Are We Doing This Right? // Budgeting Edition

This time on our ‘Are We Doing This Right?’ series, we take a look at the local budgeting process. Here’s what you can expect from this episode:

A quick rundown of common presumptionsAn overview of the way budgeting processes work in most towns and citiesA discussion of the “seven deadly sins” of public finance (as told by friend of the show Liz Farmer), Some of the most common criticisms of city budgeting processes and outcomesA bit of perspective from AJ on what budgeting processes actually look like from inside a local government A snapshot of some popular types of budgeting approaches that are out there (from line-item, to zero-based, to participatory, to outcome-based, and everything in between)A list of best practices for creating a truly accessible budgeting process, plus examples of cities that have taken big steps in this directionA final discussion about budgets as exercises in making choicesAnd, of course, we answer the titular question—are we doing this right?

Want to do some further research on the topic? Head on over to the show page for this episode to find a list of resources we found helpful in compiling this show.

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(This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, Scott Joplin, and The Kinks.)

verdunity.com/podcast/episode-71