How-To Guides

Steps

1. Go to your city website and search for “budget,” “finance,” or “financial reports.” Large cities often have a dedicated Budget Office or Finance Department page (example: Kansas City, Missouri publishes budgets at kcmo.gov under Finance / Budget).
2. Download the most recent adopted operating budget (sometimes called the “budget book” or “budget-in-brief”). This is the policy document the council approved for the fiscal year.
3. Separately download the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR, formerly CAFR). This is the audited year-end financial statement prepared under GASB standards — not the same as the budget.
4. Note the fiscal year dates (many cities run May 1–April 30 or July 1–June 30, not the calendar year).
5. Save PDFs with clear filenames (e.g., “KCMO-FY2026-Adopted-Budget.pdf”) and bookmark the page where amendments and quarterly reports are posted.
6. If documents are missing or only available as scanned images, email the Finance Director or Clerk and cite your state’s open-records law to request searchable electronic copies.

What You'll Need

• Your city’s official website URL
• PDF reader and a place to store downloaded files
• Optional: GFOA’s citizen-friendly budget explanations for vocabulary

Steps

1. Start with the budget message / transmittal letter from the city manager or mayor — note stated priorities and any claimed “cuts” or “investments.”
2. Find the all-funds summary, then isolate the General Fund (police, fire, parks, planning, general government). Enterprise funds (utilities, airports, golf) are typically self-supporting through fees — treat them separately.
3. Split operating (day-to-day) from capital (buildings, fleet, infrastructure). Capital often sits in a CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) spanning multiple years.
4. Locate personnel costs: salaries, overtime, benefits, and pension/OPEB contributions. In many cities these are 60–80% of general-fund spending.
5. Compare the proposed/adopted year to the prior year actuals (not just the prior budget). Look for departments growing faster than inflation or population.
6. Check fund balance / reserves policy. GFOA often recommends unassigned general-fund balance of roughly two months of operating expenditures — see if your city states a policy and whether it meets it.
7. Skim debt service: principal and interest on bonds. Rising debt service crowds out services.
8. Write down three numbers that surprised you and one question for each before the hearing.

What You'll Need

• Adopted budget PDF and prior-year actuals or ACFR
• Calculator or spreadsheet for percentage changes
• Notepad for questions

Steps

1. Register for public comment if your city requires it; check the agenda for the budget ordinance number and hearing rules (time limits).
2. Prepare one issue, one ask. Example ask: “Please publish a schedule showing overtime by department for the last three fiscal years before second reading.”
3. On variances: “Which three departments have the largest dollar gap between last year’s budget and actual spending, and what drove each gap?”
4. On debt: “What is next year’s debt-service payment as a share of general-fund revenue, and which projects will be financed with new bonds?”
5. On unfunded liabilities: “What is the city’s net pension liability and OPEB liability in the latest ACFR, and what actuarially determined contribution is budgeted this year?”
6. On reserves: “If revenue underperforms by 3%, which services are cut first under the city’s financial policies?”
7. Speak under the time limit: identify yourself, state the page/table you are referencing, ask the question, stop talking.
8. Follow up in writing to the clerk and finance director the next day so your question enters the record.

What You'll Need

• Agenda item number and budget page references
• Printed notes with one primary question and one backup
• Contact emails for clerk and finance staff

Steps

1. Define the conduct in one sentence: bribery/conflict of interest, wasteful spending, open-meetings violation, consumer fraud, civil-rights abuse, or federal program fraud.
2. Local personnel, service failures, or city-policy violations → city ombudsman, inspector general, auditor, or council ethics board (check your city charter).
3. Campaign finance, lobbyist, or state conflict-of-interest issues → Missouri Ethics Commission (mec.mo.gov) or Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission (ethics.kansas.gov).
4. Statewide waste, contracting abuse, or performance audits → state auditor (Missouri State Auditor; Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit / applicable audit channels).
5. Consumer scams, deceptive trade practices → state Attorney General consumer protection division.
6. Federal agency misconduct or federal grant fraud → the relevant agency Office of Inspector General via oversight.gov.
7. Criminal corruption (bribery, embezzlement) → local prosecutor or FBI public-corruption unit; do not rely solely on an ethics commission for crimes.
8. If unsure, file with the most specific venue first and note in your complaint that you are preserving other remedies.

