I called together a group of people with the same desire to change the way the system works and we founded FAIR Government.
We were tired of people complaining - well actually we were tired of people complaining without any facts, and without doing anything to change their situation. Complaining is just human nature, so that's not so annoying. But doing nothing about it, day after day, is what was annoying.
We looked around, decided that Government is such a huge part of the economy and our lives in general, and there is a complete lack of understanding about what government is, does, and hopes to achieve.
We looked around, decided that Government is such a huge part of the economy and our lives in general, and there is a complete lack of understanding about what government is, does, and hopes to achieve.
We saw a system that provides little or no training into how government works. We found too little turnover in officeholders, and too little desire in the community to even participate in the process.
FAIR has been created to educate ourselves, and hopefully others, as to exactly how we got to where we are right now, and where we might go in the future. We'll do that by gathering data and creating a financial roadmap, simplified so even WE could understand it, and try to get that information to the largest possible audience in the quickest possible way. Check out the data here and give us feedback. In fact, we can't possibly survive without your feedback or your support. Welcome, and enjoy your search for knowledge. When you receive knowledge, share it and expand the general knowledge of the community!
FAIR Government is an acrynm for Fiscal Accountability, Integrity and Responsible Government. It's a not-for-profit educational foundation incorporated under the laws of New York State.
The concept is surprisingly simple. To acquire and list every revenue and appropriation made by local municipalities. We'll also obtain and post munincipal contracts. We believe that if local governments raise money or spend money it should documented, online, for every interested person to view.
Who started this? Who works here?
FAIR Government was founded by Tom Christy. As with anything over time, the cast of characters will change. You can find out the current staff of FAIR by clicking here.
What will I find on this site?
Municipal government spending and tax revenue data. Our goal is to be able to get down to the "paper clip" level. How much does it cost - in real dollars - for everything local government does. Like any good internet research site, you'll be able to click your way down deeper and deeper into how a government spends its money. Not just how they publish the spending or how someone might find an error in an audit, but every single penny, every single year.
What are the impediments to having this data online?
Governemnt doesn't publish detailed budget information now, so we can't automatically expect an open-arms approach to FAIR Government. Once elected officials stop fearing and start embracing an open-budget process, things should go smoothly. Elected officials will most likely consider this a fringe attempt, but hopefully will come to realize that FAIR is the edge, not the fringe, where things are taking place. You can't be on the fringe and make a difference. FAIR Government will be the cutting edge of education about local government, and the sooner that's an accepted notion by elected offiicals the better. In the early days, we expect resistence to the open budget concept.
What are the Benefits to having this information online?
Can there be a course on local government that wouldn't benefit from detailed budget information online? For that matter, most public officials do not have an intimate knowledge of budget issues. Certainly people wanting to run for public office may lack detailed government spending information. If everyone had more information we'd elevate the public debate about any particular topic. How crucial would that be?
Who is the target audience?
This is probably the most frequently asked question. I've never really met anyone yet who isn't interested in where all the money goes. First, it's for me. I have no idea where all the money goes. And, furthermore, I got tired of hearing "if you want that road paved or program funded, what would you cut from the budget to pay for it? We can't have everything you know." That always made me mad, because it's an unfair question. Place all the money before my eyes and tell me where it goes and I'll be able to pick a program I want cut.
Next, this is for elected officials. Imagine you are a run-of-the-mill businessperson running for mayor of your community. You have absolutely no idea where the money is spent. If the budget is $50 - $100 million, you will have a steap learning curve to say the least. But, if there are years of data online with explanations of funding sources etc, you enter office that much further ahead.
Governement at all levels is crying out for new leadership. But "new" is such a strange term. People are really crying out for informed leadership. How long someone's been in the business is irrelevant. FAIR will provide information for a new generation of informed leaders. Be they already amongst our ranks, or new to the government world.
We've got to come to grips with the Professionalism of Local Government.
New York State has a government employee payroll of $4 billion annually. The 8-county region of Western New York has a $3 billion annual local government spending compact. Those numbers dwarf private industry.
We are not training our current or future local government leaders about budgeting. It's not inconceivable that someone runs for local office not knowing one thing about the budget of the municipality they are trying to lead.
Does Government Waste Money?
Probably, most increadibly large businesses have some form of sloppyness. And of course that's everyone's first reaction when they think about government. But what people don't necessarly focus on is how increadibly costly is has become to run local government. Just how many programs have become ingrained into the culture of operating a municipality. By publishing ALL government revenue and spending we'll be able to better understand how costly government has become.
Is There a Precedent for Information Increasing the Quality of a Profession?
Years ago someone decided to gather court decisions from every court in every jurisdiction and provide that information to lawyers. That idea, which is now commonly known as the West Law system, has made for better lawyers, better judges, better prosecutions, better defense and better judicial decisions.
With next to no local government spending information online, and no one place that coordinates spending information, we are in the dark ages of budgeting. It's easy to imagine that if every single local government spending plan was available to students and government officials alike, the quality of spending and taxing and operating our government system would improve exponentially each year for decades.
Doesn't Local Government already post budget data?
It depends on what you consider usable data. For the most part, the answer is no. Some municipalities, and the number will grow as time and technology filters through the system, will post the minimal amount of data that they currently produce in printed form. General categories and general numbers. FAIR Government will acquire and post budget data in increasingly detailed form, as data becomes available. We want users to be able to click on any dollar amount, any department, and find detailed to-the-penny figures.
Is this a free website?
Yes. Everything you will find on FAIR is and will remain completely free. FAIR Government is a not for profit corporation and raises money from many sources in order to provide educational information to the largest possible audience. This can best be done via the Internet, and it can best be done by providing the information free of charge.
Does FAIR Government work with governments to provide budget data?
It's our ultimate goal to work with local governments to provide details. Time will tell the extend to which local governments open up to the idea of completely open budget data. All government spending data, and municipal contracts, are public information and if FAIR is forced to utilize Freedom of Information requests we will be prepared to do so.
How can I get involved?
The greatest need we have is financial.
At present, local government budgets are only available on paper. It takes time to re-type, or scan and convert to text etc, and finding people to type and scan on a volunteer basis is difficult. We also must be sticklers for accuracy, so checking and rechecking data is crucial.
We've already received support which has enabled us to inch along at a slow pace, acquiring data and slowly posting it. More resources would mean things go faster and the true nature of FAIR, increadible detail, can be achieved. The greater detail we achieve, the more time and expense is involved (charges of 25¢ per page from a local governement is the norm, as annoying as that can be).
FAIR was formed September 26, 2002 and has a mailing address of P.O. Box 402, Buffalo, N.Y. 14223-0402. Checks of any amount can be made out to FAIR Government, and sent to that address. FAIR is an educational non-profit, and our application for educational status is pending. When approved this means your donation will be tax deductable.
You can always email us with your ideas and ways you might help.