How Cities and States are Gathering Data as They Spend Federal Aid
Source: Route Fifty By Daniela Altimari
A watchdog agency responsible for monitoring the historic infusion of pandemic relief dollars is promoting data collection to encourage transparency and uncover fraud and abuse.
The federal government is doling out billions in pandemic aid to state and local governments across the U.S. But how can Americans find out how all that money is being spent?
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the watchdog agency responsible for monitoring the historic disbursement of federal dollars, promotes data collection both as a way to encourage transparency and uncover fraud, abuse and mismanagement. On Wednesday, the committee held a webinar featuring officials who have prioritized openness when it comes to pandemic relief funds.
“How we communicate data is essential,’’ said Julie Demuth, assistant director of budget and performance for Pierce County, Washington. “Communication is probably even more important than the data itself. You can put a ton of data out there and make it available to the public but if it’s not consumable or understandable, it really defeats the purpose.”
Like many communities, Pierce County has built a data tracker that allows the public to see where it has spent its $175 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation. The county’s ARPA projects include $5 million to acquire a hotel for those without housing and $1 million for services supporting the elderly.
Some of the local officials on the webinar shared challenges they faced when trying to make their data accessible to the public.