Lake Zurich receives award for online transparency from group that promotes open government

Lake Zurich has landed on a statewide watchdog organization's short list of governments excelling in transparency.

Village officials this week announced receipt of the Sunshine Award for online transparency from the Illinois Policy Institute, which requires a website audit score of 80 percent or higher for the kudos. The nonpartisan research organization that promotes open government started examining government websites in 2010.

Lake Zurich scored 91 percent in 10 categories including contact information for village officials and the availability of public records, employee salaries, audits and expenditures. Mayor Thomas Poynton and other village officials are expressing satisfaction with the rating.

“I'm beyond happy with it,” Poynton said. “You know, I had a feeling once I took over as mayor that there needed to be a way to put out as much information as possible to the public.”

Of 7,000 taxing bodies statewide, the Illinois Policy Institute has audited about 350 of the government websites, spokeswoman Diana Rickert said. Of those 350 local agencies that include everything from library districts to city governments, Lake Zurich is now among 70 or so to receive the Sunshine Award.

Rickert said Lake Zurich officials requested the audit of the village government website that features a specific transparency portal.

“Transparency builds trust between community leaders and residents, it helps residents hold their elected officials accountable and it also helps serve as a deterrent for corruption,” Rickert said. “It's always surprising to hear a government official fight against openness in their community.”

Assistant Village Manager Roy Witherow said elected officials agreed in late 2013 that providing more information to the public should be a strategic plan goal. He said the setup process that began in November to bring the additional information online should prove to be the most difficult part of the effort.

“We call it radical transparency,” Witherow said.

Rickert said available technology makes it easier than ever to provide as much information as possible on government websites.

“We already share documents, photos and videos on our phones and Facebook pages,” she said. “It's not something that requires an IT person or specially-trained professional. It's easy and also alleviates the need for residents to file (Freedom of Information Act) requests on these items.”

Other suburbs that have received the Sunshine Award include Hoffman Estates, Wheaton, Naperville, Glencoe, Evanston and Park Ridge.