Or simply search for “opencheck” for these communities. To peek inside Northampton’s checkbook, visit. In addition to a vendor search option, a database for public employee salaries would be a benefit to people interested in keeping an eye on government spending. The company has been paid $82.9 million so far this fiscal year for construction projects for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
It would take some data mining to learn which company is the top vendor for Northampton or Amherst, but on the state website it’s obvious.Īfter scrolling through the public, quasi-public and health insurance vendors, the organization getting most of the state’s tax dollars in fiscal year 2014 has been Walsh-McCourt JV1. The state’s site allows users to search the database by vendor, an option we find incredibly useful - which Northampton and Amherst do not yet offer. Open checkbooks have been popping up on websites in Massachusetts since the state launched its own version in 2011. Wading through the hundreds of exchanges every month can make your eyes cross, but the information is simple to access and that’s what counts. Most of the entries in the extensive databases are small transactions. of Springfield $53,930.84 for wastewater treatment and maintenance site improvements.
Encharter Insurance, LLC, of Amherst, received $29,765 to insure the town’s vehicles, $24,534 for the buildings and $15,561 for public liability.Īnd last month, Northampton paid AMP Electrical Inc. So, for example, it’s now easy to find out that in March, some of the largest checks Amherst wrote were for insurance.
Sorry, but it doesn’t mean you can write yourself a check.īy reviewing data organized by municipal departments and spending categories, it is possible to learn what vendors cities and towns are using, how much each individual check to a vendor is worth and what the money purchased. Open Checkbook databases provide anyone with an Internet connection the ability to see how governments are spending tax dollars - down to the penny. The recent addition of Open Checkbook to Amherst and Northampton municipal websites is a big win for government transparency.
0 kommentar(er)
