Transparent Open Data
Accessing public data for transparency and trust.
Open Data and Transparency
Waunakee already does a lot of things well. Our staff work hard to prepare reports, respond to records requests, and keep the Village running day to day. The challenge is that much of this information still lives in PDFs, meeting packets, or internal systems that require staff time to explain or retrieve.
Tools like the OnBase portal are helpful, but they are really only useful if you already know the exact meeting and date you need to look up. That makes it hard for residents to explore information on their own and leads to more follow-up questions for staff.
An open data portal is not about criticizing existing systems. It is about making information easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to maintain. When data is organized and publicly accessible, residents get answers faster and staff spend less time digging through records or responding to the same requests.
This is how a modern local government supports both its employees and the people it serves.
Build on the GIS Hire We Just Made
The Village recently hired a GIS and Planning Specialist. That is a good step, and the leaf pickup map that was rolled out is a great example of what this role can deliver. It is practical, easy to understand, and actually useful to residents.
Now we should build on that momentum. With the right tools, direction, and support, this position can expand far beyond internal mapping. GIS should be a public facing resource that helps residents see development activity, infrastructure projects, traffic patterns, and long term planning in real time.
As a trustee, I will push to make open data a core part of that role’s mission, not an add on or a side project.
I Have Done This Before
Before moving to Waunakee, I helped build the Open Data Portal for the City of South Bend. That portal made crime data, infrastructure projects, budgets, and performance metrics available to the public in one place. Residents could explore maps, download data, and actually see how their city was operating.
You can see that work here:
https://data-southbend.opendata.arcgis.com/
That experience matters. I understand what data is useful, how to present it clearly, and how to avoid building something that looks nice but does not actually answer residents’ questions.
What Open Data Looks Like in Waunakee
An open data portal for Waunakee should be practical and easy to use. It should include capital improvement projects, street and sidewalk plans, development activity, zoning maps, traffic counts, and high level budget data. It should also include basic crime and call for service data so residents can understand trends and activity in their neighborhoods without relying on rumors or social media.
All of this information should be updated regularly and written in plain language. Most importantly, it should be designed for residents, not just staff.
Transparency Builds Trust
When information is easy to access, fewer rumors spread and fewer decisions feel like they happen behind closed doors. Open data reduces conflict, improves decision making, and helps residents understand why the Village is doing what it is doing.
Transparency should not depend on who you know or how persistent you are. It should be the default.
As a trustee, I will advocate for expanding Waunakee’s open data resources, supporting the staff who do this work, and building a system that reflects a modern, data driven local government.