Call it a win for good government.
Starting tomorrow, Cook County is putting its check registry online. That means that the public can scour the county’s Web site, www.cookcountygov.com, to see how tax dollars are being spent.
The online portal was created in response to a resolution approved by county commissioners last year.
“The intent per the resolution was to provide a public viewing so that people could see what checks were written against contracts,” says Kathy Markham, internet project manager for the county’s technology bureau. “It’s a pilot that we hope to move forward on.”
The county has already taken steps to make government proceedings more transparent: The public can find meeting minutes, budget information and contact information for commissioners online. The office of David Orr, Cook County Clerk, has revamped its Web site so County Board roll call votes are searchable.
Other attempts at transparency, such as a link for pending and approved legislation, have fallen flat. That link doesn’t appear to work.
But putting the county’s finances online is a big step forward for a government that has been hesitant to outside scrutiny.
“I think this is a huge win for transparency,” says Kristin McMurray, senior editor of the Sunshine Review, an organization that advocates for government disclosure, and has pushed Cook County to be more open.
“One of the things that’s so great about transparency is we all work 9-to-5 jobs and we can’t have a 9-to-5 government,” she says. “By putting that information up there, you’re allowing your constituents to be responsible voters.”
The Sunshine Review has graded every county in the United States on transparency using a 10-point list. Cook County received a B-, winning points for having available information on budgets, zoning, elected officials and audits. It was docked, however, for not having contracts or lobbying information online, nor for having complete public records available.
Cook County, however, fared better than the other 101 counties, which overall received a D. The state of Illinois was given a C.
McMurray says one of the Sunshine Review’s next projects is to examine the state’s recently amended Freedom of Information law, and how Cook County has adapted.
“My experience with Cook County FOIA is that they tend to either not answer or they send you everything so you have to go through a lot of information,” she says.
Andy Shaw, executive director of the Better Government Association, says putting the county’s checkbook online is a huge step forward.
“It’s arguably one of the most important reform steps the county can take, and it’s one that virtually every other branch of government needs to take as soon as possible,” he says. “It’s ironic that the most vilified branch of government, Cook County, is the first to do this.”
He says the city and state need to follow the county’s lead.
“The city of Chicago should do it on Monday,” he says. “Especially when the more publicity the county’s efforts get, the more reformers in the City Council and state Legislature will say, ‘Why are we not there?’”
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