Letter to the Editor Conroe Courier
It’s time for MUDs to embrace open governance
To the editor:
For far too long, residents of The Woodlands have experienced a culture of secrecy in regard to governance of local water services.
Few residents realize these services are neither provided nor administrated by The Woodlands Township or county government. Instead, the services are governed by a network of special districts with little public awareness or accountability. Information on policy deliberations and decisions are difficult, if not impossible, to find as there is no on-line access to meeting notices, agendas or minutes. If you want to know about an upcoming meeting, you must physically visit the Water Resource Building on the proper day to see a posted notice.
Even though directors of the various boards are elected public officials, there is no information on how to contact them. A recent freedom of information request for contact information for the WJPA board of trustees found that 9 of the 10 trustees had elected to not have contact information released.
This is simply not acceptable for a taxing entity in this day and age of the Internet.
Across the nation, governmental entities are actively using the Internet to implement open government concepts of: transparency, participation and collaboration. Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with information about what is being considered. Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and comments so that their government can benefit from expertise contained within the community. Collaboration improves effectiveness by encouraging cooperation with other governmental entities and private institutions.
The Woodlands Township board is a great example of this, as you can not only access upcoming meeting information online but can view live streaming video of an active meeting as well as view videos of past meetings. You also can submit questions and concerns through the website.
Yet in regard to our local MUDs, you can’t even find basic contact information for the elected officials.
It is time for residents to demand their local MUD and WJPA boards move into the 21st century, embrace the open government culture of The Woodlands and provide easy access to information about pending issues and deliberations. As residents footing the bill, we need and deserve to be informed.
Daniel E. Lewis
