Where Your Money Goes: Worcester’s 25 Biggest Checks
Friday, March 14, 2014
A few years ago the City of Worcester launched an online “checkbook” that was suppose to allow taxpayers to see where their tax dollars were going. See the checkbook HERE.
Looking for Answers Online
If you have tried to use the tool – many say it is difficult to use.
“Since it's an online, anyone can go online for any purpose, I haven't seen an institutional approach. Every once in a while, you might hear someone reference it for an argument for city council, or advocacy groups using it,” said Tim McGourthy, Executive Director of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
Some of the limitations of the municipal tool is that there are:
No search function
No sort function
No details
No link to contracts or approved expenditure
Commonwealth's transparency platform
In recent months, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts School Building Authority and Pensions Reserve Investment Management Board have all placed spending information on the OpenCheckbook. The Administration has also commenced development of a new platform within the OpenCheckbook to ensure that all Quasi-Public Authorities can follow suit during 2014.
While the Commonwealth has made improvements to the depth and functionality of their online checkbook, the Worcester tool has never been updated.
“I think the challenge is that (Worcester online checkbook) it's in a vacuum, but you don't know the overall purpose, how it's associated with other payments, or what those payments even go towards, specifically. The city's budget process is a far more useful tool for examining priorities," said McGourthy.
McGourthy, who has been at the helm of the Research Bureau for a month and a half, said he and the executive board are currently working on an internal strategic review to plan for the coming year. "We're looking at topics to focus on, and we'll be rolling those out in the spring and summer."
McGourthy added that new changes included getting on Twitter. "We'll be more active in the social media world now."
Related Slideshow: Biggest Checks Written by the City of Worcester - January 2014
It takes a lot of money to run Worcester. See the city's biggest expenses in this collection of the largest checks written out to vendors.
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