DuPage panel prepares preliminary plan for more transparency

The first swat at making DuPage County government more open to residents is slated to be unveiled Tuesday.

The initiatives proposed by the county board's transparency and government accessibility committee range from such broad topics as the county budget and Web site upgrades to specifics including whistle-blower protection and limiting vendor contributions.

The panel, headed by board member Jeff Redick, is represented by board members from each of the county's six districts.

"The public's confidence in government is shaken," Redick said. "This is an opportunity for us to put everything on the table."

But some watchdog groups worry the committee isn't going far enough to ensure taxpayers have access to information. They're also concerned that some county agencies won't be held to the standard set by the board. The full board is expected to receive and comment on the preliminary report in coming weeks. No timetable has been set for implementation for any of the initiatives.

Here's a quick glimpse at some of the topics expected to be included in the report:

Budget

Some board members have expressed concern there's no formal schedule for work on the county's budget. They are recommending deadlines for department presentations to board oversight committees, followed by a series of preset budget hearings in front of the board's finance committee. A formal calendar also will help the public keep tabs on budget presentations, they said.

"I think the process needs to be more organized," said committee member James Zay. "The committee budget meetings need to be set so we're not pushing to the last minutes and scheduling five special sessions to get the budget done on time."

Currently, the only formal date is a mid-September deadline for Chairman Robert Schillerstrom to make his budget presentation. The county's fiscal year ends Nov. 30, and some board members complain that a month and a half is not enough time to work on the budget.

A formal budget calendar also would help the board schedule town hall meetings throughout the county to give officials a chance to present spending plans in a less formal setting as well as give residents a chance to ask questions.

Broadcast

Current options to watch county board meetings are fairly limited. The meetings are shot with one camera and shown on Comcast cable outlets in some communities, but not all of the county. The county pays about $200 a month for the limited service, county officials said. Recently, the county also began offering DVD copies of the meetings for sale at $15 a pop.

"Right now, there's only a handful of cities that can see the meetings," Zay said. "We need to sit down with Comcast and see about getting a better schedule and what else we can do."

Another option would be to stream the meetings live on the Internet, which would allow the county to store the videos in perpetuity on the Web.

Any increased television presence or online broadcast would likely require a significant financial investment, something members were leery of when the committee was formed.

Technology

If the board leans toward the Internet to broadcast its meetings, don't expect it to stop there. Schillerstrom and several board members are pressing for significant technological upgrades to allow the county to post just about anything on the Web, including an ordinance tracking system similar to what's used by the state's general assembly.

"Just about everything we do should be put on the Web," board member Grant Eckhoff said. "The problem seems to be in getting it up there."

New policies

Among the ideas tossed around by the committee were specific policy additions.

Board members are going to look into county legislation protecting whistle-blowers, reducing no-bid contracts and limiting vendor campaign contributions. There is no provision now that formally protects employees if they come forward with accusations of wrongdoing by colleagues or superiors.

"It's their job to come forward," said board member John Curran, who pushed the initiative. "We want them to come forward."

Legislating campaign contributions may be the slickest slope because vendors could be punished if violations occur. No specific monetary limit has been discussed, either. Redick suggested that union contributions also should be limited.

What's missing

The current legal opinion indicates that any new transparency rules adopted would apply only to the county board, the chairman and departments that directly report to the board. That excludes other county agencies that are overseen by other elected officials as well as agencies that are controlled by appointees made by the board or chairman. That means such groups as the health department and election commission would be unaffected by any new rules.

"To the extent we've got jurisdiction over any agency or other part of the county I'd hope our rules would apply," Eckhoff said.

But some committee members like Don Puchalski don't believe it's necessary the appointed boards follow lock-step behind the county board, but they should update their own accessibility guidelines.

"They should follow our lead," he said.