The bill applies to counties with a population of 20,000 or more and municipalities with a population of at least 10,000. The new website will provide access to existing financial audits, budgets, and other financial documents, as well as expenditure information. This will provide the public with a new opportunity to monitor their local government, in an easy-to-read fashion.
This is all existing information, meaning there is nothing new for local governments to create. It is just information that local governments may not be sharing online. Transparency in government is necessary, and this will increase that level of transparency for taxpayers.
MCPP has reviewed this legislation and finds that it is aligned with our principles and therefore should be supported.
Read HB 229.
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