Transparency and accountability have been key topics in nearly every municiple election I can recall. Years ago, publishing meeting minutes in newspapers was the norm, and residents often attended council meetings. The advent of the internet led to municipalities establishing websites to post their minutes, thereby ensuring easy access to this information. Today council can use their website and social media platforms to further improve their transparency and accountability to their residents through various means, beyond just the posting meeting minutes on their website .

During my time on the council, a primary concern raised by residents was the lack of sufficient information in the minutes. Since minutes solely detail council decisions, they are not favored by many as a means to stay informed about the council's activities. An alternative document that the council can share with the public is the meeting agenda. Although cities have been publishing agendas for a long time, towns are now also starting to make meeting agendas available online. While certain information is restricted, there is a significant amount of information that can be shared. Check out the agenda for the latest meeting of the Town of Maple Creek (Town of Maple Creek Agenda). Their agenda features printable PDFs for most agenda items. This allows residents to easily access a wealth of information that in in the past was not easily accessible. Incorporating meeting agendas into our town's website would represent a major stride towards greater transparency and accountability.

Another way for the council to enhance transparency and accountability is by live-streaming their regular meetings on Facebook. Due to busy schedules, many individuals are unable to attend town council meetings in person every other Wednesday night. However, by broadcasting the meetings live and archiving them on Facebook, the public can watch at their convenience. This enables residents to witness the discussions and decisions made by their council members. Again the Town of Maple Creek has been live streaming for a while and you can view thier meetings on their Facebook page (Town of Maple Creek). Having regular meetings broadcast is perhaps the best way to keep residents engaged in the business of their town. Not only would it help residents better understand the reasons behind the decisions, but it would also allow them to provide feedback on some issues before decisions are made.

The primary goal of adding agendas and videoing regular meetings would be to strengthen accountability and transparency of Council in order to increase citizen engagement in the decision-making process. Residents who are well-informed can offer valuable feedback to the council when decisions are being made. It's crucial to keep in mind that council members elected to run for public office, which entails constant public scrutiny shouldn't be reluctant to broadcast meetings or share agendas. To move the town forward into the future, the new council should seriously consider the value of sharing meeting agendas and broadcasting regular council meetings.

Blake Campbell

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