Students at Mercer’s Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism reviewed nine local agencies on their compliance with state law as well as any extras they provided in making their work as transparent and accessible to the public as possible. You can read about the other agencies and see their rankings here.
The Macon-Bibb County Land Bank has a website. The web address is https://maconlandbank.org/.
Does the website list out its key staff, governing board or or other leadership and how to contact them? The Land Bank lists out members of the board as well as some key staff. The top person on the board list is Tom Ellington, Chair of The Macon-Bibb County Land Bank. The website lists Khaia Gibson, office manager, as a specific email contact.
Does the agency have a public information officer? If so, is the name and contact information listed? No, the agency does not have a public information officer listed.
Does the website have information on meeting announcements/meeting dates and times? If so, where is this posted? The agency lists days and times for monthly board meetings for the agency. The website offers both Zoom both a Zoom link and an address for the board meeting. The office address and Zoom link are listed on the landing page of the website. The meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of each month at 4 p.m.
Does the website have meeting agendas? The website has a dedicated page for meeting agendas. https://maconlandbank.org/agenda-minutes/
Does the website have approved meeting minutes? The website has a dedicated page for approved meeting minutes. https://maconlandbank.org/agenda-minutes/
Does the agency provide a way for the public to watch its meetings virtually as they happen? And/or does the agency have recordings of its meetings in the website or linked from the website? The website offers a virtual Zoom option for watching board meetings as they happen. The Zoom link is on the website landing page.
Does the agency have social media, and if so which ones? The agency only has a Facebook page. You can find the profile by looking up the full name of the agency. Facebook: Macon-Bibb County Land Bank Authority. The account is mostly used to post property auction information.
Does the agency provide a way for the public to make open records requests? There is a “contact us” page on the website where the public can submit an email. This is not specifically intended for an Open Records Request. The office manager also has a listed email.
Please note any other information you found on the website that would be helpful to members of the public who would want to keep up with this agency’s business. There is an “Auction” tab on the website where people can find information on the next property auction. This information includes what the piece of property is as well as the time and location of the auction. There is also a News and Information tab where the public can find any newsletters and frequently asked questions.
Transparency Rating: Excellent. The Macon Bibb County Land Bank Authority’s website is easy to navigate with tabs clearly outlining information. They provide meeting times as well as agendas. The formatting of the meeting minutes is straightforward and comprehensible. The most important information provided is the land/building auction times. As this is one of the main reasons why a citizen might be on the website, the website offers convenience for those searching for that information. Newsletters with brief, notable updates from the past years are also available on the website; although, the presentation of the Newsletters and accessing them through the website tab might be difficult for citizens who aren’t tech savvy. The Land Bank Authority provides all the necessary means for citizens to reach out and find more information; however, more can be done to improve the options for communicating with the board members and staff.
Online Accessibility Rating: Superior. The Macon-Bibb County Land Bank Authority receives a superior rating for accessibility. Although the Land Bank only utilizes Facebook for social media, occasionally posting updates about upcoming auctions, the website contains meeting minutes and agendas for all board meetings, as well as a zoom link for upcoming meetings. The website also provides contact information for office staff including the office manager and property coordinator, as well as general office contact information. The website lists all board members, however, there is no contact information listed for the members on the website.
