I'm taking a poll...
Approval of next year's budget is fast approaching. Since it's your money, you should know how it is being spent and why.
The city of Cupertino developed a game called "Balance or Bust". It's sort of like monopoly, but the real budget numbers are used. It was designed by Cupertino to involve their residents in the budget process. In the end, they did use some of the suggestions made by residents in how revenue is spent.
I contacted their mayor, who agreed to share the game with me.
Players are divided up into teams, the first one to balance the budget (responsibly of course) wins. I think it's a great way to get everyone involved and educate folks on where the money goes, and of course get your suggestions.
So...I have a few questions. 1) would you come play? and 2) what day/time would you most likely prefer?
Thanks for your input everyone!!
This is open to all residents, including kids who are old enough to actually play and understand the game. (ie: high school age).
The city of Cupertino developed a game called "Balance or Bust". It's sort of like monopoly, but the real budget numbers are used. It was designed by Cupertino to involve their residents in the budget process. In the end, they did use some of the suggestions made by residents in how revenue is spent.
I contacted their mayor, who agreed to share the game with me.
Players are divided up into teams, the first one to balance the budget (responsibly of course) wins. I think it's a great way to get everyone involved and educate folks on where the money goes, and of course get your suggestions.
So...I have a few questions. 1) would you come play? and 2) what day/time would you most likely prefer?
Thanks for your input everyone!!
This is open to all residents, including kids who are old enough to actually play and understand the game. (ie: high school age).
posted by Melissa Melendez at
12:50 AM
14 Comments:
My husband and I would definitely check it out, but we're only available Sun-Tue (all day.)
Mayor Melendez, the rumors are circulating that there will be more cutback to the police budget. Can you help?
I would be willing to come and do this. Any day of the week after 3 is a good time for those of us that work.
When it comes time to approve the new budget, I am sure cuts to the police budget will be one of the recommendations. The police budget increases by at least 5 percent every year. Of course our revenue didn't increase 5 percent this year, it decreased substantially.
That being said, I don't know where you are hearing the rumors, but I would say it is likely to be one of the options presented. As to which options will be chosen to close deficit, that I cannot say.
Mayor,
This is your second year. You should be now more informed about our City....What are you, as Mayor, going to do to help retain the employees, continue your stance on Public Safety being a most important...and help bring business to our city....
Playing a 'game' is benieth a 'Mayor' who ran on Family values and Public Safety....
Mayor, you’re doing a great job assessing the needs of the community. Your actions are clearly evident to anyone who is paying attention. Keep up the good work.
GREETINGS,
To April 11,2010 10:07 PM. You MUST be one of the stragglers from the "old" days of this poor towns reputation that this Mayor wants and is turning around. You don't seem to be aware of the economic conditions that exist here and in the rest of the world. Enough on you.
To our Mayor, Count on me in your discussions.
I will NOT be throwing stones at your efforts, I'll be throwing ideas!
To the April 11, 10:07PM post - I cannot tell you how the other council members will vote on the budget, I just can’t, because I simply don’t know. Everything you would expect to be an option will be there, layoffs, police force budget reduction, etc.
Before I was elected the city council voted to hire the Buxton Company for economic development purposes. They came up with a list of businesses they thought were right for our city, many of which I completely disagree with, as do most of the other council members. What Buxton provided was, in my opinion, amateur at best.
However, I’m not willing to throw in the towel and say “well, I guess that was a mistake”. No, we press forward and use what we paid for to our advantage.
I want an economic development department. We don’t have the money to hire people for that department right now. So, I presented a call to action to the rest of the council. WE need to be the economic development department right now. WE need to court businesses, WE need to make the contacts, WE need to step up to the plate and do what we all promised to do.
As far as retaining employees, we’re thin now, I don’t know how much thinner we can get without affecting services we are expected to provide our residents. I think there are things we can cut out of the budget, things I consider to be luxuries frankly. Cutting some of these things means lessening the potential for cutting people.
We have to live within our means, period, and just like at home, we have to cut things we are perfectly capably of doing without.
Now, I have a question for you...are you going to participate in the budget game I discussed in the "I'm taking a poll" post?
I have to say that while I appreciate your creativity and desire to include the citizens in the solution, I don't think this is the time to be playing games with the budget. These are difficult times with serious decisions to be made. We are talking about cuts to public safety! In Lake Elsinore! I would like to know what the council considers luxuries. No, this is not the time for "games". I would be more than happy to attend budget forums where serious questions are asked and answered and suggestions solicited from the public, but not in the form of a game. Not when people are losing their homes and jobs. Good idea. Bad timing.
the old saying goes; "Power to the People". Count me in
While I appreciate your creativity and desire to include the public in the budget process I don't think this is the right time. We are facing serious issues and difficult decisions. People are losing their homes and jobs. We are talking about cuts to law enforcment! No, this is not the time for games. While I would be glad to attend budget forums with a serious exchange of ideas and solutions, I won't be part of trivializing the budget process. Good idea, bad timing.
I've posted about the need for more business in LE before and will continue to post, speak and rally for just that. I personally don't think we do enough to court businesses to come into our community and I am SO glad Mayor that you will be pushing to get this as a priority for council and citizens alike. The city can't pay for consultant's right now to do the job, but I firmly believe that you can pull from the resources through the Chamber and other officials to help get LE courting business to set-up shop in our area. Not everyone can cold-call businesses and do so with professionalism and ease, but we have to pull together as a city and get this great hidden away community alive and thriving with businesses and entertainment.
The budget game/workshop is intended to INCLUDE the residents in the budget process, so I happen to think the timing is perfect :)
We will be using a real-world scenario with our real budget numbers. This is not a trivialization of the budget process. Quite the contrary. We want to hear suggestions and ideas from all of you, and those that are feasible and make sense we will incorporate into the budget.
This will indeed be a serious exchange of ideas and solutions. Don't get caught up in the name. We don't consider the budget to be a game, we certainly don't want you to either. How many other cities provide an opportunity to their residents to be participatory in the process, and how many just approve the budget and tell you about it afterwards?
"I won't be part of trivializing the budget process" - WHAT? I have never ever in all the years I've lived in this city been invited to participate in the budget process, now we are, and you're going to get uppity and refuse to participate because you don't think it's intellectual enough for your standards? You are a loon, I'll be there.
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