The Village of Downers Grove website is lacking in transparency, according to an audit earlier this month by the Illinois Policy Institute, which gave it 45.5 out of a possible 100 points.

However, that score was high enough to put Downers Grove in second place after the Village of Burr Ridge (50.4 points) among 16 area government agencies including the Downers Grove Park District audited this month by the IPI.

The village also did well on a broader level. "In comparison with all other governments that have undergone a first (IPI) audit, Downers Grove is third out of 33," said Village Manager Dave Fieldman. The village learned of the audit Nov. 19 via an email from the institute.

"The village always strives for transparency—it's one of our core values," Fieldman said. In September, the village redesigned its website to make it easier for users to navigate and staff members to update. Among the improvements are a "fast lane" feature that takes residents to village services such as online bill payment, GIS mapping, construction updates and the municipal code.

The village's website scored better than those of other Downers Grove government units audited by the IPI, which describes itself as "a nonpartisan research organization dedicated to supporting free market principles and liberty-based public policy initiatives for a better Illinois."

The Downers Grove Park District website scored 28.4, the Downers Grove Township website scored 27 and the Downers Grove Public Library website scored 11.9 on the IPI's grading rubric.

The village's highest marks were in public records and FOIA information, budgets, financial audits and contact information for officials and staff. The park district fared best in public records/FOIA and contact and meeting information, while the library scored best in meeting information.

The village fared least well in posting salary and benefit information, lobbying information and information on bids and contracts.

Brian Costin, director of outreach for the IPI, said the audits are a preliminary step on the way to encouraging government units to improve their sites.

"Often people think they're doing a really good job on transparency, but we find a lot of areas they may not have thought of before," he said. "Our aim is to be friendly and give suggestions on how to make it more transparent."

The IPI offers a 10-point transparency checklist designed to help governments cover all the bases. The state doesn't require such steps, although the IPI currently is working with a state senator to introduce legislation based on the checklist, Costin said.

The Downers Grove area agencies audited in November will have six weeks to voluntarily improve their scores. "Right now is just the beginning of the project," he said. "Transparency is a process."

Village Communications Director Doug Kozlowski said the village is always looking for ways to improve. "We'll continue to improve our website going forward regardless of what an outside organization says."