County previews public financial dashboard; first phase will show general‑fund data

Rebecca of the county budget office presented a beta public financial dashboard to the board, saying the tool will publish high‑level budget and expenditure information drawn from the county’s Munis financial system. "Phase 1 is going to be general fund only," Rebecca said, and staff said they plan to refresh the dashboard quarterly rather than publish intraday data so there is time to confirm accuracy before release.

The dashboard, Rebecca said, mirrors the county budget book to make it easier for residents to find familiar numbers. It will show a general‑fund revenue summary, an expenditure summary by function and department, year‑to‑date figures, prior‑year comparisons and performance metrics. Staff showed a beta landing page, a pie chart of revenues by function, department pages with spending progress bars, and a sample performance measure panel for elections.

Commissioners recommended usability changes: add a more prominent "questions" button, provide linear comparisons with previous fiscal years (including pre‑COVID fiscal years) and make historical fiscal years clickable. Rebecca said the rollout would be phased (general fund first, then landfill enterprise and certain special revenue funds, then multiyear capital and grant projects) and that staff expect to move carefully to resolve interface bugs before wider publication. The county manager and budget staff invited commissioners to test the beta and send suggestions before a planned Nov. 10 soft launch.

Why this matters: A public dashboard aims to increase transparency about how county dollars are collected and spent and to provide quarterly performance updates for departments and programs.