Mahoning will be the first county in Ohio to participate in OhioCheckbook.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County will be the first county in Ohio to participate in OhioCheckbook.com, the state’s online database of government spending, county Auditor Ralph T. Meacham announced this morning.

Meacham will appear at a 10:30 a.m. news conference today in the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda with State Treasurer Josh Mandel, who launched the checkbook web site, where citizens can see every state government expenditure, on Dec. 2.

Mandel has been encouraging local governments and school districts to participate in the checkbook web site at no cost to the local entities.

Also attending the news conference will be the Mahoning County commissioners.

Mahoning County expenditures will soon be on the checkbook data base, Meacham said.

“Taxpayers have the right to know where their taxes are going,” Meacham said, adding that the information to be posted “can help taxpayers make decisions at election time.”