Drafter
Clerk 06/04/2008
Title
A MOTION requesting the county executive to prepare report formats on public transparency in county revenues, expenditures and performance.
Body
WHEREAS, government exists to serve its citizens, and
WHEREAS, citizens have the right to understand how well their government operates and if their tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively, and
WHEREAS, governments have the responsibility to provide that information in an easily understandable and accessible way, and
WHEREAS, it is the intent of King County to make county revenue, expenditure and performance information as open, transparent and publicly accessible as is feasible. Increasing the ease of public access to county budget and actual data, particularly where the data are currently available from disparate internal county governmental sources but are difficult for the public to collect and efficiently aggregate, significantly contributes to governmental accountability, public participation, agency efficiency and open government, and
WHEREAS, the Advancing Government Accountability's Citizen-Centric Government Reporting Initiative provides guidelines for government to report to their citizens how well their government operates and if their tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively, and
WHEREAS, the Government Finance Officers Association's Popular Annual Financial Reporting Awards Program provides guidelines for government to report to its citizens on its financial statements;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The county executive is requested to prepare the format for an annual "King County scorecard" and to transmit the report format to the council for its review by motion by July 1, 2008. The report should meet the following criteria:
1. No longer than four pages;
2. Visually appealing;
3. Includes priorities of King County government;
4. Understandable information is presented to citizens about the financial condition and performance of county government that answers the question "Are we better off today than we were last year?";
5. Educates the citizens on the programs and services provided by the county,
6. Available both in hard copy and on the Internet; and
7. Meets the Advancing Government Accountability's Citizen-Centric Report guidelines.
B. The county executive is requested to prepare the format for an annual "state of King County government report" and to transmit the report format to the council for its review by motion by July 1, 2008. The report should meet the following criteria:
1. Visually appealing;
2. Understandable information is presented to citizens about the financial condition and performance of county government;
3. Educates the citizens on the programs and services provided by the county and their cost;
4. Available on the Internet;
5. Able to be reported on the prior year to the public by May 1, 2009, based on adopted 2009 King County budget information; and
6. Includes priorities of King County government.
C. The county executive is requested to include the following data components in the annual "state of King County government report":
1. Adopted budgeted and actual revenues for the county government as a whole and for the general fund and by major revenue source;
2. Adopted budgeted and actual expenditures for the county government as a whole and for the general fund, by program area, by elected agency, executive department, division and appropriation unit; and
3. Community and performance measures for the county as a whole, by program area, by elected agency, executive department and division.
D. In an effort to make King County's financial statements easily understandable and accessible to the public, the executive is requested to participate in the Government Finance Officers Association's Popular Annual Financial Reporting Awards Program with the goal of achieving a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting program in 2009.
E. The report formats for the "King County scorecard" and the "state of King
County government report" shall be prepared jointly by the office of performance management and the office of management and budget.
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