What You'll Need

• A one-paragraph factual summary of what happened
• Names, dates, and offices involved
• Links to the venue’s complaint portal

Steps

1. Open with identity and standing: who you are, how you know the facts, and whether you request confidentiality if the forum allows it.
2. State the rule allegedly broken (charter section, ordinance, ethics statute, or open-meetings provision) in plain language with a citation.
3. Write a chronological fact section: Date → Actor → Action → Document/witness. No adjectives.
4. Attach exhibits labeled Exhibit A, B, C (emails, agendas, check registers, photos of notices). Reference exhibits in the narrative.
5. Separate “facts” from “beliefs.” Mark inferences clearly (“I believe… based on Exhibit B”).
6. Request a specific remedy: investigation, civil penalty, corrective open session, production of records, referral for prosecution.
7. Keep to one primary issue. File a second complaint for a second distinct violation.
8. Proofread for accuracy, sign/date, keep a complete copy, and send via a method that creates a receipt.

What You'll Need

• Timeline notes and supporting PDFs
• The correct complaint form or portal instructions
• Citation to the governing rule if available

Steps

1. Confirm jurisdiction: MEC covers Missouri campaign finance, lobbying, and conflict statutes under its enabling law; KGEC covers Kansas governmental ethics, lobbying, and related filings — read each commission’s “what we investigate” page before filing.
2. Download or open the official complaint form from mec.mo.gov or ethics.kansas.gov. Some filings require notarization or verification under oath — follow the form exactly.
3. Check deadline rules for the type of complaint (some election-related complaints have short windows measured from the election or discovery).
4. Complete the form with parties’ full names, offices sought or held, and a concise statement of facts with exhibits.
5. File through the method the commission specifies (portal, mail, or hand delivery) and calendar any acknowledgment date.
6. After filing: commissions may dismiss, investigate, seek a settlement, or set a hearing. You may not control the timeline; respond promptly to investigator requests.
7. Do not contact respondents about the complaint in ways that could be seen as witness intimidation; direct questions to commission staff.
8. If the issue is criminal, ask staff whether they refer matters to prosecutors — and consider a parallel report to law enforcement when appropriate.

What You'll Need

• Official MEC or KGEC complaint form
• Notary access if the form requires a sworn verification
• Exhibits and a certificate of what you filed

Steps

1. Go to fec.gov and open Campaign Finance Data. Search the candidate by name and office (House/Senate/President).
2. Open the candidate’s principal campaign committee. Note the committee ID (C00…).
3. Review “Receipts” / individual contributions. Filter by amount, employer, or date for the cycle you care about.
4. Check PAC and party committee contributions separately from individual donors.
5. Download the CSV for deeper sorting if the web UI is limiting.
6. Cross-reference the candidate or industry on opensecrets.org for summarized sector totals and top donors — then verify any key figure back on the FEC original filing.
7. For independent expenditures, search FEC IE filings supporting or opposing the candidate — these often dwarf direct contributions.
8. Save links to specific filings (not just screenshots) so others can reproduce your work.

What You'll Need

• Candidate name and election cycle
• Web browser and optional spreadsheet
• Basic comfort reading dollar tables

Steps

1. Missouri: search candidate and committee reports on mec.mo.gov (campaign finance search). Download the latest quarterly or pre-election report.
2. Kansas: use the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission / state campaign finance search tools linked from ethics.kansas.gov and related state portals for candidate and PAC reports.
3. Identify the committee treasurer and reporting period dates — late or amended reports often hide the interesting activity.
4. For local races, check your city clerk or county election office for municipal campaign finance ordinances; some cities post PDFs even when the state portal does not.
5. Compare large local contractors’ contribution patterns against recent contract awards (city check registers or council consent agendas).
6. Note in-kind contributions and loans from the candidate — they change how “grassroots” a campaign really is.
7. Archive PDFs with the report’s filing stamp date in the filename.

