Unclaimed money issue needs attention in Solano County, California

May 22, 2011
By Kimberly K. Fu
Posted: 05/17/2011
Link to entire story.

Improvements are needed in the way Solano cities deal with unclaimed money and related issues, according to a Solano County grand jury report released Monday.
The document, titled “Unclaimed Funds and Escheatment Process Review,” delved into the handling of various types of unclaimed finds, including that of deceased residents with no known heir and “stale-dated” warrants and checks.
Following public notification, the state government code dictates that the money revert to county or city general fund accounts after a period of three years has elapsed. Dixon, Rio Vista and Suisun City all have not published prior notification in several years, the report found.
Grand jurors also noted that, in Vacaville, public notification of items under $50 are handled improperly, with money reverting back to the city before the required three-year period. The notice, according to the report, also fails to list where the money is being held.

 


Data applications are reshaping Texas government transparency

March 20, 2011

Data applications are reshaping government transparency, panel says

By Andrea Leptinsky
Saturday, 12 March 2011

New technologies and resources are helping local and federal organizations deliver large amounts of data to the public. And according to one SXSW Interactive panel, this availability is extremely convenient in a time of budget crises and transparency demands.

Jeremiah Akin, team lead of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ data team, and Michael Castellon, e-communications coordinator and editor with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, said many agencies are turning to Google Maps and Google Earth, and are using KML data to visualize raw information online and on mobile devices. Their panel, “Why visualizing government data makes taxpayers happy,” took place at the Austin Convention Center on March 12.

Read the rest here at ImpactNews.com