Methuen, Massachusetts
From Sunshine Review
Methuen is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts.
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What information should cities disclose on their websites?
The City of Methuen does not publish an Organizational Chart. Charts are occasionally published in various documents but do not reflect the Government Organization as depicted in Charter and ordinances. An Accurate Organization Chart should be generated of the City of Methuen and published to the City website.
City residents and taxpayers need to be able to adequately gauge whether a city government is:
- Effective.
- Competent.
- Frugal with tax revenues
- In compliance with all expectations and relevant laws about public records and open meetings.
In order for this to happen, residents and taxpayers should expect to find key information on any city's website.
Note: Search box at City website only allows 20 characters. It truncates after that. Thus search for FY2009 City of Methuen Budget, does not fnd budget on website. Must use FY2009 Budget and click on radio button for "All Words".
[edit] Budget
The city website should include comprehensive budget information.
- Graphs showing spending and revenue over time. These do not exist in our budget.
- Searchability; a user should be able to search the database of spending. Only PDF Search function is available.
- The budget for the current fiscal year should be posted online.
- posted:Accounting;The Office of the City Auditor;FY2006-2009 Budgets
- posted:City Council:FY2008 Budget
- posted:Mayor; FY2008-2009 Budget
- Budgets for previous years should be posted online.
- see notes above.
- It should be very easy for people to find this information when they visit the website. This means that prominent navigational features enabling someone to locate the budget should be included on the homepage of the website.
- Notes to budget location are not prominent on the home page. Search box visibility would lead one to use that first if you did not know where budget was located.
- Graphic features that compare the current budget to past year's budgets should be incorporated, to enable people to make sense of trends over time.
- Table of contents is located at page 9.
- Some information is provided for 2007,2008 & 2009.
- Comparisons are by department, year to year dollar values.
- No Charts showing percentage increase year to year are available.
- Narrative features should be incorporated into descriptions of the budget. For example, if the current year budget is 1.2% higher, or 5% lower, or 14.7% higher than the previous year's budget, it is helpful to citizens to provide this comparative explanation at the beginning of a summary about the budget.
- Narrative explanation,missing from budget.
- Narrative called for by Home Rule Charter, ARTICLE 5,Financial Procedures.
Section 5.1 Submission of Budget; Budget Message.
Within the period prescribed by state statute, the Mayor shall submit to the City Council a proposed budget for the ensuing fiscal year which shall provide a complete financial plan of all City funds and activities for the ensuing fiscal year, and accompanying budget message, and supporting documents, including the estimated effect of the proposed budget on the tax rate. The proposed budget, including departmental requests, shall be in the same format as prescribed by the Mayor.
The message of the Mayor shall explain the budget for all City agencies both in fiscal terms and in terms of work programs.
It shall outline the proposed financial policies of the City for the ensuing fiscal year, describe the important features of the budget, indicate any major changes from the current fiscal year in financial policies, expenditures and revenues, together with the reasons for such changes; summarize the City's debt position and include such other material as the Mayor deems desirable or the City Council may reasonably require.
Note: Though the budget process is prescribed by State statute and by home rule Charter and local ordinances, There is no Calander of Budget requirements published by the City.
[edit] Checkbook register
This information is not available on-line.
The city's checkbook register should be posted online. This information provided should include:
- The amount of each payment
- Date
- Check number
- To whom the payment was made (including the address)
- What it was for
- Budgetary authority for the expenditure
- Functional expenditure category
- Sources of funds
- Links to the relevant contracts under which the payment was made
The level of searchable detail posted online should be sufficient to facilitate specific requests for further information, such as
- Addresses or other contact data for vendors
- Budgetary authority for the expenditure
- Functional expenditure category
- Sources of funds
- Links to the relevant contracts under which the payment was made
- Credit card receipts
[edit] City government meetings/agendas
The city's website should disclose all city government meetings and agendas.
