Open budget session 1pm (room yellow)

These are some notes on the session help around the topic "Do we want an open budget?"

What we know now

Right now it's a 188 page PDF

Questions and thoughts

• First thing we need to do is understand the cities budget process
• Can we standardize the data that departments?
  • Can we make it visual
  • Is adopting the new ERP going to solve any of these problems
• Does the city have a performance budget?
  • We want one, and we want it online
  • Reactive vs performance based
• Does the city have a program budget?
• Is the budget a department-based budget?
• Salaries are already open (but just a PDF?) [find link]
• What other cities / government agencies do this well?
  • http://deathandtaxesposter.com
  • http://crfb.org/
  • http://mint.com
  • Austin
  • Toronto
    • http://www.toronto.ca/open
    • Budget
    • Excel file

Actions

• Submit an open data request to raleighnc.gov/open?

Information from the City of Raleigh website

• How Your Tax Dollar is Spent

• Public Safety	38%
  Public Works & Transit	12%
  Leisure Services	11%
  Appropriation To Capital Debt	10%
  General Government	7%
  Solid Waste Services	7%
  Community Development Services	5%
  Information Technology	4%
  Financial Management	3%
  Appropriation To Capital Program	2%
  External Agencies	1%

• A Guide to the City of Raleigh Budget
• Budget in Brief [PDF]

Why would we want an open budget

• Help average person understand the scale and scope
• People need to empathize with government to appreciate it more
• Help the CACs understand the city budget
• Transparency and open standards
• Where does my money go?
• Wants more available data

Attendees

• Colin Cpoeland
• Scott Reston
• Patrick Gravinese
• Brad
• Kevin Flanagan
• Megan
• Tyler Craft
• Jason Hibbets