How Public are Public Records?
We attempted to collect some public records about our local taxes to uncover the inefficiencies of having so many local governments. The exercise of collecting these records demonstrated the very inefficiency we intend to use the data for. We document our attempts to receive public records and the problems we encountered along the way.
The Truth in Campaign Finance Plan
The Federal office seekers have to report to the Federal Elections Commission how much money they raised and where they spent it. The site is so bad that a private organization restructured the data to create www.opensecrets.org. The State has an electronic filing...
The Truth in Government Plan
On the side of the cereal box is a label, it lists all the ingredients and the nutritional value. It's required by law. When you buy a new car, there is a specified sticker, telling you all the features, gas mileage and the price- again, required by law. When you go...
How many court websites do we need in Montgomery County?
Franklin County has one clerk of courts and one website. Felony, misdemeanor, civil case, probate, appeal- it's all in one place. You can file electronically for any and all of the above case types. Maybe it's why Franklin County has been growing and Montgomery...