Montrose, CO — Members of the city’s Finance Department have completed the momentous task of designing and creating an online tool to provide an open window for residents to peer into the city’s finances.
The new Transparency Module, launched February 4, is another effort to further expand the accountability and transparency of city government as required by law and as part of a sincere policy to provide open convenient access to the city’s financial information.
The new module, found at CityofMontrose.org/Transparency, is designed to provide detailed and current information in a form that is readily accessible and understandable to residents with a variety of interests.
To make this online tool better than its predecessor, the finance team, along with members of various other city departments, went to work to build a secure, online storehouse of easily accessible public records.
The module will assist the public in a variety of areas including:
Revenues & Expenditures
Users will be able to track revenues and expenditures by each city fund and view straightforward graphics and data that provide a brief overview of financial data. The “More Detail” option that accompanies most summary information allows site users to take a deep dive into the details. Different forms of graphics – pie charts, bar charts, and mountain charts – give visualizations of the information.
Open Checkbook
Likely to be one of the more popular areas on the site, this feature allows users to search specific city expenditures by the transaction payee, date, description, or type.
Demographics
Financial information on the site is placed in context with the community’s demographics, providing a practical perspective on the financial numbers. Detailed demographics, presented on a dedicated tab, expand the value of the site beyond all things city financial to encompass insights into the community itself. This feature is sure to be a helpful resource for businesses and families looking to build their future in Montrose.
Save It, Share It
Electronic copies of data and spreadsheets are downloadable throughout the site and can be shared on social media.
As with any new service, the city will continue to make adjustments to improve the site and add new functions and information. Revenue and expenditure figures are available back to January 2017 and checkbook data reaches back to January 2020, with plans to add more historical material as resources allow. The “Join the Conversation” tool is featured on each page of the site to provide feedback, good or bad, help pinpoint specific areas for refining the platform and the information.
For other city news visit: CityofMontrose.org.