Brookhaven Citizen Transparency portal “like having an open checkbook”

Brookhaven, GA, Dec. 3, 2018---Curious how much Parks and Recreation spent on their department P-Card? How much the City spent on postage last week? Where federal grant money was spent in the community so far this year?

The answer to these and other pertinent resident questions regarding how taxpayer dollars are being spent is now available with the launch of the Brookhaven Citizen Transparency portal on the Finance homepage of the City’s website at www.brookhavenga.gov/finance/page/citizen-transparency . The new service is being provided by Tyler Technologies, utilizing InCode financial software.

At the click of a button, the public will be able to search for items like vendor payments, total expenditures and other transactions pertaining to the City’s nearly $50 million budget and see actual budgeted amounts and expenditures to date.

There will be access to budgets, by department, including approved budget numbers, rollovers from the previous year (always subject to council approval) and current encumbrances (contractual commitments). Also accessible will be updated figures on capital improvement projects and restricted revenues that can be specifically used for certain projects such as SPLOST funds, 911 expenses or grant monies. To help explain the expenses and make them even more relatable, the new portal “pages” will also feature pie charts and bar graphs in addition to line items.

“This new site was created to bring visibility, openness and accountability to our daily operation,” said City Manager Christian Sigman. “Like an open checkbook, it will allow residents to view, filter and analyze operational expenses and financial data for the City. As a result, we hope this will strengthen the communication between local government and the Brookhaven community.”

The new portal joins a growing list of efforts initiated in recent years to expand transparency between Brookhaven leaders and residents. These include launching last year of a newly-designed website to put easily navigated information at the public’s fingertips; posting on the City website of department head reports; livestreaming council, planning committee, development authority and zoning meetings; publishing RFPs; and publishing meeting agendas and wrap-ups.

According to Linda Nabers, Brookhaven Finance Director, the cost of the new transparency portal will be taken from the City’s general maintenance budget. “Because we are drawing new information into the portal by utilizing our current financial reporting software, this saves on the expense of the new program, making it cost effective,” noted Nabers.

“This new portal is a valuable tool that will allow residents to monitor how the City is spending tax dollars,” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst. “We are committed to honest budgeting, responsible spending and financial transparency. The public is entitled to know how Brookhaven spends each and every taxpayer dollar. We hope this addition to the City website will answer frequently asked questions and help demystify the City budget.”

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