Bellevue has become the latest city to put clear information about its finances in the hands of taxpayers through the Citizen-Centric Report, an initiative developed by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). Bellevue joins a number of state and local governments and Federal government departments in embracing the method.

The state of Washington also produced a Citizen-Centric Report this year.

Bellevue’s Citizen-Centric Report is a four-page document, produced annually, that expresses the state of government finances in a way that avoids complex, off-putting technical detail, presenting information in a visually appealing, clear and straightforward format.

Bellevue’s report follows the suggested format, with the first page laying out general information about what the city calls its “vital signs.” The second, a performance report on these 16 “vital signs,” and the third cost and revenue information. The fourth and final page looks at Bellevue’s key goals and initiatives for the future.

Bellevue’s Performance and Outreach Coordinator, Rich Siegel, explained the reasoning behind their decision to publish a Citizen-Centric Report.

“We are excited to be able to present the citizens of Bellevue with the increased levels of accountability and transparency that they deserve from their government,” Siegel said. “Our Citizen-Centric Report is intended to present straightforward information that ensures that citizens understand how their government is spending their money. We intend to get the report out in various locations where citizens can easily access it.”

The Citizen-Centric Reporting program is available to all local, state and government federal agencies. You can view Bellevue’s report at

www.agacgfm.org/citizen/downloads/BellevueWA.pdf.