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News Release

Last modified: Monday, November 21, 2011

IBRC partners with the state to advance transparency for Hoosiers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 21, 2011

Editors: Another version of this release was issued on Nov. 16 by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance and can be found online at www.in.gov/dlgf/files/111116_-_News_Release_-_Gateway.pdf.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, in cooperation with the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, has launched the second phase of a new online data collection system and public access website that increases transparency and accessibility of local government finance information for Hoosiers.

In its first phase, the system known as the Indiana Gateway for Government Units allowed local officials to submit 2012 budget forms electronically from July 1 to Nov. 3.

As part of the second phase, these budget figures are now incorporated into an interactive, taxpayer-friendly research website -- gateway.ifionline.org -- where figures can be easily compared against other units and analyzed per capita. The public site allows taxpayers to access relevant data by property address, view up-to-the-minute budget summary information and download customizable reports.

Local officials also will use Gateway to submit annual reports to the State Board of Accounts, allowing users to tie budget information to expenditure information easily for the first time. They also will report debt information through Gateway, providing taxpayers with information about borrowing costs and overall indebtedness. This data, which local officials must submit by March 1, will be made available through the public access website in the spring.

"By linking local government finance to the other data hosted on Stats Indiana, policy makers and businesses will have information at their fingertips to help them make fiscal decisions in the context of their overall community, or communities they may consider joining," said IBRC Deputy Director and Chief Information Officer Carol Rogers.

The initiative is a joint effort of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, the IBRC and the State Board of Accounts through the Information for Indiana program, a collaborative project launched by Gov. Mitch Daniels in July 2005.

Additionally, last year the state launched the Indiana Transparency Portal, which provides Hoosiers with access to information on how it is utilizing its resources and includes information on state contracts, employee salaries, budget, revenue data, state debt authority and more.

For more information about the IBRC, go to www.ibrc.indiana.edu.

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