Cherokee, Canton Government Websites Named Most Transparent

An organization that ranks government websites in the area of how accessible it is to the public has deemed Cherokee County website one of the state's most transparent.

The county was one of 12 websites given the 2013 Sunny Awards by the editors of Sunshine Review.

The award honors "the most transparent government website in the nation."

"We are honored to receive the Sunny Award presented by the editors of Sunshine Review as one of the most transparent government websites in the country," said County Manager Jerry Cooper. "I would like to thank the Board of Commissioners and every agency and department for their dedication to transparency, and for (Cherokee County Webmaster) Michael Haines outstanding work maintaining our website."

Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood added it's "always good to be recognized for openness in government." 

Each website earned the A+ transparency grade on the organization's checklist, which vary for cities, counties, school districts and state agencies. Only 247 of more than 7,000 websites reviewed by the organization earned the award. 

Cherokee and Canton were the only agencies given the award in the county. They both were also given the award in 2012.  

The winners are announced this week as part of March 10-16 being designated as Sunshine Week, which is an initiative to promote dialogue on the importance of open government. 

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