Transparency in City Spending - Follow-Up

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about my efforts to create more transparency in City spending at all levels.

You can read my blog post from April 2 HERE. 

At the study session held on April 4, 2011, I presented my idea to require that the quarterly spending reports provided to the City Council on all City spending be changed to monthly reports, and that those monthly reports be placed on the City Council's consent calendar each month.  I felt this was an important step in ensuring that the public has access to those reports as part of the public record. It would also require an affirmative vote of confidence by the City Council on a monthly basis, as opposed to the current passive approval through quarterly Council review.

I am disappointed to say that my idea did not receive the support of my colleagues on the City Council.  By a 4-1 vote, the Council decided to keep things the way they are.  As I stated in my previous post, I believe there is no substitute for full public transparency, and I believe it should be easier, not harder, for all of us to keep track of how our tax dollars are spent.

While I am disappointed that this issue will not be moving forward this year, I respect the decision of the majority of the Council, and will work in other ways to keep the public informed of how your hard-earned dollars are spent to keep our City one of the best in the Bay Area.  And I intend to take this issue up again when the opportunity presents itself.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this issue, I encourage you to contact me.