Ohio Public Safety Pension Opens Checkbook to Public

The Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund last week announced it would begin posting its checkbook-level expenditures online in a searchable, organized database.

The initiative is part of a partnership with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.

More from the Columbus Dispatch:

The fund has become the first in the nation to post its checkbook-level expenditures online. Fund officials have an interest in showing members that they are being transparent and doing what’s needed to keep the fund healthy. The partnership with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel’s OhioCheckbook.com was announced Thursday; the site puts detailed financial data in a searchable and sortable format.

“Public-employee pension funds have a particular need to make their information easy to find and understand because of their obligations to thousands of retirees,” said Dennis Hetzel, executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association and a supporter of the online-checkbook initiative.

The pension fund joins a growing list of municipalities and public organizations that are using the treasurer’s site, which has received national acclaim since launching in late 2014. Franklin and Delaware are among the Ohio counties that have committed to putting their checkbook information on the site.

The pension fund’s data is not yet on the site, but check out Ohio Checkbook here.

Photo by Laura Gilmore via Flickr CC License