3. Solutions – Transparency, Accountability, Improvement

Small changes will produce better results through Transparency, Accountability, and Improvement

Topics:

  • Financial Plan: Goals, Objectives, Results.
  • Citizen Internal Control Policy (CICP): Checks and Balances
  • County Employees – Existing experience and expertise.

Transparency

Transparency improves the quality of government and helps prevent the abuse of power. This is the equivalent of turning on a light in a dark room. Everyone can see what is going on. Transparency can be improved by the following actions:

  • Post plans, goals, and objectives.
  • Post all agendas, minutes, audio (and video if available) of all commissioner meetings on the government website. Include supporting documentation.  Summarize the minutes into published reports to provide citizens with updates on the status of plans and priorities. Support and encourage all other boards and commissions to do the same. Commissioners appoint members to boards and commissions.  (Note:  After the 2024 primaries, the commissioner’s site continues to be updated.)
  • Performance and Results. Summarize the meeting minutes into reports and share the reports with citizens. The minutes help capture all the excellent work that is being done in the county to include opportunities for improvement.
  • Budget Reviews. Include accomplishments as well as a review of financial needs.
  • Celebrate Accomplishments. Excellent work is being done in the county. It needs to be recognized on a more frequent basis. This may inspire more people to volunteer.
  • Citizen Input. Publish policy on meetings. Citizens will not be prevented from asking questions and challenging policy at commissioner meetings.
  • Open Meeting Laws. Comply with the spirit of Indiana’s Open Meeting Laws. Any meeting (working session) where there is a quorum (two of the three commissioners present) that will support a future decision will be posted.

Note: Elected officials can ignore open meeting laws with little to no consequences. Decisions made at illegal meetings can be canceled IF the non-compliance is caught within a 30-day window. Otherwise, the decisions can become policy.

 

Accountability – Say what you are going to do; do what you say.

Financial Plan: Goals, Objectives, Results.

Work with the County Council to support the development and management of a county five-year financial plan and budget. Identify goals and objectives for savings, spending, borrowing, controlling tax rates, monitoring trends, and communicating status. Priorities include:

  • Rainy Day Fund Balance – $2.5 million.
  • Target fund balances at 15%.
  • Publish the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan and Budget.
  • Establish a Health Insurance Reserve Fund.
  • Identify strategies to reduce or eliminate the need to borrow money for infrastructure needs.
  • Work to ensure the right balance of staffing and competitive pay and benefits
  • Recognize accomplishments over the past year as part of the annual budget review and approval process.

The decision in 2024 by the County Council to contract with a Financial Advisor and an attorney were needed improvements.

Citizen Internal Control Policy: Checks and Balances

Commissioners can lead by example, which might encourage other departments, boards, and commissioners (who may not be applying similar methods) to assess the value of the policy. This process includes the following:

  • Identify what is required by statute to perform the respective missions and functions.
  • Identify those actions that must be performed to prevent mistakes and rework. These actions are referred to as “Internal Controls.”
    • Example: On a personal basis, you may have a mental or written list (internal control) of when a bill is due. If you miss or are late for a payment, you may have to pay a penalty (mistake/mission failure).
  • Review the internal controls at least annually and include publishing a statement of assurance when submitting new budgets. Update/revise the controls when necessary. Any recurring mistake or error may indicate a need for internal control.

Two other important plans to be posted, updated, and/or revised as needed:

  • Road Improvement Plan: Identifies the status of all roads, the plan for repairs, paving timeline, and associated funding.
  • County Comprehensive Plan – Updates: The plan identifies what citizens want and do not want in terms of development, zoning, and quality of life. Our 12-page 2011 plan is vague and insufficient. Some items to consider:
    • Raise awareness of the zoning maps in the county. What should be sustained? What should be changed or allowed to change?
  • Determine interest in the development of revisions and zoning updates by areas, geographic, and functional. For example, Helmsburg developed its own economic development plan for its area. They also created a nonprofit community development corporation to help them manage their plan.
  • A vision for tourism could be another addendum to the plan.
  • The Brown County Strategic Wastewater Plan should be reviewed and aligned where appropriate with the County Comprehensive Plan.

Improvement

On an ongoing basis, review what is working and what is not. Take action to improve. Celebrate successes and look for those opportunities where minor changes can contribute to significant improvements.

Critical Thinking. All citizens have a responsibility to serve as jurists. The same level of civic responsibility can be accepted regarding county government policy decisions. In considering a change and a proposed solution, a citizen/jurist has the responsibility to review the facts and evidence presented, understand the options, listen to the arguments and counterarguments, ask questions, and decide.

Too often in county decision-making, a solution is proposed without a clear definition or understanding of the problem. The respective solution represents a one-sided closing argument. What citizen/jurist would ever want to make a decision without understanding both sides of the argument?

County Employees – Existing experience and expertise.

The experience of our county employees is a valuable resource. Those closest to the work have the best understanding and insight regarding improvement opportunities. Those with several years of experience have seen the good and the bad and know what has worked and what hasn’t.

Recognize Accomplishments, Celebrate Success. I’ve repeated this sentiment a few times, but important work is being done by our elected officials, volunteers, and county employees. Success creates a chain reaction that contributes to more success.