government Succeed in Transparency Initiatives” presented by Tammy Havard, Financial Strategist for the City of Westfield
“Public Meetings and Public Records: Navigating Indiana’s Public Access Laws” presented by Kristopher Cundiff, Deputy Public Access Counselor for the State of Indiana Office of the Public Access Counselor
“Building Real Relationships Through Social Media” presented by Office Chase Winkle, Public Information Officer for the Muncie Police Department
“Dashboards and Rearview Mirrors: How Facts, Figures and Focus Can Transform Muncie” presented by Andrew Dale, Business Development Consultant
Lunch / Meet the Candidates
Participants enjoyed a lunch provided by Ivy Tech Community College, while meeting local candidates for office. Candidates for City and County positions setup a campaign table in the lunchroom and spent 60 seconds each addressing the participants.
All 2019 candidates for city office were invited. Invitations were sent to the mailing address listed on their filing paperwork. The Summit planning team also reached out via email / social media, where those channels were made available.
Attending candidates included:
- Terry Bailey (D) Mayoral Candidate
- WaTasha Barnes Griffin (D) City Council at Large Candidate
- Linda Gregory (D) City Council at Large
- Troy Ingram (surrogates were present) (R) City Council at Large Candidate
- Richard Ivy (R) City Council at Large Candidate
- Monica James (G) City Council District 4 Candidate
- Belinda Munson (R) City Clerk Candidate
- Bradley Polk (R) City Council District 4
- Nora Powell (D) City Council at Large
- Jeff Robinson (D) City Council District 2 Candidate
Creating Solutions for Our Community
During this facilitated discussion participants were ask to share their suggestions for increasing transparency in the community. Every participant was given the opportunity to share their ideas for improving transparency. At the end of the sessions participants voted for their favorite ideas. Their feedback will be organized and shared with the Mayor, City Council, County Council, and County Commissioners.
Next Steps
These suggestions will be shared with the Mayor, City Council, County Council and the County Commissioners. We will ask these bodies for their feedback on how they wish to incorporate citizen’s suggestions regarding transparency.
The Top 10 Suggestions are listed below.
- Utilize the Open Government Financial Transparency Portal.
- Publish the ordinances and resolutions that elected officials see as filed.
- Create a Chief Info Officer.
- Provide greater transparency regarding the use of County/City TIF Districts.
- Provide recidivism data- to see if programs are working (ex: jails, drugs, children).
- Create a county / citywide strategic plan.
- Reframe documents with citizen friendly language (i.e. avoid acronyms, use layman’s terms).
- Publish a Muncie Week in Review newsletter.
- Develop a common master calendar of meetings publish to the internet.
- Develop an online repository for all public documents.
