Government transparency: Some cities do it better than others

Some Sanpete cities are doing a pretty good job with transparency in 2025.
Two big ones come to mind. Ephraim and Spring City set high standards by having full video streams of their council meetings. Spring City’s Zoom link lets residents watch live, and it’s easy to go back later and see exactly how debates played out, who asked what, and how decisions were made.
Ephraim’s setup runs live on Youtube, where the video is then archived for access on the city’s channel, which is about as accessible as it gets.
You don’t need video to get it right though. Gunnison City is a good example of the simple approach. City staff post clean, consistent audio to the Utah Public Notice website not long after meetings happen. For anyone who wants to verify a quote, double-check a decision, or just follow what their leaders are doing, the recordings are right there without the public needing to request anything.
Some towns have come a long way on in the past 10 years. Years ago, getting a Fairview meeting recording meant buying a blank audio cassette tape (those things that came before CDs) at Walmart, traveling to city hall and waiting while staff dubbed the audio from their recording onto your cassette.
By visiting the public notice website, Ephraim, Spring City, Fairview and Moroni residents can also view not just meeting agendas, but copies of the same materials that are in the hands of council members, such as proposed motions, ordinances, zoning maps and even the full text of proposed bond docments.
But many cities fall into a less impressive category. Most of those will provide meeting recordings, but residents and the press typically must call or email to request them. Sometimes it can take a week to get access. Sometimes little effort is made to ensure the audio quality is good enough for a recording to be understood.
Transparency is not transparency if the public must hunt for records, send reminders or rely on chance. When recordings are missing or delayed, the community loses the tone, context and substance of discussions that never show up in the written minutes.
Utah law requires cities and towns to make audio recordings of public meetings available within three business days. But the definition of “available” is ambiguous. The most honest and transparent way to meet the standard is posting clear, audible tapes on the public notice website.
If the press or citizens have to make multiple requests, and if it takes more than three days for the requests to be fulfilled, or if its impossible to hear or understand the recording when it is received, in our book, the city is breaking the law.
Every resident in Sanpete County should take 5 minutes to check on how easy or difficult it is to access the audio for their city’s public meetings. If your city is making it difficult, speak up. Ask your elected officials why something this basic is being neglected. Public information belongs to the public, and persistence or pressure should not be required to obtain it.
Transparency is not optional. It is the foundation of trust. Many of our cities understand that. The rest need a nudge from the people they serve.