Transparency is moving forward in Kentucky.

Kentucky's Auditor of Public Accounts Adam Edelen announced earlier this year that his office would conduct a fact-finding mission to bring accountability to special taxing districts in Kentucky, which involve entities from water and sewer districts to libraries.

At a recent Governors Local Issues Conference, Edelen restated his strong commitment to this initiative by indicating that districts will not escape the purview of this transparency initiative.

"I have a couple of tools at my disposal to make sure I get the information: First is broad statutory power; the second is the power of subpoena, which I intend to use," he said. "Folks can fight me; we can have it out in court. I will beat them to death in the court of public opinion while they’re paying legal fees. So I want to be crystal clear that we’re not going to tolerate anybody ignoring this."

The Bluegrass Institute supports this initiative. Let's hope that Edelen's initiative yields more accountability, as well as more efficient use of our hard-earned tax dollars.

Transparency efforts have become a trend with the Auditor's office this year. Let's hope it is a trend that continues.