transparent.utah.govtransparent.utah.gov
(available May 15, 2009)
NASC Conference, March 2009
John Reidhead, CPA
Director, Utah Division of Finance
BackgroundBackground
• Bill passed in 2008 Legislative Session
• Included executive, legislative, and judicial branches plus colleges and universities
• Created the Transparency Advisory Board as oversight for the Div. of Finance– Membership: 3 Legislative; 3 Executive;
1 Judicial
BackgroundBackground
• Funding: $125,000 one-time
• Third-party development costs $192,000
• Internal costs to date: Approx. $45,000
• Website being developed to accommodate multiple entities and levels of government
Proposed ChangesProposed Changes
• Legislation is currently being considered that would require the participation of:– School Districts, Charter Schools and Transit
Districts by May 15, 2010.– Counties, Municipalities and Special Districts
May 15, 2011.– Special consideration for < $10,000,000
Challenges of having a BoardChallenges of having a Board
• Unreasonable expectations of Legislative members
• Learning curve (listening issues)
• Scheduling
Advantages to a BoardAdvantages to a Board
• Help make the process more transparent
• Help decide difficult issues
• Better end product with greater acceptance
Considerations and DecisionsConsiderations and Decisions
• To develop in-house or contract with vendor• Privacy of Data: GRAMA, FERPA, HIPAA• Frequency of data update to website• Level of Detail to post to website• Development of generic data structure• Type and scope of data: expenditures, detailed
payroll, revenues, budgets, contracts, etc.• Data submission procedures