Meetings give citizens a chance to participate in the budget-making process

Madison mayor Paul Soglin was all smiles at the first of five Community Budget Conversations [1] held at Warner Park Recreation Center on April 12.

About 25 residents sat around at tables and listened as Soglin talked about the importance of community involvement in the process of allocating city funds.

The series of Community Budget Conversations is an endeavor by the mayor, district alders, and city staff to include resident input in determining the top priorities for Madison and the community.

“The budget is a four person process,” an organizer explained to residents. “The mayor, council, city staff, and you.”

Attendees engaged in two separate group activities that allowed them to express their personal opinions on the  budget as well as understand the importance of compromise in determining the overall distribution of funds.

The first activity allowed residents to share their ideas on what they would like the city to do with the budget. Each group was allocated $100,000 and asked to determine where, specifically, they wanted to see the money go.

The point was to emphasize the important, yet difficult task the finance director and other members of the council face each year when they figure out the city’s budget.

Safety was high on the list, as residents discussed the importance of community safety, sidewalk safety and bike safety. Those interested in bike safety stressed the need for funding safer roadways, but others worried that there are not enough bikers in the city to warrant a sizable chunk of the budget for bike plans.

Recreational services like neighborhood centers and parks also featured prominently in the discussion.

“We all need to agree,” one resident said, as organizers came around to answer questions and help groups that were having trouble agreeing on where to allocate funds.

The second activity involved attendees filling out a survey [1] about their priorities for the budget.

“Although we strive to provide [all services] at a high quality level, we don’t always hit the target,” the survey reads. “We need your input to help us determine where we need to get better; where we are doing just fine; and where we may be over doing it a bit.”

The Conversations have a dual-purpose. They are an important tool for the city to demonstrate the amount of planning and cooperation that goes into creating the budget. But they also give local leaders an idea of where citizens think their money should go.

For more information on the budget conversations, click here [2].