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Commissioner Long pushes website, UDO and meeting‑streaming changes to increase transparency
Summary
Commissioner Long proposed publishing UDO drafts, planning and zoning materials, and adding YouTube streams and a suggestion portal; the county attorney said a formal vote was not required and the board agreed to proceed with implementation steps.
Commissioner Long used the Jan. 20 Newton County commission meeting to press a package of transparency reforms that would put more planning and zoning materials online and expand public access.
Long proposed posting the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) draft on the county website, publishing planning and zoning meeting materials with roll call results and minutes, creating a public suggestion portal for UDO feedback, and streaming planning and zoning hearings on YouTube. "Most citizens cannot attend every meeting," Long said, arguing that the county should make information easier to find and that the UDO should be available for public comment.
County Attorney advised that many of Long’s suggestions could be implemented administratively and did not require a formal vote. Commissioner Henderson and other board members spoke in favor and discussed statutory timelines for open‑records responses. Several public commenters supported greater transparency and urged that meeting packets, response times for Notify Newton requests, and commission voting records be made more accessible online.
The board reached consensus to pursue the items Long outlined, with staff, county IT and the county attorney to refine implementation details and present an action plan to the board; no ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting.
