Since September 1, 2024, Austria’s new Freedom of Information Act (Informationsfreiheitsgesetz) has been in effect. Municipalities and public authorities are now required to increase transparency and make information more easily accessible to citizens.

But transparency is more than just publishing documents. It means actively involving citizens, creating traceable processes, and strengthening trust in public administration. This is where a citizen reporting system comes into play – making it the perfect complement to the Freedom of Information Act.

How a Citizen Reporting System Supports the FOI Act

• Transparency: Citizens can see which reports have been submitted and how they are being processed. This fulfills the core principle of the Act – accountability and open government.

• Participation: Citizens are actively involved in shaping and improving their community. This strengthens local democracy.

• Efficiency: Incoming reports are centrally collected, structured, and forwarded directly to the responsible departments. Administrative processes become clearer, faster, and easier to follow.

• Sustainable Documentation: All information is securely stored and can be prepared and published at any time – a clear advantage in line with the FOI Act.

Best Practice: Schau auf Krems

A successful example is the project Schau auf Krems, implemented by us.
Here, citizens can submit their concerns directly via an online form. Reports are stored in a central Redmine database and processed efficiently by the city administration. Since 2024, the reports have also been published transparently through an interactive map – a major step forward for transparency, citizen engagement, and trust in local government.

HeBoTek as a Partner for Municipalities

As an experienced IT partner in the public sector, we have been developing scalable, compliant, and user-friendly platforms for years. Our citizen reporting system can be flexibly adapted and seamlessly aligned with new legal requirements such as the Freedom of Information Act.

With projects like Schau auf Krems, we have proven that we not only provide technical expertise but also a strong understanding of administrative processes. This ensures that municipalities can not only meet legal obligations but also deliver real added value to their citizens.

Conclusion:
The Freedom of Information Act requires municipalities to be more open – a citizen reporting system makes this transparency tangible. It connects legal obligations with real citizen engagement. With HeBoTek, municipalities have a partner that not only implements these solutions technically but also operates and continuously develops them in the long term.