Over the years, the public’s expectations for government transparency and openness have increased while Idaho’s public records law has not kept up. It used to be that a government was considered sufficiently transparent if you could walk into your local city hall and look at the budget and city council meeting minutes, for example. It was considered transparent if you could request a record and receive a response in three working days, as is required under Idaho’s statute. Today, people expect more. The city that merely provides paper copies of information on demand is considered opaque in its interactions with residents. What do citizens want? They want to be able to look at government budgets—in detail that might even include the government’s check register and credit card expenses—in the comfort of their own homes via the Internet/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.

Question: Which local government in North Idaho do you consider most transparent?