Naples, Florida
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Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida. As of 1 July 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Population has remained steady for the last decade, changing significantly only if new property is annexed into the city. The City of Naples is the largest city in Collier County, but is not the county seat. The Town of Naples was incorporated in 1925 and became the City of Naples on May 25, 1949.
Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Florida city websites
Last rated on Jan. 24, 2012
The Good
- Past, present and proposed budgets are online
- Past and present financial reports are online
- Agendas for upcoming meetings are posted
- City Council and Committee meetings are televised and broadcats online
- Archives of broadcasts are available online
- Archives of meeting agendas and minutes are online
- City codes, including complete municipal code, is online
- Contacts for elected officials and administrative contacts are online
- Zoning, flood maps and builfing permit information is online
- Specific contact information for public records requests is online
- Citizens can access a wide range of online payment functions through secure communications
- Privacy policies are publsihed with details of what data is collected and what it may be used for
The Bad
- Current contracts are not published online
- Current budget expenditures are not published
- No disclosure of membership in lobbying organizations is published
The Details
- Budget and Financial Reporting - The City of Naples provides historical budgets from fiscal 2003/2004 to the present on its website, including Capital Improvemet plans and Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports as well as proposed budgets.[1]
- Meeting Agendas and Minutes - The City of Naples provides meeting agendas for upcoming meetings and broadcasts City Council and committee meetings on both local cable channel 98 as well as streaming to the web. Archived broadcasts from 2006 to the present are available for on-demand viewing online.[2] The City of Naples provides annotated agendas and minutes, as well as ordinances and resolutions, online in searchable PDF format, dating from the early/mid 1990's to the present.[3]
- Elected Officials - The City of Naples operates under a City Council of seven members, including the Mayor, each of which serves four year terms with a limit of two consecutive terms. All City Council members have a City of Naples email address.[4]
- Administrative Contacts - The City of Naples maintains a list of direct contacts for all departments and divisions as well as specific contacts for special functions. This contact information includes the name of the contact, direct phone number and email address. Mailing and physical address information is online for each department and division. There is also a contact form that may be used for any information request that is not listed.[5]
- Building Permits and Zoning - Citizens may manage their building permits and schedule inspections online.[6] Zoning information, including maps[7], and a specific Property Zoning Enquiry[8] option is also available.
- Public Records - Many public records for the City of Naples are available online and any others are available by request. Florida laws (Florida Statute 119) clearly define what must occur during a public records request and the City of Naples complies with these laws. The City Clerk[9] is the official point of contact for public records requests but anyone may make a request of any employee.
- Local Taxes - Property taxes in the State of Florida are collected at the County and State levels, even for municipal property taxes. For this reason, the City of Naples does not publish specific tax information, but they do link to the Collier County Porperty Appraiser and Collier County Tax Collector web sites where this information can be found online. The annual property tax millage rate is published as part of the annual budget. Business Tax Receipts (The Florida equivalent of occupational licenses) may be searched and renewed online[10] through a secure payment process.
- Online Payments - The City of Naples provides a wide array of online payment functions for utility bills, parking tickets, business tax receipts and other online access. These transactions are secured through encrypted data transmission and a verified certificate.
- Privacy Policy - The City of Naples publishes a privacy policy with a link on each page explaining what data may be collected and what it is used for. In compliance with Florida State Law SB 80, email to govermnet entities and officials may become public records, and that policy is clearly explained on the Contact Us page.[11]
Lobbying
- Main articles: Florida government sector lobbying and Florida League of Cities.
Naples pays membership dues[12] to the Florida League of Cities, a government sector lobbying association. This information is not directly disclosed on the city's web site.
External links
References
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Financial Reports
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Current and Archived Meeting Videos
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Council Records
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - City Council
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Contact Us
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Building Permits
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Zoning Maps
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Property Zoning Enquiry
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - City Clerk and Public Records
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Business Tax Receipts
- ↑ City of Naples, Florida - Contact Us
- ↑ Florida League of Cities - Membership Directory
