NC Stimulus Watch Launched
Updated April 26, 2009
The Capitol Monitor, an organization which seeks to promote a better understanding of state government through increased transparency, has announced the launch of a new website to monitor the economic stimulus money that is coming into North Carolina from the federal government. Capitol Monitor President Perri Morgan said the website will "provide North Carolina taxpayers with a bottom-line understanding of how the millions of tax dollars from the federal stimulus package are actually being spent in North Carolina."
The website is ncopenrecovery.com. Over the coming months, it will provide viewers a clearer picture of how North Carolina's stimulus money is spent and "whether the promised jobs from the stimulus actually come true," said Morgan. "Anyone who's listening to the countless press reports about the stimulus package may be left with the impression that newly-employed workers are busy all over the state working on economic stimulus projects. In fact, though many projects are planned, very few have actually reached a point where people are being put to work."
Governor Perdue's office has established a website for stimulus money at ncrecovery.gov. It is loaded with press releases and "feelgood" notices of stimulus money going for state projects. "But," says Morgan, "like the stimulus package itself, the Governor's website is complex and difficult to navigate."
While the Capitol Monitor is tracking all stimulus expenditures, the site will report only those stimulus dollars which have made it to their final destination with the award of a contract, giving viewers a more realistic picture of the actual impact on North Carolina's economy. "Reporting on requests, plans, bids, and other stimulus activity prior to the actual award of stimulus money creates confusion, which the Capitol Monitor hopes to eliminate," said Morgan.
The organization will also track and report any political activity which may influence stimulus spending, as well as the costs and actual job creation associated with each spending program, reporting as each project reaches its conclusion. "This is a long term process," said Morgan. "We hope to make sure the money gets where it's supposed to go, that people know who got the contracts, what kind of political donations might be involved, and whether the jobs that are promised are actually created."
Questions and comments on the website are welcome and can be e-mailed or by calling Capitol Monitor at (919) 803-1808. "With all this money flooding into state government and so many people out of work," said Morgan, "this is a critical time for transparency. We hope our website provides a vehicle for taxpayers to know how their money's spent – or misspent."
