TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: A Resolution of the City Commission of the City of North Port, Florida, Adopting City Commission Policy No. 2026-01 Related to the Open Data Policy for What Works Cities Certification; Providing for Incorporation of Recitals; Providing for Conflicts; Providing for Severability; and Providing an Effective Date.
Recommended Action
Option 1: Adopt Resolution No. 2026-R-44 as presented.
City Commission Options
Option 1: Adopt Resolution No. 2026-R-44 as presented.
• Pros: Establishes a formal Open Data Policy that strengthens the City’s data governance practices and aligns North Port with recognized standards for high-performing, data-driven local governments.
• Cons: Implementation will require coordinated staff time across departments to operationalize and maintain the policy.
Option 2: Adopt Resolution No. 2026-R-44 with revisions to the Open Data Policy.
• Pros: Allows the City Commission to tailor the policy to address specific priorities or concerns.
• Cons: Modifications may compromise key elements required to meet What Works Cities criteria, potentially limiting alignment with nationally and internationally recognized best practices.
Option 3: Deny Resolution No. 2026-R-44.
• Pros: Avoids immediate staff resource commitments associated with policy implementation.
• Cons: The City would forgo establishing a formal Open Data Policy and remain misaligned with leading practices for leveraging data and evidence to improve community outcomes.
Background Information
The proposed Open Data Policy establishes and maintains a formal open data program to support the proactive release of public data in a manner that promotes transparency, accountability, and effective government operations. While the City currently makes some data publicly available, this policy formalizes those efforts by documenting the City’s commitment, establishing consistent guidance, and creating a clear framework for ongoing implementation and governance.
The policy is intended to make appropriate City data more accessible, usable, and understandable so that residents, businesses, and stakeholders can better evaluate City services, monitor performance, and engage in civic life. It is designed to complement, and not supersede, Florida public records laws, as well as other applicable confidentiality requirements, regulations, and policies. The policy also supports the City’s broader strategic direction to advance data-informed decision-making and aligns with nationally recognized best practices, including the What Works Cities standard of excellence.
The proposed policy defines key terms such as data, dataset, machine-readable, metadata, open data, open data program, open format, public data, and sensitive information. It establishes the City’s commitment to proactively publish appropriate data; provide data in open, machine-readable formats; maintain data quality, timeliness, and associated metadata; preserve historical data when feasible; align data efforts with strategic priorities; protect confidential and sensitive information; and encourage innovative public use of City data.
Resolution No. 2026-R-44 and City Commission Policy 2026-01 were reviewed by the City Attorney and are legally correct as to form.
Resolution No. 2026-R-44 was provided to the City Clerk’s Office on May 20, 2026, for signature, subject to City Commission approval.
Strategic Plan Pillar
Good Governance
Financial Impact
Implementation of the Open Data Policy is expected to be primarily operational in the near term and will be managed within existing budgeted resources, including staff time to inventory, prepare, and publish datasets and to coordinate the Citywide open data program. While no additional financial impacts are anticipated at this time, future phases of implementation may require investments in technology, training, and staffing capacity to sustain and enhance the City’s open data platform and related governance activities.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. Resolution
2. Policy
Prepared by: Kaitlyn Griffin, MPA, Performance & Accountability Officer
Department Director: A. Jerome Fletcher, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager