BigSkySearch.info is a really simple idea. We think it’s time to bring Montana state government into the 21st Century by giving citizens the tools to find out how the good folks we send to Helena are spending — or wasting — our tax dollars.
Unfortunately for those of us at Montana Policy Institute, this isn’t really our “original” idea — we’ve borrowed it from a growing number of states that have already created this GPS for government spending. In 2006, thanks to Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL), the federal government has given the green light to a free, searchable website allowing citizens to track down the money they sent to the U.S. Treasury.
18 states have already passed laws giving taxpayers online access to government spending. Check out a few of the exciting state transparency websites already up and running:
The majority of these states is getting this information to the taxpayers with little or no fiscal impact. Thanks to technology, this is a cheap and easy thing to do. We think Montana should be next in line!
In addition to state-sponsored sites, several free-market, accountable government organizations like Montana Policy Institute launched web sites of their own that detail certain areas of state spending. A couple notable ones are:
So what can we do in Montana given that money’s tight? Well, check out what Montana Policy Institute did with just a few months’ work and less than $50,000 at www.opengovmt.org. We have two fully searchable databases with over fifteen years of school district revenue and spending data across a variety of categories for every district in the state on one page, and total salary and benefits information, sortable by location, job, and more for every state employee on another page! It’s just not that difficult or expensive and there’s simply no excuse for the state not to provide you, the taxpayer, with this level of information. Who’s going to hold them accountable if not you? And how are you going to do it if they keep you in the dark?
Look, if we can do this from the outside, just imagine what state government would be able to do with a few hundred thousand dollars to track state revenues and spending. They already have the data, but don’t think it should be easy for citizens to get it.
When budgets are tight, it’s even more important, not less, for taxpayers to know how their dollars are being spent and what’s being done in their names. If this isn’t government’s job, what exactly is?
What Can You Do?
Change never comes easy, does it? Flipping the “on” switch that opens up budgets, contracts, agreements and millions of nitty gritty details to ordinary citizens represents a big change for some folks in Helena. To get the job done, they’ll need to hear from you.
When you call, email or drop by your legislator’s office, let them know your friends at Montana Policy Institute sent you!