County Gov’t Develops ‘Citizen Centric Report’ for Solid Waste
By BILL BELLEN
OTSEGO COUNTY
Recently, Otsego County government officials have been making strides in an attempt to increase communications and transparency with their constituents. This has taken the form of many new initiatives and programs, including the publication of the new strategic plan platform, Clear Plan, pushed for by the Otsego County Board of Representatives in October of this year.
In another corner of government, County Administrator Steve Wilson was invited to attend the annual AGA convention by Director of Intergovernmental Partnerships for AGA John Stehle, in order to share his unique insights and learn from his expansive knowledgebase regarding government transparency and accountability.
AGA, formerly referred to as the Federal Government Accountants Association, is an organization that has long championed a program for increased municipal communication through the implementation of Citizen Centric Reports. With more than 70 chapters and over 10,000 members across the country, AGA’s efforts in this regard span from coast-to-coast and beyond to U.S. territories and even other countries. CCRs are intended to simplify the complex finances of municipal, county and even state budgets into digestible information that the average person can understand. These reports place an emphasis on imagery and symbolism to make challenging budgeting concepts more straightforward.
