The state of Nevada has launched the Nevada Open Finance Portal, a new website that provides detailed, up-to-date information on state spending.
The website – which highlights data on the state’s checkbook, budget, payroll, and pension disbursements – was created through a collaborative effort between the Controller’s Office and the administration of Governor Joe Lombardo.
Users can search the portal by finance, budget, checkbook, or payroll, and then further narrow their results using keywords related to a department, job, vendor, or state employee. Users also can search directly from the budget, checkbook, or payroll portals, which will query a search within the particular information subset.
“The Nevada Open Finance Portal is an unprecedented tool in my administration’s efforts to bring accountability and integrity to state government,” said Gov. Lombardo. “Controller [Andy] Matthews and his team have worked diligently to provide this transparent resource for Nevada taxpayers, and I’m proud of their work to increase understanding of the state budget process.”
The state noted that the portal is limited to spending at the state level, and does not include information on spending at the county, municipal, and other local-government levels. However, state leaders did say the Controller’s Office will be actively working with local governments, Nevada System of Higher Education, and any other government component units not currently displayed in the portal to access their data in a similar format.
The goal, according to the Controller’s Office, is to improve the portal so that it will become the single source of information for all state revenues and spending for every governmental entity in the state.
“Nevadans deserve to know how and where their government is spending their hard-earned tax dollars,” Matthews said. “Policymakers can debate in good faith over the proper size and scope of government, but we should all be able to agree on the need for open government. This website will help hold Nevada’s public officials accountable to the people they serve, and I’m honored to have been able to lead on this critical issue.”
