Transparency Portal

Essex County has decided to discontinue our partnership with OpenGov. We came to this conclusion as the platform was not being utilized by our citizens, it was difficult for someone with out knowledge of county finances to navigate and find the information they desired, we did not have staff that could dedicate time to keeping the portal updated with the information from our financial system, and budgetary factors required us to make cuts in expenditures. We are currently exploring other methods to provide financial transparency in an easy to use and cost effective manner.

Essex County Transparency Initiatives:

Essex County is committed to open government and transparency. To facilitate this commitment, there are numerous initiatives that have been implemented to provide the citizens of Essex County access to the operation of their county government.

Essex County Budget Documents: Current and historical budget documents may be found on the Board of Supervisors Budgets and Audits page. Visit the Budgets and Audits page.

BoardDocs:  In 2014 the Essex County Board of Supervisors began using Boarddocs to provide increased transparency to their regular meetings and work sessions. The online portal allows community members to view the agendas for the meetings and access the supporting documents that previously would have only been available upon request. Visit the Essex County BoardDocs site.

Municode: Essex County has made all of the County’s ordinances and codes online in a downloadable and searchable format. Visit Essex County's Municode site.

Advisory Boards and Commissions: Essex County has established several advisory Boards and Commissions comprised of citizens to provide guidance and input to county departments. Click on the title of the board or commission to visit their webpage for more information.
     • Agricultural and Forestal Economic Development Advisory Board
     • Animal Control Advisory Commission
     • Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission

Board of Supervisors Meeting Audio: When the new audio system was installed at the Essex County School Board Meeting Room, it provided the ability to record meetings in a digital format. Visit the Meeting Audio page.

County Website Analytics: The dashboard provides a window into how people are interacting with their government online. This program helps government agencies understand how people find, access, and use government services online in order to provide a better user experience. The program does not track individuals, and anonymizes the IP addresses of visitors. By using the dashboard, you can see in near real-time, how many people are on the county website, what pages they are visiting, where the visits are coming from, as well as some historical data about the County website. Visit the Analytics Dashboard.

Essex County Documents and Policies:

Disclaimer:
This data should be used for informational purposes only. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the reports and data provided; nevertheless, some information may not be accurate. The County of Essex assumes no responsibility arising from use of this information.

If you find an inaccuracy, please contact Essex County to report the problem so we may make corrections to it. Contact information for Essex County may be found at the bottom of this page.

Fair Housing
The Federal Fair Housing Act and Virginia Fair Housing Law prohibit discrimination in residential housing based on sexual orientation, race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, elderliness, disability (physical or mental) or familial status.  These laws apply to property managers, owners, landlords, real estate agents, banks, savings institutions, credit unions, insurance companies, mortgage lenders and appraisers.  To ensure fair housing opportunities for residents, Essex County implements fair housing practices in all of its housing programs and provides information about how to file a complaint in the case of discriminatory housing practices.