The Missouri Office of Administration today announced the launch of a new website that provides greater transparency to the State of Missouri budget. The website, budgetexplorer.mo.gov, gives users a comprehensive review of the state budget, along with links to more detailed information.
The Office of Administration created the Missouri Budget Explorer website to provide the public with an easy-to-use, one-stop resource for important information regarding the State of Missouri’s budget. The website enables citizens to explore the details of the State of Missouri’s budget, including the sources of the state’s revenues and how these monies are allocated among the 16 executive departments, the elected officials, the legislature, and the judiciary.
In addition to understanding better the overall state budgeting process, citizens will also be able to gain a better understanding of the role of each department and the services they provide. The Office of Administration purposefully used infographics on the website to make budget information more easily understandable for the public.
Performance measures for each department’s programs will also be tracked on the website, starting in 2019.
“Taxpayers deserve a transparent resource to track how their money is being spent,” said Office of Administration Commissioner Sarah Steelman. “Creating an easily-accessible website with state budget information and departments’ performance measures is one of the Office of Administration’s strategic initiatives. I’m proud we are delivering this important initiative, and I’m proud that we designed the website deliberately to better serve our customers — the citizens of Missouri.”
“The Missouri Budget Explorer website is a straightforward and user-friendly tool that will greatly serve Missouri citizens in understanding the state budget,” said Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, chairman of the House Budget Committee. “As the chairman of the House Budget Committee, I applaud the Office of Administration for its diligence in providing the public a deeper and more transparent look into the state budget.”
The website’s home page features an interactive infographic detailing how many dollars were allocated to each department in the state’s current operating budget. Users can click on each department for more detailed information on how programs within the departments are funded. The website features budget charts that allow citizens to understand at-a-glance how state funds are distributed, as well as summary documents for each department to give users more specific details as to how the budgets have changed from the previous year.
The website provides links to the legislative budget bills and each department’s strategic management priorities. The Missouri Budget Explorer website compliments Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt’s Show-Me Checkbook website, a financial data transparency portal launched in August, which is also linked on the website.
The website will be updated twice a year — when Gov. Mike Parson releases his budget recommendations and when the General Assembly has passed the state budget. Budget information for each fiscal year — beginning with Fiscal Year 2019 — will be archived on the website.
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