OPED: The prize is transparency, not awards

SUBMITTED BY: Natalie Menten

The next time your government shows you a shiny trophy proclaiming how good it is at spending your taxpayer dollars, you may just want to ask how much it cost to “earn” the award.

Across Colorado, and in my hometown of Lakewood, officials boast of winning such awards every day. The trophies are handed out by organizations bearing mysterious sounding acronyms like NAHRO, GFOA, NATAO, APA and CCRA.

Once you decipher the names and research the entities, you’ll find out that many of these organizations are fully supported by our tax dollars. Our taxes are used to pay annual dues to these groups that can run into the thousands of dollars. Lakewood pays more than $2,200 annually to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment, known as NAHRO. City taxpayers fork out an additional $6,200 to the American Planning Association, $1,900 to the National Association of Telecommunication Officer and Advisors and $10,000 to the National League of Cities.

But the taxpayer commitment doesn’t stop at paying dues. Municipalities, including Lakewood, enter contests held by these organizations, and quite predictably use taxpayer dollars for entry fees.

Over the past year, Lakewood taxpayers have shelled out the following:

• $300 entry fee for the Telly Awards. Lakewood was awarded the 2008 Bronze statuette
• $590 entry fee for the Entertainment Recognition Award. Lakewood did not win.
• $370 entry fee for the Colorado Community Revitalization Award – Lakewood did not win.
• $150 entry fee for the Communicator Award – Lakewood did not win.
• $100 entry fee for the City Manager American Planning Award – Lakewood did not win.
• $260 entry fee for the National Association of Telecommunication Officer and Advisors Award – Lakewood won glass statuettes for 3rd place in three categories.
• $340 entry fee for the NAHRO Award – Lakewood won a 2008 National Excellence Award plaque
• $185 entry for Hermes Creative Award. – Lakewood did not win.
• $550 for the Certificate of Achievement from Government Finance Office – Lakewood won a 2008 Achievement Certificate.
• $500 for the Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association – Lakewood was a 2008 Plaque Winner.

Add it all up, and you’ll see that taxpayers forked out $3,345 for the fancy honor of winning seven awards, the prizes for which included a couple glass and bronze trophies, a few plaques, and a certificate.

But the cost to taxpayers doesn’t stop at dues, contest entry fees, or the time spent preparing award applications. Taxpayers also pay to send government employees to award luncheons, including $525 in 2008 for tickets to attend the Colorado Business Community for the Arts awards luncheon, where the City of Lakewood wasn’t even being honored.

The tab for city officials to attend the May 2008 Colorado NAHRO award ceremony added up to $1300 just for hotel room charges at the Rocky Mountain Park Holiday Inn in Estes Park. In addition, taxpayers footed the bill for meals and transportation.

The Distinguished Budget Award contest has been held since 1984 with over 1,200 governments across the country entering each year, all paid by taxpayers. A panel reviews the budget to see that it includes explanations of long and short term goals, spending priorities, clear descriptions of funds, provides categorical spending, details for major revenue sources and incorporates standard accounting principles.

The NLC’s choice of Lakewood to win the “Digital Cities Award” is also questionable given that Lakewood employees can’t or don’t use the city’s publicly-funded Web site to post many public meetings.

While Lakewood’s Web site provides adequate notice of when the Nutcracker is playing or other cultural events, it declines to include notice of important meetings of the Budget and Audit Committee, Wireless Communities, Public Building Authority or many of the other public gatherings in which city business is conducted.

Notice of these meetings is only posted at City Hall on an old-fashioned thumbtack board and many only 24 hours before the meeting. When asked why they can’t post these notices on the Web site, city representatives have told me they don’t have the manpower or money. That’s an interesting answer given that the City of Lakewood’s Information Technology department has a payroll of almost $300,000 and half of the Web site’s front page is constantly updated with cultural events.
These awards Lakewood receives are used as proof of a job well done when city leaders want another tax increase or to show how accountable and communicative they are. But it’s all an illusion.

It’s time for financial transparency in all Colorado governments. Then when you walk through Lakewood City Hall and see the 2007 Telly Award for Radon: The Invisible Killer, the Bronze Telly Award for Emergency Operations Center Exercise, the GFOA Distinguished Budget Award or the Lakewood Housing Authorities National Excellence Award you can know you paid for that award through taxes or even that mysterious fee on your cable bill.

If you want to see what award contests your government is entering, you can request to look at their spending records-your right under Title 24 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Don’t be surprised if they want to charge you to see the spending, after all, they’re pinching pennies just to provide the services we expect. I never would have known we paid for these awards until I paid the City of Lakewood hundreds of dollars to obtain their spending records.