Spending transparency for public colleges and universities

By Richard Eckstrom, S.C. Comptroller

 I recently testified at a Senate subcommittee hearing on something that is near and dear to my heart – spending transparency for government.

Specifically, I was asked to address a subcommittee of the Senate Education Committee about legislation which would shine a light on spending by state-supported colleges and universities by putting their check registers on the Web.

Two years ago my office established the state’s first spending transparency Web site, which allows citizens to view the individual expenditures of state agencies. And last year, we began a campaign to urge local governments to post their expenditures online as well, and the success of that effort has far exceeded our expectations. Through these successful experiences, I learned that government transparency can be easily provided with little cost and effort – if it is desired.

The problem is that not everyone shares the view that transparency can be provided at little cost, nor that the minimal effort is worth it. When the Governor and I first proposed putting the expenditures for state agencies on the Web, the proposal was resisted by many agency officials who objected that it would cost millions. But because information on each expenditure is already available in our accounting systems, we were able to do it pretty easily – using no resources other than those we already had.

And as I cross the state talking with mayors and county council members about the value of spending transparency, some of them tell me they think it would cost too much to put their check registers on the Web. However, to date 18 local governments ranging in size from Charleston County to the city of Chesnee have begun posting their individual expenditures online – proving it can be done at little cost and with relative ease.

I was also recently contacted by a group of transparency advocates in the Michigan House and Senate, who hope to establish a transparency Web site modeled after ours. They’re getting excuses and inflated cost estimates from their government officials who oppose putting their spending details on the Web for all to see, and they’re seeking guidance about how much it would really cost. They have asked me to document our experiences, both with our state transparency site and at the local government level.

The transparency measure currently pending in the S.C. Senate would require colleges and universities to post monthly details for all expenditures, except for payroll expenditures, on their Web sites. The legislation is being spearheaded by Senator Mike Rose of Dorchester County and other open-government advocates in the Senate, including Shane Martin, Tom Davis, Lee Bright, Philip Shoopman, Kent Williams, Kevin Bryant, Harvey Peeler, David Thomas and Chip Campsen.

Not surprisingly, some are opposing this bill, and some expressed opposition during the recent hearing. That’s unfortunate. 

Transparency is important all the time. Yet in today’s environment of shrinking revenues, it’s even more important that all public entities provide taxpayers easy access to the details about how those entities are spending the money that, after all, is being provided by the taxpayers.

South Carolina’s spending transparency Web site: https://ssl.sc.gov/SpendingTransparency/BudgetTransparencyMain.aspx