New Online Portal Will Track City Expenses In Atlanta
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a new online portal aimed at making the city government more transparent.
Stephannie Stokes / WABE
Soon Atlanta residents will be able to track city spending through an online portal.
The city is launching a new system called “Atlanta Open Checkbook,” expected to go live in a couple of months. It will include city budgets, salaries and contracts.
In announcing the portal, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms acknowledged that Atlanta’s city government has faced criticism for its lack of transparency.
She pointed to a 2013 report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group report that gave Atlanta an ‘F.’
“That is unacceptable,” Bottoms said. “Public information belongs to the public and that includes how we spend our money.”
The launch of the new portal also follows a months-long FBI investigation into a pay-to-play scandal at Atlanta City Hall. The city’s former Chief Procurement Officer and two contractors have already pleaded guilty for their involvement.
Bottoms said she hoped the new level of transparency would help restore the public’s trust in the city. Governments in Dallas, Washington D.C. and New York already use the online checkbook program.
Bottoms’ press conference also came a day after she called for the resignations of all of her cabinet members. She took the opportunity to call all city employees into the atrium to let them know they’re appreciated.
“I don’t want to give anyone the impression that you will come in next week and the entire leadership of city hall will be gone,” she said.
Bottoms wouldn’t say which resignations she would accept.
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