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Washoe Checkbook launches to show county spending; state controller praises transparency
Summary
Washoe County launched an interactive 'Washoe Checkbook' website that displays department budgets, expenditures and vendor payments; state controller Andy Matthews and county comptroller Cathy Hill described features and staff said the tool should reduce public-records requests.
Washoe County on April 8 publicly launched the Washoe Checkbook, an interactive website that displays the county’s budget-to-actual data, departmental expenditures and vendor payments, the county comptroller told the Board of County Commissioners.
State Controller Andy Matthews, who led a similar state-level effort, attended and praised Washoe County’s version as a model for other local governments. Comptroller Cathy Hill led a live demonstration showing users can filter by fund, department and vendor, drill down to invoices and download supporting information; the site includes three fiscal years of data and a nightly refresh.
Why it matters: The checkbook is intended to improve transparency and save staff time by making commonly requested financial information readily available. Comptroller Hill and the state controller said publicly available, searchable spending data has reduced public-records requests in other jurisdictions and can help residents better understand budget choices.
Features and staff guidance: Hill walked the commission through the site’s four main panels—budgeted revenues and expenditures, current spending by fund and a vendor-level ledger—demonstrating how users can hover for percentage-of-budget figures or click to view invoices behind a line item. The county emphasized that the site provides a point-in-time view that updates nightly and that legal advertising requirements remain in place, but staff said some required printed notices could be shortened by pointing readers to the online report.
Commissioner reaction and next steps: Commissioners lauded the launch. Commissioner Claire Andreola, who led the county’s effort, said the site will be useful to residents on mobile devices and that the county plans a public “Budget 101” walk-through so users can learn how to interpret the data. Commissioners asked staff to track public use and suggested the tool be featured in outreach as the county begins budget work.
Ending: The Washoe Checkbook joins the state’s online checkbook and is intended to make county spending more accessible ahead of the upcoming budget cycle; county staff said they will monitor usage and return with additional public education materials.
