SCRANTON, LACAKWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— Lackawanna County is making its budget more accessible to the public.
28/22’s Kathryn O'Leary shows us how the county’s new digital budget book is giving taxpayers a closer look at where their money is going
A new tool on the Lackawanna County website is making it easier than ever to understand how local government operates.
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"The way the budgets used to be, it was really hard for people to understand, even commissioners. I mean it's really just numbers on a sheet of paper, but there's no back story to it. There's no narrative, there's no explanation," explained Bill Gaughan, Lackawanna County Commissioner.
The new digital budget book, compiled by the county’s revenue and finance department and created in partnership with cleargov, lays it all out with interactive charts, department narratives, and a breakdown of every dollar spent in 2025.
"With this new digital budget book, people will be able to understand how their tax dollars are being spent. It's very detailed, every single dollar is accounted for and there's an explanation behind why we spent x amount of dollars in the office of youth and family services why our budget had to go up in terms of expenditures in our IT department," stated Gaughan.
This new book allows the county to be more transparent on its financial status for 2025.
"Last year, when we had to increase taxes because of the financial disaster we inherited, obviously people had questions. This answers all the questions," said Gaughan.
County leaders hope residents will take advantage of the tool to feel more connected and informed.
"We want people to understand how county government works. You could really get into the nitty gritty of it and find out what's going on," added Gaughan.
You can find the digital budget book right now on the county’s website under the revenue and finance section.
