Case Study: State of Ohio achieves first-in-the-nation financial transparency with OpenGov

Ohio’s State and Local Governments Partner for the Most Ambitious Transparency Initiative in America

Ohio’s state and local governments partnered with OpenGov to solve a transparency crisis: in 2014 Ohio ranked 46th in U.S. PIRG’s financial transparency report while public demand for government data was high (65% of Americans had searched for government data). Critical budget and spending information was trapped in PDFs and spreadsheets, eroding trust and preventing citizens, businesses, and officials from making informed decisions.

Using a phased rollout—publishing salaries, state properties, and expenditures and offering over 4,000 local agencies an online OhioCheckbook—Ohio rapidly expanded access to local financial data. The initiative earned a perfect U.S. PIRG score, drove widespread adoption and press coverage, reduced public-records requests, saved staff time and money, and improved vendor pricing transparency and citizen engagement.

State of Ohio

Josh Mandel

Ohio Treasurer