Finance and Administration Cabinet
Governor Reboots Kentucky’s Open Door, Version 2.0

For Immediate Release                                              

Governor Reboots Kentucky’s Open Door, Version 2.0

State’s e-Transparency Site Dramatically Improved with Public’s Input:

More User-Friendly, and Much More Information including State Contracts and Salaries

FRANKFORT, Ky (October 13, 2009) – Gov. Steve Beshear today announced the re-launch of the state’s e-Transparency Web site, www.OpenDoor.KY.gov. 

In response to extensive public input, Kentucky’s Open Door has been significantly upgraded, improving user-friendliness and adding significant new categories of information, including comprehensive detail on state contracts, and up-to-date data on state employee salaries.

On Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 11 AM EDT, Finance and Administration Sec. Jonathan Miller will be hosting a live demonstration of the new, updated Open Door site on the Internet, in a “webinar” format, allowing members of the public to participate and submit questions from their computer terminals. 

To join the webinar, go to https://apps.lotuslive.com/meetings/join?id=719-776 . For audio, dial 502-564-9110, and, when prompted, use ID 5647777 #.

“In today’s difficult economic times, it is even more important for government to be transparent and accountable, and for citizens to feel confident that their tax dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly,” said Gov. Beshear. “I’m proud of our administration’s efforts, along with the bipartisan support of all of the state’s executive branch constitutional officers, to put our checkbooks online for public view in such a comprehensive and user-friendly manner.”

In the spring of 2008, Gov. Beshear issued an Executive Order establishing the e-Transparency Task Force; a 14-member bipartisan panel charged with providing a more transparent, accountable state government that helps eliminate wasteful spending and restores public faith in its leaders.

On Jan. 1, 2009, Kentucky’s Open Door was launched after a concerted, multi-agency effort, led by officials of the Finance and Administration Cabinet.  At the time, the site featured all financial data from the statewide accounting system subject to disclosure under current law, through the policy established by the Governor’s Task Force.

In the intervening months, Finance officials solicited public comment about how to improve the site to respond to the needs and interests of Kentucky taxpayers.  After extensive inter-agency work to address these needs, the following new features have been made part of Kentucky’s Open Door, Version 2.0:

• Comprehensive information and detail on the state’s contracts with its vendors, including the kind of contract-specific data that national watchdog agencies have rated optimal, and a PDF copy of each state contract. Approximately 8,400 contracts will be added annually;
• Much more extensive and user-friendly search features, allowing the user to drill down into individual state expenditures and access more detailed information on them, including the specific purpose of each payment recorded in the system.  Approximately 1.4 million transactions are processed each year, with a total of over 4 million transactions processed for fiscal years 2007-2009;
• Up-to-date salary information for state employees, to be updated automatically every two weeks;
• Agency-by-agency budget data;
• New features on tax credits available to individuals and businesses wishing to locate in Kentucky, and Treasurer Todd Hollenbach’s unclaimed property program;
  Two new e-transparency features launched recently by Secretary of State Trey Grayson concerning business and legislative notifications;
• GIS mapping services that are among the most innovative in the country; and
• Interactivity with the leading social networks, Facebook and Twitter 
   

“We are proud of the work product of our bipartisan, interagency effort to improve this Web site,” said Sec. Jonathan Miller, chair of the Governor’s e-Transparency Task Force. “But we have not finished perfecting Kentucky’s Open Door. Nor will we ever be. This site will be ever-evolving and ever-improving; it will be our continuing goal to refine and supplement this invaluable taxpayer resource.”

Indeed, Kentucky’s Open Door is continuing to ask the public for input to make the site even better.  Citizens are encouraged to go to http://opendoor.ky.gov/Pages/contact.aspx to solicit their ideas.

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