About Open Bedford
This project was created to help Bedford County citizens better understand their local government. Every effort is made to ensure information is accurate, neutral, and backed by official public records.
The Rules
Every fact has a source
Nothing is published without a direct link to the original government document. Summaries cite the exact document they came from.
No opinions
Open Bedford never tells you what to think. It presents facts, budgets, votes, documents, and timelines. You decide.
Nothing inferred
Roll-call votes are reproduced by name from the minutes. Voice votes record the outcome only — individual positions are never guessed.
Corrections published
When something is wrong, it gets corrected visibly — with a note about what changed and when.
"Why Am I Seeing This?"
Every chart, statistic, and summary on Open Bedford carries a "Why am I seeing this?" link. It shows the original government source, when the county published it, when Open Bedford retrieved it, and how it was processed. If a figure can't meet that standard, it doesn't ship — which is why some sections are labeled "coming once parsed" instead of showing estimates.
Where the Data Comes From
Open Bedford draws from Bedford County's official website — commission agendas, meeting packets, minutes, and video; annual budget books; and state-audited financial reports — plus state-level sources like the Tennessee Comptroller. Original county documents are archived at retrieval time, and published pages are submitted to the Internet Archive, so the record stays verifiable even if a source document later changes.
Operator
Open Bedford is an independent project — not affiliated with Bedford County government, any campaign, or any political organization. Operator details, the corrections policy, and contact information will be published here at launch.