Hanover Twp. needs more transparency

As a resident and taxpayer of Hanover Township I am appalled to see the new allegations of questionable expenditures in the amount of $300,000.

It is apparent that appropriate safeguards weren't in place to prevent such actions. Government transparency is one such safeguard that should be seriously considered.

To root out government corruption the Illinois Policy Institute has established a 10-point transparency checklist that gives best practice guidelines for government agencies to implement.

Unfortunately, the township's website, www.hanover-township.org, is extremely lacking in online transparency. Hanover Township didn't have any information in seven out of the 10 categories, including no comprehensive annual financial reports, no check register or expenditures, no details about contracts with third parties, and no information about how to submit a Freedom of Information Act request (which is required by state law).

It is very encouraging that this was found quickly by new Township Supervisor Brian McGuire, but I can't help but think if the township was more transparent to begin with we would have been able to put a stop to this much sooner.

I hope that transparency standards in Hanover Township are dramatically improved in rapid fashion so we can prevent this type of government corruption from happening again in the future. It will be needed to restore the public's trust in our government.

Brian Costin

Schaumburg

Director of Outreach, Illinois Policy Institute