Local Government Finance Project

State Auditor's Office Press Release
January 4, 1999

For immediate release January 4, 1998 Anyone with access to the Internet now has a way to obtain timely, pertinent financial information on city and county governments. The Local Government Finance Project, undertaken by the State Auditor's Office with the help of the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program, the Washington Finance Officers Association, the Association of Washington Cities and the Washington State Association of Counties, was designed to get accurate information into the hands of policymakers, citizens and researchers in a timely way. That information is presented in a user-friendly, understandable format.

Data available on the site includes: What cities and counties have spent in areas such as law and justice, human services, salaries and transportation; property and sales tax revenue; the dollar amount of licenses and permits issued; and the dollar amount of federal and state grants received; The information, from 1991 to present, allows users to chart spending and revenue collection over time, and to draw comparisons between cities' and counties' finances. It also may be used to look at various trends, such as the growth in human services spending in the past seven years.

"This will provide the information people need to draw conclusions about government spending," said State Auditor Brian Sonntag. The project's web site address is: http://lgfrs.sao.wa.gov/lgcs/lgfpdocs/localGovFinProj.htm. For more information, contact State Auditor Brian Sonntag at 902-0360.