By CHRIS GREEN

Harris News Service

TOPEKA -- Some Kansans already are taking advantage of a new Web site allowing them to research how state government spends their tax dollars.

However, the information they'll be able to access has limits and some details, such as the individual salaries of state employees, won't be available just yet through the database.

State officials launched the KanView portal Friday, nearly a year after lawmakers mandated its creation. The site can be found at www.kan sas.gov/kanview.

By Monday morning, the new offering had drawn more than 600 visits, although it's unclear how many unique visitors searched KanView, state Department of Administration spokesman Gavin Young said.

Those who visit the site will be able to track state government's spending activities.

Users can find specific figures for what various state agencies spent in budget years 2006 and 2007, as well as the payments that specific vendors received. But many details about expenditures aren't yet available.

For instance, a search can reveal that the state spent $1.57 million on legislators' compensation in fiscal year 2007, but it doesn't reveal what each individual legislator received.

In addition, Young said, the site is scheduled to be updated only each August, after the state closes the books for the previous fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Young said the site provides access to data available through the state's financial management system, which dates back to the 1990s. More details could be available once the state upgrades to a new system in July 2010, he said.

In addition, KanView allows users to e-mail comments or ask questions.

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