Ontario finished seventh among cities with populations between 125,000 and 249,999.
The Web has become an integral part of open government, said Paul Taylor, chief strategy officer for the Center for Digital Government.
He said cities like Ontario have recognized that the Web is an invaluable way to provide information as required by the Freedom of Information Act, as well as easy access to city services.
"These people actually believe that through disclosure and good service they can win back the public trust," Taylor said.
Want a copy of an Ontario public record? Apply for it online at www.ci.ontario.ca.us.
Also online, check out city ordinances, report graffiti and code violations, file a claim for property damage, apply for a business license, or make a utility payment.
You can even reserve a library book or just brush up on your Ontario facts (the city's official flower is the Charlotte Armstrong Rose).
There also are links to bids and proposals and water-quality reports.
The City Council in the past two years has made the Web site a priority, Deputy City Manager Bob Heitzman said.
"There have been a number of occasions the council has specifically given direction ... to improve public access to information," he said.
He said the city has worked hard to create a Web site that gives the public what it wants.
"We're really trying to push the information out there, ..." he said. "That's one good way to do it."
Taylor said the 36 cities cited in November by the Center for Digital Government, including Riverside, which finished 10th among cities with a population of 250,000 or more, represent the bright side of e-government.
He said other cities have a long way to go. Some don't have the money or expertise.
Others are still debating what information is public.
"It's a mixed bag," Taylor said. "Right now, some are really struggling."
But the changes he's seen in just a few years are amazing.
"It is remarkable how much easier public access has become," he said.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Mark Petix
Quelle/Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 05.01.2007
