The Village of Skokie received a perfect score on a recent online transparency audit conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI). When announcing the scores for Skokie and other Illinois communities today, the IPI stated that Skokie residents have excellent access to basic financial and participatory information online. Skokie was one of only three of the 25 largest municipalities in Illinois audited to receive a perfect 100 percent score on measures of online transparency.
The IPI evaluated a wide variety of online information while conducting the audit, including whether a municipal website has information such as annual financial reports, budget, employee compensation, third-party expenditures online and more. Skokie’s website, www.skokie.org, includes all of this information in one easily accessible “Transparency” portal located on the left side of the home page. By clicking on this tab, visitors can access a tax guide, lobbyist information, municipal contracts, information on how to submit a Freedom of Information Act request and other important government information.
By comparison to Skokie’s perfect transparency score, twelve major Illinois cities – including several in the surrounding suburbs – failed the online transparency audit. The other two communities receiving perfect scores were Evanston and Orland Park.
For more information on the online transparency audit conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute, visit www.illinoispolicy.org.