Check Registers

You pay for your government, and you deserve to know how it spends your money.

That philosophy is gaining traction. State and federal governments are making transparency a priority, opting to make many records freely accessible, rather than keeping the public waiting for information requests.

From the beginning of my tenure at the Comptroller’s office, we prioritized transparency efforts. On day three, we published this agency’s expenditures online — down to the pencils — and posted other agencies’ expenditure data in short order.

Building upon those efforts, our office created “Where the Money Goes,” an online database for viewing state agency spending. Expenditures in the database are searchable by vendor name, expenditure category or agency name. With that kind of easy access to the information and numbers that make public institutions tick, taxpayers can learn about their government, question decisions, root out inefficiencies and hold officials accountable for the way tax dollars are spent.

By demystifying state spending and providing easy access to those numbers, we ensure greater accountability to the public. As the window on Texas state government, our office cannot have the blinds pulled down. Full article here

The Eanes ISD check register reflects the expenditure of our education tax dollars and is online only on this site. HB2560, a bill that would have required governmental bodies to post check registers online, almost passed during the 80th Legislative Session. The Eanes ISD superintendent and board members have refused repeated public requests (verbal, written, and in board meetings) to post this "super-public" information online. When government agencies refuse to respond to the public, there is usually a reason. KeepEanesInformed will continue to obtain and post this public information reflecting the basic expenditure of our tax dollars.

In February 2007, the Texas Education Agency began posting its check register online. Shirley Neeley, TEA Commissioner announced, "We believe in open government. The public has a right to know how their tax dollars are spent. While a great deal of financial information, such as our Legislative Appropriations Request, was already online, publishing our check register makes it easy for taxpayers to see where their money is going," said Commissioner Shirley J. Neeley. Full article here.

September 20, 2006 - Requested electronic copy of check register - December 8, 2006 - Received almost three months later

From: Dianna Pharr
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 11:07 AM
To: 'OpenRecords OpenRecords'
Subject: TPIA - check register

Please provide, electronically, the check register for 05-06. Please do not include the payroll.

Please also provide, electronically, the check register for 04-05. Please do not include the payroll.

I am not seeking bank account numbers or social security numbers. If the districts wishes to exempt information that is confidential by law, please let me know so that we can work together to avoid the cost and delay of an OAG opinion request.

NOVEMBER 5, 2006

To: Eanes ISD Board Members

I requested an electronic copy of the Eanes ISD check register on September 20, 2006.

Two months later, the district has not allowed provision of this readily available public information.

Although I carefully explained to Ms. Gonzalez that requestors have the right to request an existing electronic copy of public information, Ms. Gonzalez denied my request. Electronic production of an existing document is the least costly provision and the most prompt provision possible. In fact, I waited to request this information until the district could, in fact, train on the new Skyward accounting software and produce the register electronically. However, Ms. Gonzalez insisted that if public information is available in paper, the district has no responsibility to provide the document electronically. Last week, the Office of the Attorney General informed Ms. Gonzalez that pursuant to Chapter 552.228, I do have the right to obtain the electronic information that I requested.

When I addressed the board in open forum approximately two months ago, I asked the board to consider posting the Eanes ISD check register online. At the time, I noticed Susan Pulis’ reaction when I voiced my request. She appeared noticeably disgruntled by my suggestion.

Please direct Eanes ISD superintendent Nola Wellman to insure the prompt provision of an electronic copy of the checkbook in full compliance with state law.

Please also consider my suggestion to consider local policy to require the online posting of the Eanes ISD check register. As I explained in an earlier communication to you, I believe Board Book has the capability to do so at no extra cost to the district. With this approach, all citizens will have access to this basic accounting of the expenditure of our public funds without the need for a public information request.

Thank you,

Dianna Pharr

From: Dianna Pharr [mailto:dpharr@austin.rr.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 9:34 AM
To: 'OpenRecords OpenRecords'
Cc: 'David Escamilla'; 'Nola Wellman'
Subject: TPIA - Eanes ISD check register - September 30, 2007 - October 31, 2007

Please provide the check register (excluding payroll) for September 30, 2007 – October 31, 2007.

Please provide electronically to dpharr@austin.rr.com and include the following information: check number, date, amount, payee, associated accounting codes and associated descriptions.

Please do not include bank account numbers that are confidential by mandatory law or social security numbers. If the districts wishes to exempt any other information that is confidential by law, please let me know so that we can work together to avoid the cost and delay of an OAG opinion request.

I request this public information because others in the community (including Eanes ISD employees and KeepEanesInformed readers) have requested that I post it on my website. As I have offered in the past with no response from the district, if Eanes ISD will agree to post the check register on the official Eanes ISD website for public inspection, I will withdraw this request.

Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.

- Albert Einstein