Local Rotarians received a crash-course on the state’s online open checkbook last week as they welcomed Micah Derry from Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel’s office. Derry explained how to navigate the website and find records from both state and local entities, and discussed how the state’s open checkbook should help to repair the overwhelming mistrust of government held by many Americans.

Derry, who is the Deputy Director of Legislative and Policy Affairs at the State Treasurer’s Office, was invited to speak at the New Carlisle Rotary Club’s weekly lunch last Tuesday. Stressing the importance of transparency in rebuilding public trust of government spending, Derry too was honest as he shared his once-troubled past of homelessness and substance addiction. He explained that through the guidance and inspiration he received from an encouraging retired couple, he was able to change his life and later accomplish more than he ever thought possible.

Transparency is crucial in rebuilding citizens’ trust of government spending, Derry said. He explained that researchers began tracking public trust in 1958, at which time, 74 percent of Americans trusted their government to do what was right. Derry said that in 2016, only 19 percent of citizens have trust in government to make the right decisions, which he said is cause for concern because of the amount of information available today.

“With more and more information available, why do we continue to distrust our government?” he asked. “We live in the Age of Information, yet this trust is very low.”

He also added that recent statistics show 93 percent of Americans do not believe the government is effective at sharing information, which he attributed to a “gap” in information being available yet people don’t know how to find it.

By going online to www.ohiocheckbook.com, users can track “every penny of state spending” back to 2008, Derry said, which shows nearly a half-trillion dollars spent over 30 million transactions. The site shows trends over several years, as well as the sources of each dollar spent, and includes entities such as counties, cities, townships, school boards, port authorities, and more.

Derry said that he and his colleagues had a vision to extend the open checkbook to local governmental boards as well, and in September of 2015, launched the local checkbook program, with more than 600 local entities committed and currently building websites. Derry said when the local checkbook was first proposed to local organizations, he received a lot of feedback and specific recommendations that were used as guidelines in creating the program. He said local representatives told him that the program had to be free, as local budgets are “tighter than ever.” They also specified that the program had to be easy to use, and most importantly, voluntary, as local boards are working with less manpower and said they were sick of “state mandates from Columbus.” Following all recommended changes, the local checkbook project can be joined by any municipality in the state, and Derry said that Clark County agencies have been very receptive.

“Clark County does a fantastic job with townships and school boards,” Derry said. “Northwestern Local Schools show six years of spending, with $176 million in spending shown on their website,” he said, adding that the figures can be sorted by vendor, dollar amount, or other criteria.

He noted he looks forward to the future partnership with the Clark County Auditor as he upgrades the website and operating system.

“I’ve only had one negative encounter in Clark County, and that was the Mayor of Springfield, who told us it would never happen,” Derry said, adding that he hopes that Mayor will “take notice of his neighbors’ decision” to display their spending on the open checkbook.

He said that since the opening of Ohio’s checkbooks, the amount of public records requests have decreased, which over time will save money in manpower hours as those records are accessed and shared. He also said the open records will allow citizens to see that government spending is not all for the cost of luxurious travel accommodations or posh new offices, but the high cost of basic operations like fixing potholes.

“People can see that it is really expensive to run government,” said Derry.

 To access the local checkbooks, visit www.ohiocheckbook.com and click on the “Local Government and Schools” tab at the top right corner of the page, and then either use the map or the search bar to look for Clark County entities. Greenon Local Schools, Tecumseh, and Northwestern are all available on the site, showing spending for small and large purchases alike.

First Group 2x2
First Group 2x2
Local News

Stories on people, places, events and businesses right here in Western Clark County.

Local Government

Meetings and news from local Boards of Education, Township Trustees and County Commissioners.

Sports

Arrows, Bees & Warriors; we cover all local high school sports, as well as local semi-pro and adult leagues