The city of Fulshear is working to prioritize transparency for its citizens, including the launch of a new financial monitoring platform, officials said.

What residents need to know

Fulshear residents can now review city finance and budget information through its new Transparency Center Platform, launched in January, city officials announced in a Jan. 13 Facebook post.

The platform aims to share the financial health and activities of the city, Budget and Purchasing Analyst Amryn Jeffrey said in an email.

A closer look

The city began using the platform for internal budget processes in 2022 and decided in May to begin work to develop the citywide transparency platform, Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey said the platform includes a budget overview as well as breakdowns for:

• Revenue and expenditures
• Fund balances
• Historical data
• Department dashboards
• Project costs, funding sources, timelines and locations

Quote of note

“Citizens will remain updated on when projects are expected to finish or begin, what phase of the project is underway, as well as how well each department performed based on their set KPIs,” he said in an email. “Additionally you can input your tax bill—city of Fulshear imposed portion only—and see a breakdown of where your dollars were spent and how much was attributed to fund the different interests of the city.”

Zooming out

Beyond the platform, City Manager Zach Goodlander said the current administration has also prioritized transparency by:

• Compiling quarterly capital improvement program reports
• Releasing a monthly city manager newsletter
• Launching the Fulshear Academy for Civic Training and Service, or FACTS, which is a free-city focused academy with sessions beginning in January

Additionally, the city has increased its frequency of social media posts for items including water line breaks and scheduled maintenance, he said.

What’s next

The Transparency Center Platform can be found at www.fulsheartexas.gov/transparency.