How would you create a city budget if you were the finance commissioner for a day?
Saint John will spend nearly $12,000 on an online budget simulator so residents can do just that.
It’s part of the public engagement process for the city’s 10-year financial plan, which is currently being developed.
Mayor Don Darling tells us the simulator is a chance to educate citizens on some of the challenges the city faces.
“People have pretty strong opinions on what we should do and how we should do it,” says Darling, “and that’s not necessarily aligned with what we can do and what we’re dealing with and what cards we have in the deck if you will.”
Residents will set budgets for each city department and see how their decisions impact the overall budget.
That information will give city staff an idea about which services are most important to residents.
Coun. David Merrithew, who is chair of the city’s finance committee, says the cost is money well spent.
“I think it’s very important to know what Mr. and Mrs. public want,” says Merrithew. “It gives them a very good product for them to express their opinion.”
Finance committee members also considered a less expensive budget allocator, which would have cost about $1,000 to $1,500, but one of the big concerns is there wasn’t as much ability to verify users and flag duplicate responses.
The budget simulator is expected to be available sometime in June.
