Residents encouraged to share their thoughts on City budget priorities

As the City of Milwaukee prepares to share and discuss the 2021 City budget, residents are being encouraged to share their thoughts on spending priorities. The City’s Budget and Management Division has created several tools for residents to share thoughts and simulate City spending to better familiarize themselves with the process. As part of the 2020 budget, Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs sponsored an amendment that directed the Department of Administration Budget and Management Division to create a system for residents to be able to better participate in the budget process and determine its allocation.

“It is crucial that residents be able to participate in the budget process early on so that policy makers can utilize that feedback to create a budget that is representative of community needs,” said Alderwoman Coggs. “I urge everyone to take a few minutes to complete the budget priority survey, and interact with the budget simulation tool to get a deeper understanding of the financial situation we must navigate. Together, we can create the best budget possible that will help us build a stronger Milwaukee.”

The City of Milwaukee Budget Priority Survey is a short, 5-minute survey asking residents several questions that will help City leaders understand residents’ budget preferences and priorities. The survey is available in English, Spanish and Hmong and responses are being collected until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 17th. The survey can be accessed by visiting https://budgetpriority.questionpro.com/.

The City has also created the Balancing Act budget simulation tool. This simple to use, interactive online platform allows residents to develop their own City of Milwaukee 2021 budget. The user begins with real City budget numbers including the “budget gap,” or differences between the amount City departments have requested to spend and the amount of money the City would expect to be available in 2021 to pay for that spending. To balance the budget, residents can adjust revenues and expenses for City departments. The Balancing Act budget simulation can be found at https://citymilwaukee_wi.abalancingact.com/2021-budget-simulation.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.