New site gives easy access to local government spending data

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September 29, 2008

New site shows where money is spent

By RYAN HUTCHINS The Press Republican Mon Sep 29, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH -- Ever been curious about how local government is spending taxpayer money? Never had the motivation to find out?

New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli may have the answer -- www.openbooknewyork.com.

The Web site, initially launched in June with state data, was updated this week to include revenue and expenditures from 1996 to 2006 for 3,100 counties, cities, towns, villages, schools and fire districts.

How much money did the City of Plattsburgh spend on police services in 2003? A few clicks on the site will provide the answer: just under $3.2 million.

How about how much revenue the Malone School District drew from property taxes in 2006? Find the revenue page and click an icon for a pie chart. The answer: 20.21 percent came from taxpayers.

City of Plattsburgh Mayor Donald Kasprzak said he checked out the new data as soon as it was added to the Web site Wednesday.

"I applaud the comptroller for open, honest government, which is what I've been promoting," Kasprzak said Friday afternoon.

He added that he "believes the public deserves to know everything about how government works."

That's the point of the Web site, according to statements from DiNapoli.

"Democracy is a participation sport, and Open Book lets every citizen participate," the comptroller said in a news release. "New Yorkers now have access to the information they need to hold government accountable and make sure their tax dollars aren't being wasted."

The response thus far has been good, said DiNapoli spokesperson Jennifer Freeman. She said residents have been using it in various ways, including businesses who have used the state contract feature to see what work their competitors are receiving from the state.

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive," Freeman said Friday. "We've received a lot of e-mails from the public that have been thankful."

In addition to the local government data, the site already includes spending for 100 state agencies -- updated each fiscal quarter -- and information on 60,000 state contracts. The contract data is updated nightly, Freeman said.

Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Bernie Bassett isn't totally sold on the Web site, though. He feels it may not have as great an impact on taxpayers as it would businesses and investors.

And while he believes government should be open, he feels some may just use it as a means to unnecessarily point fingers or look for "smoking guns." That, he said, "could be frustrating for municipalities."

But the supervisor does feel there is a definite purpose that the site can be used for -- a means for local officials to easily compare what neighboring towns and cities are doing.

"From my perspective, it's a great thing. It's a great tool."