BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo says she wants to see a new law aimed at increasing transparency in local government.
"Right now it's really difficult to find out exactly where your tax dollars are spent, what they're being spent on, what they're going towards, and what are the results," said Lorigo.
So Lorigo proposes 'The Tax Dollar Disclosure Act" which will work to answer these questions and provide taxpayers with an easily accessible database to search and see where their money is actually being spent.
While taxpayers can currently track their dollars online by searching through the Erie County budget book, Lorigo feels that residents should have an easier way to access these spending details. She adds that the "what, where, and why isn't always answered really clearly" in the taxpayer checkbook on the county government website alone.
Under the new law, Erie County residents would find specific statements breaking down purposes and results for taxpayer investments. Several states and New York City have already enacted similar initiatives, according to Lorigo.
Erie County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick said the bill would require a "massive undertaking" in order to create a searchable database. "It would take an inordinate amount of time," Hardwick added. "I would rather spend our time improving our own processes here, doing more audits, finding out where we could do better without this."
Hardwick told 2 On Your Side he does not expect to have a database created by October 1 when the bill would go into effect if passed. He encourages residents with questions about navigating the county website and budget book to call the Erie County public information officer. "We won't put you through the process of filling out the forms, we give that information out routinely," said Hardwick. "It may take a phone call or two on our part, but within a day or two we'll get back to you if you have any questions."
The bill currently remains as a tabled item, with the next steps involving conversations between legislators, the chair of the Finance and Management Committee, and local transparency groups to discuss what's feasible. Moving forward, Lorigo said she hopes the bill will be moved off the table for a public hearing, followed by a final vote.