A New Eye on State Finances

Everybody wants state policymakers to keep a close eye on the budget, especially with Connecticut facing a projected $2 billion deficit in the next two fiscal years.
But State Comptroller Kevin Lembo this week launched a user-friendly Open Connecticut website that will let all of us keep an eye on all things fiscal, state-wise.
Visit Open Connecticut and you can review the state budget, taxes, borrowing, tax credits, our long-term obligations and even financial forecasts.
It even lets you know, specifically, where you taxpayer dollars are going, via transparency.gov, an Office of Fiscal Analysis website that catalogs state spending, state employee compensation and retiree benefits, and government grants and payments.
Everything is centralized here from across state government and, as the site says, makes it easier to find what you’re looking for. Each area also has basic descriptions (such as, “What are bonds?” and “Why Is This Information Important?”) to demystify financial concepts.
As taxpayers, we still have to do the heavy lifting, of course. The comptroller’s office has done a great work to bring key information into one place, but then it’s our civic responsibility to actually read it—which can be daunting.
Still, as the Comptroller Kevin Lembo says in his welcome to the overall website, “It’s your money. You have a right to know.”
It’s a good resource that should get a lot of attention.