Riverside Community Alliance » Open & Transparent Government

RCA Accomplishments: Village Board Meeting Videos Online

Mark D. Shevitz — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:20:56 +0000

Residents’ ability to know what is happening at Village Board meetings should not be limited to their ability to attend the meeting, watch it on Riverside cable or check out a DVD from the library. RCA campaigned on the promise of putting video of board meetings online, so residents could more easily find out what happened at these meetings.

RCA has kept that promise, and as of August, 2009, with the help of the Riverside Cable Commission, video of all meetings since May 4, 2009 are available to residents on the village website. Residents are able to watch meetings at their convenience and can keep informed about what the Village Board is doing.

– Mark D. Shevitz

RCA Accomplishments: Two Opportunities for Public Comment Before a Vote

Mark D. Shevitz — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:13:10 +0000

In the past, the Village Board would vote on an ordinance at the same meeting it was introduced. As a result, residents would not have much – if any – time to research an issue or raise pertinent questions prior to a board vote on an issue. RCA felt that residents deserved more time to consider a proposed village ordinance and comment on it before the Village Board put it to a vote.

Soon after we were sworn in, we changed Village Board policy and mandated two readings of an ordinance – once to introduce it for discussion, and a second time to encourage further discussion before a vote. This gives residents at least two weeks to think about and respond to an issue before it is voted on by the board.

– Mark D. Shevitz

RCA Accomplishments: Village Checkbook Online

Mark D. Shevitz — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:44:54 +0000

One of the keys to an open and transparent government is giving residents easy access to information about how their tax dollars are being spent. RCA campaigned on putting the village checkbook online. In the summer of 2009, with the help of village staff, that promise became a reality.

Riverside’s check register reports, a detail of how the village is spending money, are put on the village website every other week. Residents can see how their money is being spent, and if they have questions, they can bring them to the attention of the Village Board or the Village Manager.

More financial information will be added to the “Open and Transparent Government” section of the village website in the near future.

– Mark D. Shevitz

RCA Accomplishments: Ending Restrictions on Public Comment at Meetings

Mark D. Shevitz — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:50:03 +0000

RCA campaigned on making Riverside government more open and transparent. One of the first things we did when we were sworn in was keep our campaign promise to change the policy of restricting public comment at board meetings.

We ended the old policy of giving residents only 5 minutes each to speak and did away with allowing no more than 12 residents to speak. Residents are now free to speak for as long as they like, with no restrictions on the number of residents who are allowed to speak at meetings. RCA also created a new board policy that allows residents to speak not just during the time set aside for public comment, but during any point at a Village Board meeting.

– Mark D. Shevitz