City of Jackson’s Open Finance Portal lets residents track their tax dollars

JACKSON, Tenn. — A new tool gives Jackson residents a more accessible way to track city finances.

The Open Finance Portal is a new initiative that the city says is designed to provide financial transparency and public accountability. This platform provides weekly updated information on city expenses.

Residents have direct access to see how their tax dollars are being spent.

“We’re really proud to launch the portal because it reflects the kind of government that we want to be, open, accountable and responsible to the community. And it gives residents real insights, in real time, to how the public’s money being spent,” said Nathan Reed, city recorder.

In the past, residents would need to submit an open records request to gain more insight on city spending, now you can access detailed information straight from the city’s homepage.

“There are two primary modules. There is the budget module that shows the budget breakdown, and so, you can click into departments, you can click into funds, you can click into detailed line items on there and see how much money is budgeted and how much money’s been spent. The other side is what they call the spending or the checkbook side. And , in that case, you can search by account, you can search by vendor. All of this is right on the home screen,” said Reed.

The city hopes to build trust with local residents by making its finances more open and transparent.

“It is incredibly easy to use. It includes all that detailed information, but it also includes pie charts and bar graphs, and you can look and see how data spent over time,” said Reed.

And if you want to dive deeper into the city’s funds, you can search transactions by date, amount, vendor, or city account.

City officials encourage residents to reach out with any questions or concerns they may have.

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