Municipalities Fail to Publish Decisions, Hindering Public Access to Information

A significant gap exists between legal obligations and the actual practice of transparency in several municipalities within the Greater Santo Domingo region. Many city councils are failing to make their resolutions and ordinances readily available to the public through their official websites, directly contravening both municipal law and the Law on Free Access to Public Information.

Article 222 of Law 176-07 mandates that municipalities provide broad information about their activities and encourage citizen participation. However, in numerous districts, decisions made by city councilors are either absent or outdated on municipal portals. This opacity means citizens can be blindsided by changes to services, new fees, or altered street directions without prior notification or understanding of the council's reasoning. Such a lack of access can lead to public frustration and distrust in local governance.

While the city councils of the National District, led by Carolina Mejía, and Santo Domingo Este, headed by Dío Astacio, are among the few that consistently publish their decisions, others lag behind. For instance, the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte, under Betty Gerónimo, provides institutional reports and budget execution data but fails to make council resolutions accessible. This selective transparency undermines the principle of open governance and hinders citizens' ability to hold their elected representatives accountable for decisions affecting their communities.