(The Center Square) – A new Oregon Transparency website was launched by Enterprise Information Services earlier this month.
The site went live on December 13. It contains information on public meetings, public records, state salaries, revenue, budgets, and more, according to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services.
The state enacted House Bill 2500 in 2009. It enacted the Oregon Transparency Program and website legislation.
“The program created an open resource where website visitors can access details on how the state is spending tax dollars and information on programs and services that provide investments back into Oregon’s economy,” a release said.
Additionally, it created the Transparency Oregon Advisory Commission to advise on website content and information. The Commission features state senators, state representatives, Legislative Fiscal Office staff, plus state agency and public members.
Enterprise Information Services’ Data Governance and Transparency Program focused on redesigning the site this year to update its content and to make it more user-friendly.
“The process included insight from current users, agencies, committees, and site analytics to improve the user’s experience,” the site said.
Chief Data Officer Kathryn Darnall Helms, the director of Data Governance and Transparency, called the site “a significant improvement in how we get valuable information and data out to our constituents and is but one part of how we are pushing for greater transparency and more open data within Oregon state government,” according to the release.
The information on state employee salaries does not include the names of the employees. However, the most up-to-date data reveals that in fiscal year 2022, the Oregon Health Authority paid seven physician specialists over $350,000, with the top one earning about $367,000.
It also reveals that in fiscal year 2023, the Oregon Lottery had two executives make $241,212 and $240,000 annually, according to the website.
Plus, the data revealed that the highest-earning state medical examiner for the Oregon State Police made $306,214 in fiscal year 2022, making it the highest-paying position in the department.
