Civic News

Flip through Baltimore County’s checkbook with this data tool

Baltimore County Open Checkbook expands open data with a look at what vendors get paid for public services, and how much.

Baltimore County has a new digital tool that with data on government spending down to the individual check level.

The Open Checkbook tool is part of an open budget platform that the county initially released last year. Using digital tools, the county is seeking to bring more transparency into how it spends public funds. This is aligned with the move toward open data in government circles over the last decade.

“Our residents deserve to know exactly how their money is spent, and this new tool will bring an unprecedented level of transparency to County spending,” County Executive Johnny Olszewski said in a statement. “Transparency and accountability lead to an effective government, which is why we will continue to seek new ways to shine a light on Baltimore County operations.”

Check it out

Open Checkbook is designed to allow users to see the vendors that are paid by the County for various projects and services, as well as how much they’re paid. It launched this week with data for fiscal year 2020, which shows about $922 million in expenditures.

This complements the Open Budget tool released last year, which shows data on budgets for revenue, operating expenditures and capital projects. This tool also had some updates, with data for actual expenditures in fiscal year 220 that allow users to compare what was spent with the budgeted amount.

Under Olszewski, the County is moving to use data and make it available with an eye toward accountability. Crime and policing data dashboards were launched, along with raw datasets. Earlier this year, it also launched BCSTAT, a performance management program that uses data internally. This applies a local government model which was pioneered in Baltimore city.

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Interactive timeline: top moments from Baltimore’s challenging yet inspiring year in tech

Baltimore is setting a national standard for diversifying its economy

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

Tech lab space opening in new 4MLK building, thanks to $2M in public funds

Technically Media