EDITORIAL: Help hold tax spenders accountable

Here’s today’s news quiz. Let’s see how you do.

Brandon Woolf is:

a) One of Idaho’s greatest advocates for transparency

b) An unabashed defender of the taxpayer

c) The state’s Controller for more than a decade

d) All of the above

It’s true; we’re big fans of Woolf and think you should be, too, because the correct answer is d) All of the above.

The proof is in the internet pudding: https://transparent.idaho.gov

Now, before you cross off this editorial as a crummy commercial for Woolf, know that there’s an important request headed your way. More on that in just a moment.

Back in 2012, newly elected Woolf created the first-of-its-kind state portal connecting citizens with their tax dollars — transparent.idaho.gov. Thanks to legislation passed during the 2021 session — House Bill 73 — that portal has been growing.

HB73’s goal is to develop a uniform way for every city, county and taxing district in Idaho to report its financial data. Woolf and his team in the Controller’s Office are building that bridge between reporting entities and you, the citizens.

The data available at your fingertips is both abundant and important. Rather than jump through public record hoops, which can cost time and money, you can examine with rapid ease, detailed expenditures including legislators’ travel, public employee pay rates, specific vendor expenses and much more.

As a quick example, we searched to see how much Panhandle Health District spent at Pizza Factory going back to 2016. The total, per transparent.idaho.gov: $670.34

Now, about that request.

We’re looking for a civic-minded local volunteer who will become proficient using transparent.idaho.gov and share results with Press readers. If this sounds like a contribution to the community you might be happy to make, please poke around the website, follow instructions on how to search, and then contact Press editorial writer Mike Patrick: mpatrick@cdapress.com

Controller Woolf has given the state a great tool to increase knowledge and, ultimately, hold the people spending your tax dollars accountable.

Let’s put that baby to good use.