BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Municipal Web sites can be important tools in promoting open and efficient government, but most fall far short of that goal, according to Tinton Falls Councilman Michael Skudera.

During the Borough Council meeting last week, Skudera presented a 63-page report on the need to expand the borough Web site.

Included in the comprehensive report is a proposed ordinance that outlines what information should be posted online.

Skudera would like to see his proposal implemented not only in the borough, but across the state. It would go a long way toward promoting open government, he said.

As a software consultant who recently designed the Fort Monmouth Economic Redevelopment Planning Authority Web site, and a councilman for the past two years, he is uniquely qualified to provide this kind of service.

"By expanding and improving the town Web site, additional information can be made readily available to the residents of Tinton Falls. This will lower administrative costs, improve the overall efficiency of borough employees, reduce consumption of paper, and improve open government," Skudera said the day after he presented the report to council.

He called his report "Electronic Public Records for Tinton Falls Taxpayers: Promoting Open Government, Increasing Productivity, and Reducing Costs." Although it is geared toward Tinton Falls, Skudera would like to see more transparency in government through the tool of user-friendly Web sites all over the state.

Skudera explained last week that he looked at the Web sites for over 170 municipalities in New Jersey and discovered that they were inadequate. Information such as minutes, agendas and budgets is very scarce, he said. As a result, he has compiled an extensive list of what he is proposing for Tinton Falls.

It includes information about Web-based Content Management System (CMS) companies that makes it easy for users to add or change content.

He lists the kinds of mandatory items that should be easy to find on the municipal home page - things like agendas/minutes, budgets, yearly audits, requests for open records, voter registration forms, common permits/licenses, competitive bidding opportunities, municipal code book, ordinances for introduction, and public notices.

Some of the information on the bidding opportunities page would include the usual contact information, RFP (request for proposal) and type of service, as well as the winning bid, winning bid amount, appropriated amount, status of bid and reverse auctioning.

The finance page would include the budget, resolutions, amendments to the budget, fire budget, school budget, chart of tax rate and collection history from prior 10 years, statutory debt condition, schedule of bond maturities, a chart of comparison municipal tax rates, census information, and a chart of tax bill distribution.

In addition, the Web site would include the posting of employment opportunities, planning and zoning information, water quality reports, emergency information, garbage collection/town services, as well as an affordable housing page and a way to add a name to an affordable housing waiting list.

In his report, Skudera includes printouts of a number of municipal Web sites that he believes are examples of a clean design with access to a great deal of important information.

One of them is the Freehold Township Web site, which in its overall look mimics the township's focus on its Colonial past. It has a page called E- Government Forms that lists the forms by department and provides an easy way to fill out a request for a form.

Tinton Falls Councilman Brendan Tobin said he is impressed with the extent of work Skudera did for his report. He went through 175 Web sites, culled the best examples, and then created a game plan for putting the best practices to work.

"The outcome promises to be an impressive and easy-to-use Web site that will help residents access the information, forms, and other things they need, right from their desktops," Tobin said.

He said it is something that the council has needed to do for a while.

"In the first two years he's [Skudera] on council, he's done extensive research to make sure we don't just jump at one idea or another," Tobin said. "That's the best way to do this because some Web sites are great in certain areas and weak in others. We can combine the best of those sites and really give Tinton Falls the access to info they need."

He noted that they have also discussed cost.

"He has researched that and continues to, in order to find real cost. It shouldn't be much if we do it right," Tobin said.

The report can be found on Skudera's Web site, www.mikeskudera.com.