Montgomery County ‘checkbook’ goes online

The public, through ohiocheckbook.com, can now see how local governments and school systems spend money. (Ohio Treasurer’s Office Web page)

The public, through ohiocheckbook.com, can now see how local governments and school systems spend money. (Ohio Treasurer’s Office Web page)

Montgomery County now is the largest local government in Ohio to put its “checkbook” — how it spends its money — into a searchable database.

Getting $7.8 billion in expenditures from 2010 through 2015 online - more than 1.3 million transactions - took more than a year, but Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said it’s worth the effort.

“We live in a time when people are looking for more accountability in government and the technology is there,” Keith said Wednesday in Dayton. “I believe the people of Montgomery County have a right to know how their tax money is being spent.”

The effort was orchestrated and paid for by the Ohio Treasurer's Office OhioCheckbook.com initiative that has now put the state's checkbook and those of 773 counties, cities, schools and other governments online.

The village of Farmersville put its checkbook online this week as well. Huber Heights, Kettering, Dayton Public Schools, Brookville and several area townships also put their checkbooks online recently.

Those committed to doing so include Huber Heights schools and the cities of Union and West Carrollton.

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, announced the Montgomery County website launch alongside Keith, a Democrat, and Ohio House Minority Leader Fred Strahorn of Dayton, a Democrat.