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Budget Workshop Stories

Case Story

Below are stories of local agencies using a “Budget Workshop” approach to involve residents in the budgeting process.

For notes on the “Budget Workshop” approach, see documents at right.

 

Case Story

City of Carlsbad – Budget Workshop Story

The City of Carlsbad has made a series of budget workshops an annual practice. Several types of outreach are used to recruit participants: utility inserts, newspaper ads and articles, and announcements at televised governing body meetings and on the agency website.

Case Story

City of Claremont – Budget Workshop Story

Claremont’s tradition of public engagement includes public participation in the agency’s biennial budget process. This process comprises a series of five workshops over six-month period where residents provide input on services funded by the city budget.

Case Story

City of Cupertino – Budget Workshop Story

A board game metaphor helped Cupertino engage residents in budget discussions. The “Balance or Bust” game was presented at the agency’s annual “community congress,” which has used different formats depending on current issues and leadership styles.

Case Story

County of Fresno – Budget Workshop Story

In this southern Central Valley community, a county supervisor organized a series of public workshops to involve the community in a thorny budget battle. The conversations unfolded against the backdrop of a campaign that pitted public safety against social services as a budget priority.

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