Keeping track of the city government's checkbook could get a lot easier next year.

Fort Collins officials have committed to coming up with a system through which payments made by the city may be searched online with a user-friendly program. Still, it could be nine months before it's operational.

Having such a program would improve the "transparency and accountability" of how the city does business, said Councilman Diggs Brown, who proposed the system to fellow council members last week.

"It's the taxpayers' money, and they should be able to readily see how we're spending it," Brown said.

Scanned copies of invoices, purchase orders and other documents are readily available on the city's Web site, www.fcgov.com. But searching the documents for specific information - such as how much the city spends on catering - can be cumbersome unless the searcher knows where to look, Brown said.

Other governments around the country have created software that can handle the task, Brown said. If the city's information technology department cannot come up with a program, one could be purchased elsewhere, he said.

"I'm not saying the city is trying to hide anything or is being fraudulent," Brown said. "I'm just saying we can do a better job of providing information to taxpayers."

City Manager Darin Atteberry told council members Tuesday he supports the proposal but needs time to make it a reality because the information technology department is busy with budget-related projects.

Atteberry said he would work to have the program in place by the end of June 2009.

Tens of thousands of documents are available on the city's site, he said. The current search tool on the site is geared toward allowing vendors who do business with the city to track information.

"With some tweaks ... I think we'll be able to get a tool that everyone will appreciate," he said.

Brown and other council members said staff members should take the time they need to develop a program and "do it right."

Mayor Doug Hutchinson said last week council members are unanimous about the need for transparency in how the city conducts business.

Fort Collins is "light years ahead of most of the rest of the world" when it comes to making public records readily accessible, he said.