What You'll Need

• Candidate or committee name exactly as registered
• Election date and reporting calendar
• City clerk contact if local reports are not online

Steps

1. Federal: go to lda.senate.gov (Lobbying Disclosure Act database). Search by registrant (lobbying firm), client, or lobbyist name.
2. Open the latest LD-2 quarterly report. Note issues/bills listed, houses contacted, and income/expenses reported for the quarter.
3. Check LD-1 registrations for new clients and termination notices when a campaign ends.
4. Missouri: search the MEC lobbyist and principal registration lists; review expenditure reports where published.
5. Kansas: use the state lobbyist registration resources linked from the Attorney General / ethics / legislative clerk pages for registered lobbyists and employers.
6. Match lobbying clients to campaign donors and to recent bill sponsors — triangulation is more informative than any single database.
7. For cities, ask the clerk whether local lobbying or “ex parte” disclosure rules apply to zoning and procurement matters.

What You'll Need

• Client company or bill topic keywords
• Approximate time period (quarter/year)
• Notebook for issue codes and bill numbers

Steps

1. Identify the body (city council, school board, planning commission) and its quorum under the charter or bylaws.
2. Missouri: public governmental bodies must give notice of the time, date, place, and tentative agenda in a manner reasonably calculated to advise the public (RSMo § 610.020). Meetings are presumed open under Chapter 610.
3. Kansas: the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA), K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq., requires open meetings of covered public bodies and advance notice; serial meetings that reach a majority can also implicate KOMA.
4. Watch for “work sessions,” retreats, and email/text chains among a majority — these can still be meetings if deliberating toward a decision.
5. Closed sessions are allowed only for specific statutory reasons; the motion to close should cite the subsection.
6. Read your body’s own rules of procedure — they sometimes add notice practices beyond the statutory floor.
7. When traveling or attending conferences, ask whether a quorum of members will discuss public business (that can trigger notice duties).

What You'll Need

• Charter/bylaws quorum definition
• Link to RSMo Chapter 610 or KOMA text
• Recent meeting notices from the clerk

Steps

1. Check the clerk’s “meetings” or “agendas” page; subscribe to email/RSS alerts if offered.
2. Download the packet (agenda + attachments) the day it posts — attachments are often removed after the meeting.
3. Attend or watch live; note the start time of each item and any amendment to the agenda.
4. Request draft and approved minutes under your open-records law if they are not posted within a reasonable time.
5. If meetings are recorded, file a records request for the audio/video of a specific date and item timestamp.
6. For Zoom/WebEx meetings, ask whether chat logs and attendance reports are retained as public records.
7. Keep a personal log: Date | Item | Vote | Link to packet — your future self will thank you.

What You'll Need

• Clerk’s agenda portal URL
• Open-records request template (see Citizen Help → Records Requests)
• Calendar reminder the day packets usually post

Steps

1. Before or when the motion to close is made, listen for a specific statutory citation (Missouri RSMo § 610.021 subsections; Kansas KOMA exceptions under K.S.A. 75-4319 and related provisions).
2. If you are present, calmly ask the chair to state the subsection and the general subject. Object on the record if the citation is missing or clearly inapplicable.
3. Note who moved, who seconded, the vote, the time in/out of closed session, and whether any vote on the merits occurred behind closed doors (many final votes must be in open session).
4. Afterward, request under open records: the motion text, any publicly available minutes of the closure, and records that should not have been discussed in secret.
5. Missouri: consider a Sunshine Law complaint to the Attorney General and/or a circuit court action for policy violations.
6. Kansas: consider a KOMA complaint to the Attorney General or county/district attorney; private civil remedies may also exist.
7. Consult the RCFP Open Government Guide entries for Missouri and Kansas for case law nuances before escalating.
8. If the body recorded the closed session, ask counsel whether your state’s law allows in-camera court review — do not assume you can obtain the closed tape directly.

What You'll Need

• Statute text for permissible closed-session topics
• Contemporaneous notes or a witness
• AG complaint instructions for your state