Lobbyists for local governments are hard at work trying to fend off a legislative proposal that would give the public access to all government records and meetings via a constitutional amendment. In other words, via tax dollars, you pay for the work and services local governments provide, and you pay the salaries of the people doing the work, but they still don’t want you to have a clear window on what they’re doing.
In the meantime, you can find out what information state agencies and local governments are providing online via the John Locke Foundation’s transparency website, which is dedicated to transparency in government. Some government entities are doing a good job of providing online access. For example, Wake County receives an “A” from JLF transparency expert Joe Coletti. You’ll find other grades, and more information, here.