State Launches New Website In Hope Of Improving Government Transparency

INDIANAPOLIS – The state has launched a website ­designed to offer more government transparency and a more user-friendly interface.

The site doesn’t offer much new information, but officials say it brings together data that had been scattered across other webpages, making it harder for Hoosiers to find.

The website is one of several initiatives under the Management and Performance Hub program, which is aimed at bringing better visibility, accountability, and openness to state government using modern data tools.

It’s open to the public and provides information about Gov. Mike Pence’s six campaign goals and the state’s progress on each. It also offers data about the state’s financial health and trending key performance indicators for executive branch agencies.

The financial health section will include information on the state’s budget, Indiana Public Retirement System statistics, local government data by county, tax revenue information, and a history of surplus statements.

Paul Baltzell, chief information officer for Indiana, said the website will have key performance indicators and core functions that were not centralized before. The public is able to track each agency’s budget, along with its up-to-date progress on various projects that are underway.

Viewers now have the ability to customize the look and layout of the information prior to downloading the data.

The new website serves as an expansion of Indiana’s focus on transparency. The state’s website was recently named the most transparent state government site by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Baltzell said that, while it is nice to be the most transparent, the website still needs to be more user-friendly.

“If it is not easy to use, it defeats the purpose of transparency,” Baltzell said.

He also said more government and agency data would be available in the future.

“The Management and Performance Hub website and the program as a whole reiterate Indiana’s commitment to making this goal a reality and move Indiana in the direction of becoming even more effective, responsible, and transparent,” Pence said in a statement. “Hoosiers deserve an open and accountable government that moves at the speed of business.”

Click here to visit the website.

Seth Morin is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.