Salt Lake City has launched an online public forum for residents' suggestions, interviewed members of 20 of the capital's 21 community councils and set up a Web site to track spending of federal stimulus funds.

Those are some of the highlights, released Wednesday, of Salt Lake City's 90-day progress report on its push for greater transparency in government.

"We are pleased with the work and advancements being made to open the windows and doors of city government, making it more transparent," Mayor Ralph Becker said in a statement. "I look forward to even more public input on new policies for the city."

The capital also has staged budget workshops to educate residents about spending plans and posted a version of the seminar online at www.slcgov.com/budgetworkshop.

Salt Lake City residents can learn more about how the city is spending federal stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by visiting www.slcgov.com/recovery. On Wednesday, the city posted a four-page report.

In a survey, community-council members gave Salt Lake City government a 3.2 on a 1-to-5 scale for its openness.

Rosemary Winters