A checkbook goes online in Reno
Today, the City of Reno launched TransparentReno.com, which puts the city's checkbook and other public information online. It's a great site and well worth clicking around, not just for the wealth of information it contains, but also because it's a model other governments in Nevada should follow.
NPRI's Steven Miller also applauded the launch of TransparentReno.com and released the following comments.
Citizens fund government, and so they have the right to know how government spends their money. That's why transparency in government is so important.
By putting its spending checkbook online at TransparentReno.com, the City of Reno has taken a giant step forward, ensuring that its citizens can see exactly how their tax dollars are being spent and who is receiving them. This tool will allow anyone with a computer to monitor and review city finances, greatly improving public accountability for city spending.
Congratulations to the city council and City Manager Andrew Clinger for opening up city finances to the average citizen, for their commitment to transparency and for setting an example that all other government bodies in Nevada should soon follow.
Also exceedingly welcome is the commitment by Reno to place its payroll data online in June, to be kept updated thereafter in real time.
Reno's site is a model that the state government and other local governments in Nevada should follow. Accordingly, TransparentNevada.com - the open-government website that NPRI hosts as a public service - will provide links to the new City of Reno site.
Read more about this at TransparentNevada's blog or at the RGJ.
