Taking steps toward transparency - Deseret News

Taking steps toward transparency

By Bob Bernick Jr.

Deseret News Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 12:42 a.m. MDT


Have a little time to kill? Want to find out how the Utah state government is spending billions of your taxpayer dollars?

You might take a spin on the state's new "transparency" Web site, located at: utah.gov/transparency.

It could take some time to find what you're really looking for. And large, general searches — like looking up how much "food" the state bought in the current fiscal year — may provide more trivia conversations with friends and colleagues than information vital to citizens.

But still, you can find some pretty interesting stuff.

Of course, Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, the sponsor of the bill ordering the state to set up the site (cost, around $115,000), and those backing his efforts, say the information — both where state revenues are coming from and where they are being spent — is critical to an informed citizenry.

"The site has proven to be much better than I expected" when he passed the bill several years ago, said Niederhauser. "The site is much more searchable and easier to use that other states' sites. Everything is there, everything that the state spends money on."

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