There is a toolbar at the top of website labelled 'Event & Meeting Calendar'. this brings you to a webpage which allows you to search by date and or view a weekly or monthly calendar of scheduled events. The option is available to print these calendars. Only Date time and contact phone number is available at this page.
- Time of meeting.
- Place of meeting.
- Agendas for all meetings that fall under rules about open meetings (which should be 99% of any government meetings);
- Whether the meeting is open or closed.
- Whether public input is allowed at the meeting and, if so, what the rules are that govern public input.
- Minutes of meetings should be recorded and posted online.
[edit] Elected officials and elections
The city's website should disclose key information about the city's elected officials.
- Their names.
- Contact information, including phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
- e-mail addresses are not listed at website. These were available during previous administrations, but no policy seems to be in place for adding these to web.
- The School Committee does list personal email addresses for elected members. No official email policy seems to be in place.
- Nevins Memorial Library link takes you to external website. Trustees are listed but no contact information, no term of office.
- Methuen Housing Authority is listed under Boards and Commissions. No contact information. No term of office listed.
- Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee. Found no listing on City Website for elected officials.
Note: Elected Offices taken from 'List of Offices for Methuen Municipal Election 2009'@ website.
- Terms of office and date of next election. This information is not posted
- If the elected officials are elected in partisan elections, the website should indicate their party affiliation. Party affiliation is listed on ballot but not on website.
- Any financial disclosures and conflict-of-interest statements that the city requires of its elected officials should be posted online.
- Information is not available on-line.
- Per Methuen Municipal Code:Section 4A-4A. Family Disclosure
All elected officials shall disclose, in a writing to the City Clerk, all family members, together with their annual wages, who hold a compensated position with the City during the elected official's tenure of office. Family members shall have the same meaning as immediate family member as defined in Chapter 268A, Section 1, Massachusetts General Laws, and shall also mean all nieces, nephews and cousins of the first and second degree of said elected officials or elected official's spouse.
- CHAPTER 268A. CONDUCT OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES; Chapter 268A: Section 1. Definitions ;(e) “Immediate family”, the employee and his spouse, and their parents, children, brothers and sisters.
- Their Committee appointments. Committee appointments and meetings are not listed clearly on website. Information must be 'searched' for.
[edit] Administrative officials
The city's website should disclose key information about the city's appointed administrators:
- Their names and titles. Available under City Departments. Shows Department Head, photo, Department office hours and phone contact.
- Contact information, including phone numbers and e-mail addresses. No e-mail addresses
[edit] Ethics
If the city has rules governing ethical behavior of appointed and elected officials:
The Municipal Code, Chapter 4- Code of Ethics, Section 4.1 Code of Ethics for City Officials. Supplemented by Chapter 4A- Additional Conflict of interest.
- The process for reporting ethics violations should be available on the city's website. Not Available
- The results of any investigations that occur under any relevant ethics rules should be posted on the city's website.Not Available
[edit] Audits (Financial/Performance)
If the city conducts financial and management audits to ensure that it is operating in accordance with the highest standards of financial and management competence and integrity:
- Copies of performance and financial audits should be posted on the city's website.
- Routine financial audits should be posted online.
- Evaluations of the performance of any specific agencies or commissions should be posted online.
[edit] Contracts
The city's website should provide comprehensive information about the contracts it enters into with vendors.
- The rules the city must abide by when it enters into contracts with outside vendors should be posted on the city's website.
- When the city enters into a bidding process for larger contracts, the request for bids should be posted on the city's website.
- Publicly available information about the bids the city receives should be posted online, keyed to the request for bids the city has previously published.
- Specific contracts the city enters into with outside vendors for any amount over $10,000 should be posted online.
- If elected officials of the city have received campaign contributions from any vendors who sell services to the city, this information should be posted on the city's website.
