Washoe County is hosting a "Budget101" meeting where locals will be able to learn about the decisions the county makes when balancing budgets.
Right now Washoe County is facing a budget shortfall of $27 million.
A few months back, the county introduced the Washoe Checkbook, which is a new online interactive tool for viewing revenue and expenditures across all county departments in near real-time.
Clara Andriola, the Washoe County Commissioner for District Four, says, "During the day or night, you can go onto Washoe County's website and check out the checkbook to see where funds are coming in and expenses are coming out, and it's live and refreshes every 24 hours."
Andriola explains the online budget to the public, showing how they use tax dollars for the community.
She says Washoe County wants to continue to be transparent, and this is a way for them to do just that.
Andriola explains how the budget can be complex, and they think this will give the public a view on the ins and outs of the budget itself.
The Checkbook is an online resource that has all of Washoe County's expenses and funds in a format that aligns with the budget through all of the departments, designed as a tool to be able to allow the public to access what the budget looks like.
Andriola mentions, "I think it will give everyone the opportunity to be part of the discussion; if they become inquisitive and they want to understand, they'll have that opportunity, but then they may actually be able to offer solutions, so I think it's really a collective conversation."
During the meeting they intend on answering questions that were submitted by residents during the meeting. They will also be creating an FAQ sheet about the checkbook as well.
Andriola adds, "Washoe County's commitment is that we have always been transparent and we always will be transparent."
You can find the Washoe Checkbook by clicking the link here.
Or if you missed the meeting, it was recorded, and you can access the video on Washoe County's YouTube channel.
