Summary: Tarrant Regional Water District, who supplies the surface water to Willow Park that is added to our Willow Park well water, has earned Texas' Transparency Star for "Open Government and Compliance." The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' Transparency Stars program recognizes local governments for going above and beyond in their transparency efforts.
Latest Update: 03 June, 2024
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Willow Park Surface Water from Tarrant Regional Water District earns new TX “Transparency Program” Star
Tarrant Regional Water District [1], who supplies the surface water to Willow Park that is added to our Willow Park well water, has earned Texas' Transparency Star for "Open Government and Compliance."
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' Transparency Stars program [2] recognizes local governments for going above and beyond in their transparency efforts. The program recognizes government entities that accomplish the following:
Open their books in the areas of traditional finances, contracts and procurement, economic development, public pensions, debt obligations, and open government and compliance.
Provide clear and meaningful financial information by posting financial documents, as well as thorough summaries, visualizations, downloadable data and other relevant information.
A survey by Civics Plus [3] indicated "digital self-service technology solutions are vital to empowering resident civic interactions, creating transparent communication channels, and validating to residents that their local leaders are responsibly using taxpayer dollars to improve their community’s quality of life."
Other local entities to earn at least one of the six Transparency Stars include the following:
• Aledo ISD
• Weatherford College
• Tarrant County
Although there are several dozen cities and over a dozen Texas counties on the state's Transparency Star list, neither Parker County nor any of its cities or towns have earned a Transparency Star.
Sources and Resources
[2] Comptroller of Texas > Transparency > Local > Stars
• Transparency Stars Revisited, Comptroller’s Government Transparency Program Adds New Award Category, Comptroller of Texas, May 2024, Excerpt
The sixth star for Open Government and Compliance debuted earlier this year, and five entities have received this recognition to date — Tarrant Regional Water District, Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2, City of McKinney, City of Jersey Village and City of Gainesville.”
[3] CivicPlus® Releases National Survey: The Link Between Technology, Government Transparency, and Resident Trust, Civic Trust, Civic Plus, 23 October 2023, Excerpts
Willow Park Civics Note: Civics Plus is the software used by the City of Willow Park.
CivicPlus, the modern civic experience platform, released its key findings from a comprehensive national survey that studied the link between technology, government transparency, and resident trust. The company has been surveying residents since 2022. Its aim is to understand the most impactful factors influencing community members’ feelings of trust and satisfaction with their local governments. The survey encompasses responses from over 16,000 residents across the country. It revealed that digital self-service technology solutions are vital to empowering resident civic interactions, creating transparent communication channels, and validating to residents that their local leaders are responsibly using taxpayer dollars to improve their community’s quality of life.
Key findings from the survey include:
• Enhanced Trust Through Engagement: Individuals who engage with their city’s website more than once a month exhibit nearly five times higher trust in their city.
• The Importance of Mobile Communication and Engagement Technologies: 69 percent of residents surveyed support spending tax dollars on a mobile application that allows them to report and track government responses to quality-of-life issues.
• Demand for Transparency and Access: Over 82 percent of residents consider it essential for their local government to provide transparency and access to administrative decisions, fostering an environment of trust and satisfaction.
• Willow Park Civics Blog > Years removed from controversy, Tarrant water district earns state transparency award, Fort Worth Report, 06 March 2024