Committee backs codifying searchable budget database but members press scope and cost questions

The Rules, Enactments and Intergovernmental Relations Committee reviewed a patch of the Taxpayer Access/Taxpayer Transparency Act that requires Putnam County to maintain “a single searchable budget database.” Legislator Reagan, who proposed the searchable‑database provision, said the intent is to make the county budget and archives accessible; he described the change as a standalone requirement codifying what is already produced during budget season.

Legislators pressed for details about scope and responsibility. "Putnam County shall maintain and make publicly available a single searchable budget database," Reagan said as he summarized his proposed paragraph; other members asked whether the requirement would include contract‑level detail or only the annual budget book. The acting commissioner of finance told the committee the county currently uses ClearGov and posts a PDF budget book and that Tyler Munis does not itself provide the same public interface; he said upgrades are possible but would take staff time and possibly increased subscription costs.

Several legislators urged a pragmatic approach: codify the baseline of what the county already posts, then revisit more granular or live updates later if there is appetite and funding. "The paragraph as written...doesn't bring it down to contract level," the sponsor said, summarizing the committee counsel’s reading. Members asked staff to research technical options, the expected labor burden for regular updates and whether a part‑time webmaster or an IT pilot would be warranted.

The committee discussed procedural placement of the sponsor’s amendment clarifying caucus notices and whether paragraph numbering across the code created internal contradictions; legislative counsel noted the packet contained older drafts and offered to strike inapplicable language for clarity. No formal vote to adopt a final version of the Taxpayer Access Act's full text was recorded in the transcript excerpt before the discussion moved on to subsequent agenda items.