[edit] Lobbying/advocacy
- If the city enters into a contract with a lobbyist or lobbying firm, full details of this arrangement must be posted on the city's website, including the name of the lobbyist or lobbying firm, the amount paid to the lobbyist or firm, and the legislation that the lobbyist is advocating for on the taxpayer's dime.
- If the city pays dues to belong to any lobbying associations, full details of these arrangements should be included on the city's website, including the name of the association, the amount paid in dues, and an identification of what positions that lobbying association is taking with the money it has received from the city's taxpayers via the dues paid to it by the city.
- If the city gives grants to non-profit organizations, these grants should be disclosed on the city's website with a reason for the grant and information about who in the non-profit organization is responsible for oversight and administration of the funds it has received from the city's taxpayers via a grant from the city.
[edit] Access to government records and public documents
The city website should include comprehensive information about how citizens can obtain access to public records in the custody of the city.
- When a citizen wants to file an open records request, which employee of the city handles those requests?
- What is that employee's contact information?
- The city website should provide this information in a very easy-to-locate position on their website.
- The city website should lay out the procedure for a citizen to follow who wants access to public records.
- The information should be user-friendly.
- The city website should include an annual rating of its FOIA compliance: How many requests did it receive in a given year, how many did it comply with, the average time required for compliance, and reasons for denials. If the city is currently being sued for failure to provide public documents, this information should be included.
- If the city has been ordered by a judge or public records ombudsman to provide documents it refused to produce in response to a public records request, this information should be a permanent record posted on the city's website.
[edit] Local taxes
Local taxes include taxes that apply to county or smaller divisions of government. These taxes can range from a local sales tax to property taxes and assessments.
A tax may be defined as a "pecuniary burden laid upon individuals or property to support the government […] a payment exacted by legislative authority."[1] A tax "is not a voluntary payment or donation, but an enforced contribution, exacted pursuant to legislative authority" and is "any contribution imposed by government […] whether under the name of toll, tribute, tallage, gabel, impost, duty, custom, excise, subsidy, aid, supply, or other name."[1]
Government websites, be they county, city, or school district websites, should include:
- Information about all taxes levied by the government whose website it is.
- Information on how to appeal property tax assessments, if the unit of government is partially funded by property taxes.
- Found in Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at City Departments:Assessing;
Q: What if you disagree with the assessed value of your property? A: If, in your opinion, the assessment of your property is too high, by all means discuss this with the Board of Assessors. When you receive notice of a new value, you may make an appointment to talk with the Assessors. In meeting with them, you will want to be specific about why you disagree. Is there some misinformation on the property card? Do you find the values of comparable properties lower than yours? If so, it is helpful to cite specific examples. Information on all assessments in the community is available in the Assessors' Office. The appeal process is described on the tax bill. Q: Do I have the right to appeal my assessment? A: The taxpayer has the right to file for an abatement of taxes, once the third quarter tax bills have been distributed. The taxpayer can file if he or she believes the property is overassessed, that it is not assessed fairly in comparison to the other properties, or that it is not classified correctly by the Assessors. Information about this and the deadlines that must be met in filing an abatement is available at the Assessors' Office. If the Assessors do not grant the desired abatement, the taxpayer also has the right to appeal to the State's Appellate Tax Board within a certain time period.
Notes: Members of the Board of Assessors are listed on the website. There is no contact information for them. They do not post a Meeting Schedule.
The Appeals process is listed on the tax bill and not on the website.
The deadlines for filing are listed on the tax bill also.
All forms are clearly identified on the website.
[edit] Privacy:
The website should include a privacy policy that describes how they collect, maintain, and use the data, including notification of any cookie placement or any other tracking method; pursuant to Illinois statute, all collectors of information are obligated to notify the individuals affected by a data breach, except in circumstances where such an act would inhibit law enforcement from performing their duties;
- There is no Disclaimer or Privacy statement on the City Website.
[edit] External links
- Official Website of the City of Methuen
- Methuen on City-Data.com
- Methuen on E-podunk
- Massachusetts Internet and Online Privacy
