Gaining access to financial records of the City of Vicksburg will be made easier in 2007, Strategic Planner Paul Rogers said.

Information already available via the Internet will be expanded, and, for instance, searchable.

The plan is to allow people to use their computers to &#8220drill down” into the information that is posted to see breakdowns of spending within each category, Rogers said.

&#8220We’ll probably start off with a way to search for vendors and checks written,” Rogers said. &#8220Or to look up detail transactions” in each spending category.

From the city’s home page, viewers can already view and print out budget documents dating back to Fiscal 2004 and audited financial statements from 2003 and 2004.

Budget documents reflect spending plans. The audit information reflects actual expenditures.

Rogers said the software to allow people speedier access to more up-to-date and detailed information is to be put in place next year, but a precise date had not been set. The financial information is already, by state law, in the public domain. The idea is to use technology to make it more accessible and allow people to see more easily where public money is being spent.

To date, financial statements have been posted on the Web site only after they have been audited. Rogers said the city may consider posting unaudited but final actual numbers for Fiscal Year 2005 during the first half of 2007. Vicksburg and Warren County both operate on 12-month years starting each Oct. 1.

In a separate move to use the Internet, the city has added online access for its utility customers to detailed information on their accounts and plans to add the ability to accept online payments for natural gas, water and garbage service.

Also available on the city’s Web site, through the &#8220downloads” section, are documents such as an open-records-request form; a &#8220Privilege License ‘How To’” document; 21 documents from the planning, inspection and community-planning department including the city’s 1996 comprehensive plan; archived board agendas since March 3, 2005; and six documents from the utilities department.