By Kelly Doran
Editor-in-Chief

After Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel launched OhioCheckbook.com on December 2, 2014, local governments are deciding whether or not to utilize the free program.

Mandel is asking all local governments and school officials to put their finances online so Ohio citizens can see how their tax money is being used.

Mandel hopes to create a citizen watchdog group that will hold public officials accountable, according to a press release.

The Clermont County Commissioners voted unanimously to put their finances online on June 15, however OhioCheckbook.com is only one way county residents will be able to view county financial data.

The county will also be utilizing a service called Citizen Transparency Module by MUNIS but MUNIS will be used more as a management tool at the county level to make requesting a report easier and quicker, said Commissioner Dave Uible.

Citizens will be able to use OhioCheckbook.com easier using that will help the county be transparent, Uible said.

“We’re unashamed of anything we’re doing and everything is available,” Uible said.

Currently for a citizen to acquire county financial data, the citizen would have to file a public records request and wait a week or more depending on the request. With OhioCheckbook.com, citizens can find the data they want from their computer at home, Uible said.

Uible also feels OhioCheckbook.com is easy to use.

The county has already sent in their financial data and it should be available online within the next six weeks, depending on how long it takes the state to do it, Uible said.

Using OhioCheckbook.com is important because it allows citizens a way to monitor elected officials and keep track of what is happening at the county level, Uible said.

“I believe that we work for the citizens. We’re public servants and they have to know what is happening at the county level,” Uible said.

While OhioCheckbook.com is free for the county, the Citizen Transparency Module will have a one-time set up fee of $3,500 and an annual fee of $11,000, said Chuck Tilbury, deputy auditor with the Clermont County Auditor’s Office, in a presentation to the commissioners on April 29.

The two programs have most of the same features, Uible said.

The village of Bethel will also have their financial data online soon, said Mayor Alan Ausman. Bill Gilpin, the village’s fiscal officer, submitted the village’s data to the state on June 25.

Ausman echoed Uible’s belief that OhioCheckbook.com will be very useful for interested citizens and watchdogs.

“People constantly accuse you of not being transparent with our monies. I think we’re very transparent but this is another step to say ‘there it is,’” Ausman said.

Everything that the village government does is public, so Ausman feels it should be available for the public to view at anytime.

However, John Waite, village of Batavia fiscal officer, doesn’t see any benefit to OhioCheckbook.com. Anyone can come to the village’s office and request financial information.

“The fact that you widely publicize stuff that no one is interested in doesn’t make it beneficial,” Waite said.

He feels that this is more of a self-serving political move for Mandel than a benefit to residents.

OhioCheckbook.com is the first time that the Ohio state government has put all of the state finances online. The U.S. Public Interest Group moved Ohio from 46 to first in spending transparency in its annual “Following the Money” 2015 report, according to a press release.