NorthwestOctober 23, 2024

Mia Maldonado Idaho Capital Sun
The State Capitol building.
The State Capitol building. Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun

Transparent Idaho, a website managed by the Idaho State Controller’s Office, is offering new features for the public to navigate data on Idaho’s 198 cities.

Rather than visiting 198 separate websites of each city or submitting public records requests for information, the new city page on Transparent Idaho allows Idahoans to easily view data across multiple cities on one website.

Transparent Idaho is a free website open to the public to get information on state, county and now city governments on expenditures, department budgets, fund balances, audits and salaries.

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The new city features allow citizens to better understand how local governments function and allow citizens to engage with their local government, according to a news release from the controller’s office.

Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf said in a news release that the new features “empowers everyone” to easily compare data between cities and “see exactly how their tax dollars are spent.”

The controller’s office partnered with In Time Tech, an Idaho company, to develop the new city features.

“Transparency isn’t just about providing data; it’s about partnering with every level of government in building trust with our citizens,” Deputy Controller John Iasonides said in the release. “We’re grateful to the Association of Idaho Cities and the city leaders who contributed their efforts toward bringing this vision to life.”

Mia Maldonado joined the Idaho Capital Sun after working as a breaking news reporter at the Idaho Statesman. Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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