Butler County has become the 20th county in Missouri to participate in State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick’s Show-Me Checkbook, an online program designed to provide transparency about government income and spending.
Other counties participating in the program in Southeast Missouri are Carter and Cape Girardeau.
“We’re pleased to be part of the local government checkbook,” said Butler County Treasurer Tammy Marler.
Marler described the program, which is an online portal, as a “great tool for Butler County residents to use to see how their tax dollars are being spent. This transparency helps hold us accountable.”
The checkbook, she said, shows a breakdown of the expenses for each county fund.
“The idea is for the counties to be more transparent as far as expenditures and revenues. This shows who monies were paid to, and it also shows the types of revenues that come into our county,” Marler said.
While the Show-Me Checkbook is a relatively new program, Marler said, the information it provides has always been available to residents.
“Every year, the county does post all the expenditures and revenues on our financial statement in the newspaper,” she said. “Not always do people understand what those expenditures are, so I think the state treasurer is just trying to work with all the counties within Missouri to get that information out there.”
Still she said, “anyone is welcome to come to any office in this courthouse and request any information. Of course, we would like for it to be done through a Sunshine Law request.”
Fitzpatrick hopes the government checkbook will build trust in government offices.
“I want Missourians to be able to trust that their government is working for them and that their tax dollars are being spent wisely — and increased transparency helps facilitate that trust,” Fitzpatrick said in a news release. “I am grateful to Butler County for choosing to participate, and I look forward to increasing transparency, providing more accountability and building trust in communities as the Show-Me Checkbook continues to grow.”
To visit the Show-Me Checkbook, go online to https://treasurer.mo.gov/showmecheckbook/.