Post Date:12/21/2011Press Release
For Release: November 7, 2011
Richardson Earns Gold Leadership Circle Award For Financial Transparency
For Second Year in a Row the City Earns the Highest Award Level Possible that Recognizes Openness And Public Accessibility To Financial Records
(Richardson, TX) - The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has reaffirmed Richardson as a Gold member in the State Comptroller’s Leadership Circle Awards. The award recognizes Richardson for its efforts to make finances open and accessible.
The Gold Leadership Circle Award, the Comptroller's highest ranking, is reserved for those local governments “that are striving to meet a high standard for financial transparency online,” according to the Comptroller’s Web site, located at www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/checkup/leadership.php.
“It is reassuring to know we continue to stay on the right course to providing accountability and accessibility to the City’s financial records,” said Mayor Bob Townsend. “The City Council and I have made it a priority to see that people have access to information about how their government is run, and it’s good to have recognition like this to let us know we continue to excel in providing financial documents and service.”
The City’s Financial Transparency website went online December 1, 2010, and provides the ability to sort through a variety of municipal financial documents. Of special note, the City Council wanted to provide residents access to the City’s check register. The register makes available information on all payments issued by the City. It shows how much money is being paid for an assortment of goods and services by each department.
The website also provides an assortment of other reporting services such as access to City employee salaries, an online form to facilitate open records requests and a program enabling convenient tracking of projects included in the 2010 Bond Program.
