CAFR - Comprehensive Annual Finanacial Report
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the CAFR and how the government hides it's money.
I've been attending many of my local town meetings and they just raised our taxes again. It annoys me that they keep coming back every year for more, more, more. In these times you would think a government, especially local, would be going over everything trying to cut back.
How can someone get their hands on a copy of their town's CAFR? What sort of questions should be asked at town meetings to "shake things up"?
Recently I discovered that our town had a surplus of $480K. I'm sure that is invested somewhere... how do I find where and where the interest is going?
Remember, all politics are local. If you can't make a dent at your own town-level, then we have no chance anywhere else.
Create a Freedom Of
Create a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request. FOIA is actually the title for the FEDERAL act, but every State has it's own version. Here in N.Y. it is not called FOIA, but FOIL for Freedom Of Information Law. I've used FOIL many times to get copies of public records/information. Do a net search for your State and you'll probably even find examples to use as a template. Unless the records are exempt (and they have to tell you WHY they are) you'll get the info you're looking for.