by Kristina Rasmussen We told you about a $100K state grant to put up two informational kiosks in Springfield in a Spotlight on Spending report: $100,000 for Touch Screen Kiosks in Springfield The DCEO gave Downtown Springfield Inc. $100,000 for touch-screen kiosks to “provide information on local historic sites, restaurants, retail shops, services, hotels, recreational facilities, maps...
by Brian Costin One of my biggest pet peeves of all times is how some politicians have an insatiable need to put their name on things at the expense of the taxpayers. The open road tolling signs with former Governor Blagojevich’s name and the Richard M. Daley signs at O’Hare Airport come to mind. However, a...
by Brian Costin At the Village of Willowbrook board meeting on April 11th, the Illinois Policy Institute awarded a Certificate of Achievement to the Village Board for their participation and success in the Institute’s Local Transparency Project. “As of an audit on April 8, 2011, the Village of Willowbrook’s transparency score is an 86.8 out of 100. This...
by Brian Costin Recently, as part of our Local Transparency Project, we conducted an audit in the Downers Grove area of 16 government agencies for proactive online transparency. One of those agencies was Hinsdale Township High School District 86. They scored only 49.4 out of 100 possible points. It’s disappointing that a public body whose job it is...
The Problem Taxpayers deserve to know information about the governments they fund. Illinois has thousands of units of local government, but key information about most of them is not readily available to average citizens. Technology has created an unprecedented opportunity for governments of all sizes to make information publicly available at no incremental cost. While...
Craig Mijares and Nancy Thorner are taxpayer heroes for getting information out to the public on excessive employee compensation.
An interesting poll by by Public Policy Polling.
Recently, we asked some of our more active Liberty Leaders to let us know what they are up to and what has made them successful in their efforts to promote liberty around the State of Illinois.
The Decatur Herald-Review is running a Sunshine Week series and kicks off the week by highlighting the Institute's 10-Point Transparency Checklist
The Decatur Herald and Review published wrote about the Illinois Policy Institute's "Transparency Checklist" in an editorial about Sunshine Week.
In a democracy it is especially important that citizens have access to information so they can actively participate in government and make good choices on Election Day.
The Springfield School Board did not choose the lowest bidder to install a geothermal wellfield, which cost taxpayers an additional $125,000.
Liberty Leader Nancy Thorner's transparency initiative in Lake Forest School Districts 67 & 115 has led to questions about the Superintendent's salary
Feb. 10, 2011 — The Downers Grove Park District and villages of Downers Grove and Willowbrook scored the highest of 16 public agencies recently evaluated in a government transparency audit. The audit was part of the Illinois Policy Institute’s Local Transparency Project and initiated by a local resident. Governments were graded on the availability of information to...