Can Navigating Your City's Budget Be...Fun??
If you want to get to know a city, a great place to start is their budget. City budgets are one of the most important, but least discussed topics that affects what the city is able to provide for its residents.
Too often, city budgets are written up with little care for how easy they are for regular people to navigate. It’s important that a city’s budget process is transparent and made accessible to all its citizens, so they can take learning about their city into their own hands, and know where their tax dollars are going. In order for its budget to be accessible, a city can start with something like making an interactive website, or explaining the budget in video format.
Here are four examples of cities I think go above and beyond in making their budgets accessible, easy to understand, and entertaining to interact with!
Image via City of Arlington, TX.
1. Arlington, Texas
The first example comes from Arlington, Texas. Texas had an interesting past year: On top of the pandemic and recessions we all have had to bear through, the city experienced a historic winter storm, knocking out power and limiting access to resources across the city of Arlington. The staff had an interesting, innovative idea to make their city budget more accessible; after a year of so many unexpected hardships, the city wanted to be certain they were providing answers to their citizens.
In this Lego-themed video, the narrators explore different areas of the budget, and how much is being allocated to each. This is all explained without using complicated jargon and in a very entertaining medium. Not every city has the resources to create such a budget masterpiece, but making a fun and engaging video that quickly discusses the contents of the budget is a great idea for a city wanting to be more transparent in their budgeting processes. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would rather watch a Lego video than try and dig through pages of confusing tables!
Image via City of Suwanee, GA.
2. Suwanee, Georgia
Next up is Suwanee, Georgia. This city, along with most others on this list, uses an open budget website to make their budget as interactive as possible. On the site, viewers can navigate through different questions, create tables, and analyze the data on their own through a user-friendly interface.
In response to the pandemic, the city also created a Dr. Suess-themed picture book going through the different aspects of the city budget and how it may be affected by the impacts of COVID-19 on their economy.
Another great aspect of Suwanee’s budget documents is that they provide great explanations on parts of the budget that can be confusing. With their fun and captivating imagery, clear and easy-to-read graphics, and concise explainers on what each part of the budget means, this budget stands as a great example of what any city can create if they prioritize transparency and accessibility in their city processes.
Image via City of Shreveport, LA.
3. Shreveport, Louisiana
The next budget is from Shreveport, Louisiana, this budget caught my eye because of its name, “The People’s Budget.” This name really resonated with me, and I think it relates well to the Strong Towns message: great places are built by many hands. The more people who have access to and can understand the functions of their city, the easier it will be for regular people to get involved.
Their budget is an interactive website that breaks down the different elements in an easy-to-read graph where anyone can understand the fiscal priorities of their city. This budget prioritizes transparency. They even acknowledge that their previous budgets weren’t accessible for the average citizen.
It is so crucial for cities to be adaptable, because our world is becoming more digital by the day. Having an accessible and user-friendly budget website shows that a city wants its citizens to be involved.
Image via City of South Gate, CA.
4. South Gate, California
Finally, we are heading out west to look at the city of South Gate, California. This city has one of the most interactive and user-friendly budgets of them all! This website allows you to create graphs and analyze the budget data. The website even provides the reader with different question prompts they can ask about the budget, and it will generate a graph with the answer!
Most importantly, the budget website has a guide tab, where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, and tips on how to use the interactive budget tool. It’s clear that the city wants the budget to be accessible for anyone, and the city staff is encouraging citizens to ask questions about the budget. These are great efforts that make it easier for regular people to get involved and ask questions about their city.
The cities listed here obviously go above and beyond with their budgets. It’s not necessary to have the coolest website or the most creative video concept; the priority should be on making your city budget accessible and interesting for the general public. Every city should work to make sure its processes are transparent for regular citizens and encourage the general public to be part of the decision-making process. Making it easier for people to understand their city’s budget better is the first step in allowing them to be a part of the city budget process, and make informed and financially strong decisions for their communities.
The financial struggles of Houston and the cities of the Silicon Valley area—as well as tens of thousands of others across North America—have the same underlying cause.