Transparency and Accountability

  • Township board meetings should take place at a time that residents can go and actually participate and be heard amid the process. Board meetings, town halls and other township meetings should be held in the evenings to be more accessible for residents that need or want to attend.

    Alerts for board meetings should not only be posted on the township website, but also pushed out through social media a week and 24 hours ahead of time. Alerts and officials should meet residents where they are to better serve them. Additionally, post meeting minutes should also be summarized and posted to the same platforms.

  • Financial reporting on township finances are legally required once per year for the public but this is a minimum standard. Residents should get more frequent financial reports to better see in real time how policies are affecting the township budget.

  • The state puts restrictions on how much the township can borrow for large capital projects like building a fire house. Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT) agreements provide a way around this restriction but should be done in away that allows the township to still have visibility into where and when those funds are going.

Proactive Cost Controls

  • Emergencies happen but increased community education and assistance can reduce the chances of an emergency.

    Prevention costs of education and outreach measures are cheaper than costly emergency calls.

  • The township is growing and growth is good. With growth, plans need to be made to ensure township resources can keep up the pace. That will mean working with city, county, state and federal level governments to ensure that as forces in and outside the township encourage growth funds are contributed to make sure we can keep pace.

Community and Assistance

  • Emergencies happen, and sometimes all at the same time. The township should streamline and make easier to understand assistance applications as well as the approval processes and timelines.

  • Westfield Washington Township is a buzzing community of young families and we should all be able to connect our neighbors in a variety of ways. Holiday parades and events, festivals, school events you name it. As the closes level of government to you the township should be leading the charge to foster connections within the community.