Clallam County announced last week the launch of a new digital platform powered by OpenGov that provides residents, elected officials and staff access to the county’s finances and performance information.

Access the platform at clallamcountywa.opengov.com.

OpenGov transforms financial data into an interactive, digital format that enables analysis and understanding of the county’s finances. The design makes it easier to explore how taxpayer money is collected and spent, county officials said last week.

The platform displays 10 years of government spending and revenue detail. Users can view historical revenue and expenditure trends over time and explore multiple views of financial data, including by fund, department, expense or revenue type.

The current year-to-budget report provides insight into spending and revenues year-to-date. Visitors can get answers to frequently asked questions such as, “What has the county spent on supplies during the current year vs. budget?” or “How much did the county collect in taxes over 10 years?” — and then share the information directly from the platform via email or on social media.

The Clallam County Board of Commissioners welcomed the addition.

“Informed and engaged citizens are vital to our democracy. Clallam County has taken a big step in this direction with the implementation of OpenGov, a powerful software tool that allows anybody to take a deep dive into county finances with ease,” commissioner Mark Ozias said. “I encourage anyone who is interested, or who wants to better understand their county government, to check it out.”

Added commissioner Randy Johnson, “I believe that the information system provided by OpenGov is a powerful tool to make the financial numbers available in the county understandable in a meaningful way. The flexibility in the OpenGov format will allow individuals interested in the county’s finances and spending patterns to be updated and informed in a format of their choosing which in turn can only provide a method for asking better questions/making better decisions.”

Said commissioner Bill Peach, “I really appreciate the work the county staff have put into the information system, OpenGov. It is easy to use. Anyone that wants to know how county government is using your tax dollars can have their questions answered quickly using a computer. I support transparency and look forward to the discussions this new system will create.”

Questions or comments regarding use of site is available through the site’s help menu or directly emailing Debi Cook, financial system administrator/budget director at dcook@co.clallam.wa.us.