Let the Taxpayers See How It's Spent
The editorial in the weekend edition of the Examiner newspaper reports on a movement that hopefully will result in both the county and schools sides of Arlington County government doing the same. According to the editorial:
“A grassroots movement to have public schools post their check registers online is spreading like a Texas wildfire, which is appropriate since the Lone Star state is where the idea originated less than two years ago. Some 200 school districts in 14 states now post $47 billion of expenditures online, including Miami – the fourth largest school system in the nation. Such an extraordinary degree of financial transparency is unheard of in the vast majority of public school districts across the country. That should change.”
A paragraph later, the editorial continues:
“Taxpayers in most states are legally entitled to financial records under freedom of information laws, which often require school administrators to provide the data upon request. But it would take a lot less effort and cost almost nothing simply to post online a PDF of the district's monthly check register, as is done in Texas. It's much easier for citizens to track school expenditures when this information is readily available 24/7.”
In closing, the editorial notes that:
“many local jurisdictions already provide a fully transparent and easily searchable database of all private property – including the owner's name, address, square footage and purchase price. Since real estate taxes pay for most of the public education in America, it's only fair that homeowners be given equal access to information detailing exactly how their hard-earned money is being spent. Activists groups like Americans for Tax Reform's Center for Fiscal Accountability are working hard to make sure taxpayers get that access.”
We hope the respective chief financial officers of Arlington’s county and schools local governmental units will take the initiative to implement this common sense action as quickly as possible. Such action has been requested in the Arlington County Civic Federation’s 2008 Revenues & Expenditures report (requires Adobe).
UPDATE (6/23/08) Transparency has wide-ranging support. A search at the National Taxpayers Union identifed numerous 'hits' including this letter to a government official in Great Britain. In Virginia, Tertium Quids is helping to build bipartisan support in the General Assembly for greater transparency in Virginia state government.