For citizens to have any confidence in the giant federal economic recovery plan, all spending and projects must be disclosed to taxpayers.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has a location on its Web site that lists about $693 million in stimulus-related projects in Illinois that are ready for contract letting this spring and work this summer. Major local projects, incidentally, include $4.2 million for resurfacing of about 4.5 miles of Interstate 74 between Mansfield and Mahomet, $3.3 million to resurface about 12.5 miles of U.S. 36 between Tuscola and the Moultrie County line, $1.4 million to resurface 6 miles of Illinois 49 between Homer and Ogden, and $1.9 million to resurface almost 8 miles of Illinois 119 between Illinois 1 and the Indiana state line. There is much more, of course.

The point is, though, that IDOT is being transparent about where it proposes to spend the half of the federal stimulus money coming to the state. If only other state agencies and local governments were so forthright.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced Saturday that the state has established a Web site (Recovery.Illinois.gov) that will keep track of all stimulus-related projects, spending and job creation; link to state agency sites where proposed project lists will be posted; and list any state-run programs that receive any supplemental funding, such as food stamps or unemployment benefits. "We are moving as quickly as possible to get projects going so that we can get the people of Illinois back to work," Quinn said. "This Web site will help them learn about important programs and track our progress."

But the state Web site, for now, will list only those projects overseen by state agencies, such as IDOT, the Illinois EPA and the State Board of Education. Eventually, a state official said, they plan to link local government sites to the state site – but only if the local governments publicize all their stimulus projects.

Some local governments, including Champaign County, have disclosed potential uses for stimulus funds. But others, notably the city of Chicago, have resisted. That's precisely the wrong course. If citizens are to have any confidence in the enormous stimulus program in which billions of dollars will be spent at a phenomenal rate, there must be absolute openness and transparency. All potential spending must be disclosed. And citizens should be able to see those lists, review them for their reasonableness and also check to see that the projects really were undertaken.