Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn seeks to be a leader in the community, including working on economic development projects that advance our community and our state as a whole. In our endeavors as legal counsel to municipalities, local units of government, private developers, investors, project financers, and other entities, we have found information posted on the State of Indiana’s Transparency Portal (“ITP” or “Portal”) – particularly data about economic development projects that the Indiana Economic Development Commission (“IEDC”) undertakes – to be very useful.
The ITP has information not only about IEDC projects, contracts and professional service agreements, but about all manner of state and local government spending and operations.
That’s a reflection of the fact that the Portal is intended to make government more transparent and, by extension, more accountable. As people know more about their government, it is believed that politicians and state employees will do a better job.
For instance, the ITP contains information ranging from agency budgets to state contracts and agency performance measures. There is a gateway to local governmental units which allows users to examine local government budgets, debt and actual spending data. The ITP answers questions such as how property taxes are determined and calculated; and what your property taxes pay for. If one is sincerely interested, they can sign up to receive e-mail and wireless updates from the ITP.
A product of the Indiana State Auditor’s Office and Suzanne Crouch, our current elected State Auditor, Indiana’s Portal was ranked No. 1 in the country last year. If you have not yet visited the Indiana Transparency Portal, please consider doing so and encourage this effort for transparency by our government.
About the Author
Brian P. Williams, a Co-Managing Partner at Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn, LLP, in Evansville, Indiana, is a member of the firm’s Economic Development, Estate Planning and Probate Administration, Litigation and Trial Services, and Real Estate Law practice teams; and has served clients in industries including agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and education for more than 30 years. He especially excels when advocating economic development projects and site locations. Honed from service as a private practitioner, federal magistrate, industrial foundation officer, federal law clerk, and civic leader, Brian’s analytical skills empower clients to more swiftly reach durable solutions.
