OK Policy Launches Its New Online Budget Guide

Oklahoma Policy Institute’s Online Budget Guide, a comprehensive look at how Oklahoma state and local governments raise money and provide public services, is now fully available. The Online Budget Guide adds to available information on Oklahoma’s fiscal picture in several ways, including:

1. It includes taxes and spending of both state and local governments.
2. It looks more broadly at spending than just state appropriations to examine spending from all sources, including user fees and federal grants.
3. It uses key performance indicators to measure “what we accomplish” as well as “what we spend.”
4. It takes an in-depth look at fiscal challenges state and local governments will be facing in the coming year.

Because it is online, the Guide has many advantages over a printed version. It uses simple yet sophisticated menus and search functions to get right to the information users need. It offers readers the opportunity to comment or ask questions (or request additions) as they read. It uses links to take users to data sources and analysis from all political points of view. It will be updated regularly as new data are available, so users can always have the most current information. Click here to explore the Guide. You can also download and read the  6-page Talking Points version of the Guide here