City Of Atlanta Launches 'Open Checkbook' To Share Spending

The city of Atlanta has launched a new transparency tool as the federal bribery probe into City Hall spending grows wider.

Atlanta’s Open Checkbook shows how more than $2 billion was spent during fiscal years 2017 and 2018.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says the website allows users to see more than 104,000 transactions, broken down by department, vendor and type of expense.

Bottoms said the portal will be updated quarterly with new spending, and her office will look into adding previous years as well.

The mayor also said a push for increased transparency has been in the works since she took office in January.

“It was something we were planning on doing anyway, but certainly with the federal investigation there was a sense of urgency to make sure that this information is available,” Bottoms said.

That investigation into spending and awarding city contracts under former Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration is growing wider.

So far, two former cabinet members and three others have been convicted.