At tomorrow night’s City Council meeting, Mitch Harper 4th District, will be introducing what he says is the first of many ordinances to write Open Government into the City Code.
G-08-03-25
AN ORDINANCE amending Chapter 38 City Policies, of the City of Fort Wayne, Code of Ordinances
Provide electronic access to the notice through a computer Gateway – notice to be made available on the internet.
The ordinance is available for viewing on Jeff Pruitt’s Fort Wayne Politics webste here as well as his post on the subject. While the ordinance is a first step, it’s a very tentative one at that. Some agencies already post their agenda’s and schedules on the www.cityoffortwayne.org. What would have been nice to see included would have been time guidelines for posting on the internet and perhaps a stipulation that the ordinances, resolutions or matter at hand to be discussed, have supporting documentation and even the actual ordinances and resolutions posted in a timely fashion as well.
That aside, it’s a step in the right direction!
March 28, 2008 Update: Mitch Harper emailed me that this ordinance only applies to public notices. The time guidelines for posting the notices to the City’s website are the same as given in the sited Indiana Code. More open government ordinances regarding agendas, schedules and pertaining ordinances and resolutions will follow.