City officials are asking members of the community to express their priorities for services for the Fiscal 2016 budget through “Budget in a Box 2.0.” The community engagement exercise can be done at home, at a neighbor’s house or at a series of guided sessions in each of the 10 City Council districts. Budget in a Box is an activity designed for participants to facilitate discussions about city services, performance and budget. The activity tool kit contains instructions, a “Budget Basics” DVD, discussion materials and comment cards. After the group discusses and makes decisions about its preferences for spending in eight categories of city services, the facilitator will return the results sheet and comment cards to the city. That input will be gathered and presented to Council in a Community Engagement Report and published online for public review in September. The Financial Services Department will mail as many Budget in a Box kits as needed directly to homes, groups, churches or neighborhood organizations. For more information and a schedule of district meetings, go here.
Mark Richardson is a multimedia journalist, editor and writer who has worked in digital, print and broadcast media for three decades. He is a nationally recognized editor and reporter who has covered government,... More by Mark Richardson