From Oct. 3 to Nov. 13, Centre Wellington Township hosted its first online budget consultation for the public.
Education, engagement, open and transparent government were all motives behind using Citizen Budget, a not-for-profit Canadian organization with the goal of connecting government with residents, officials say.
Citizen Budget is an interactive platform that showed respondents the financial impacts of participants’ choices in real time, educating them about the trade-offs and constraints faced by the township.
On Dec. 12 council learned that over the six-week period, 564 people visited the site and 194 responded to the survey.
At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to respond to two statements:
1. “The township’s simulated budget exercise helped me to understand the types of decisions faced by township staff and council during the budget process.”
There were 93 out of 192 respondents in agreement while 76 respondents slightly agreed.
2. “Through the simulated budget exercise I have been able to learn more about township services.”
There were 84 out of 192 respondents in agreement, while 76 respondents slightly agreed.
Staff is preparing the 2017 draft operating budget for presentation and deliberation at committee of the whole meetings as follows:
– Jan. 24 from 9am to 6:30pm. Staff budget presentation will begin at 9am. Delegations will be received at 5pm;
– Jan. 27 from 9am to 4pm, and
– Feb. 2 from 9am to 4pm.
