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Citizens should be able to track state spending

The Internet can be a great equalizer in the relationship between citizens and their government. Knowledge is power, and the Internet has lots of it. Government can and should encourage citizen involvement by using online tools that open its processes to public view.

Snohomish County will take a big step in that direction next month when it launches a new system that will make video and audio of County Council meetings, along with a host of related documents, available free to the public online.

State government can take its own big step toward online transparency by creating a searchable Web site where citizens can track state spending in plain, understandable English. Such a proposal failed to get a hearing in the Legislature last year, but will be reintroduced by Sen. Val Stevens (R-Arlington) during the short session that begins Monday.

Much of the state's budget information exists online today, but it's a burden for most citizens to find it or make sense of it. It needs to be organized in a way that's accessible and useful.

A user-friendly, searchable budget Web site would enable citizens watchdogs to see how -- and how effectively -- tax money is being spent. It would put accurate information at the fingertips of anyone interested in learning how government is going about its responsibilities. Successes could be built upon, shortcomings more quickly addressed.

There's nothing to keep lawmakers from adopting the proposal this year. Similar sites already exist in Texas and Missouri. A federal version, approved by Congress unanimously, went live last month (usaspending.org). One Washington agency, the Department of General Administration, already has a searchable Web site showing its public contracts. Microsoft stands ready to design it, and costs figure to be low. Democratic state Auditor Brian Sonntag and Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna, two leading voices for open government, have both expressed support.

How the state spends taxpayers' money is a mysterious and convoluted process to most folks. Lawmakers shouldn't be fearful of shining light on it, even if some warts are exposed. The more open government is, the more effective it's likely to become.