CityWatch, Vol 8 Issue 7, Jan 26, 2010

While much has been written about the Mayor’s Budget Challenge and the fact that it focuses on a selection of actual policy decisions under consideration that some might view as biased, a closer look reveals a wealth of information for the uninitiated individual who wants to know more about the fiscal challenges faced by the city.

As a Neighborhood Council Representative and 2009 Mayor’s Budget Representative, one of the many topics I heard discussed surrounding the city’s finances, was the need for more transparent and accessible information. On this front, with thoughtful design and linkages, the survey delivers.

Right out of the box, The City Budget and Overview section details current budget and staffing levels, distinguishes between general funds, special funds, and agencies that are not included (LAUSD), and addresses issues such as current budget balancing efforts and the trajectory of pension plan obligations.

The Budget Challenge instruction page  includes a link to “How Big is the Budget Deficit?” which in addition to bringing you up to date on the city’s finances, includes the first of many opportunities to submit your own “budget balancing ideas”.

The survey then moves forward and asks you to make decisions in regards to departments and issues such as the Library Department, Rec and Parks, the Fire Department, Pension Reform, Parking Taxes and Public-Private partnerships. In addition to making your own budget decisions, you are also given the opportunity to learn more about each area, with arguments for and against, links to department websites, the 5 year capital expenditure program, comparisons to other municipalities, and even a document detailing the legal limitations to changing pension benefits for current employees.

Each step along the way provides an opportunity to “Take Action!”, which allows the user to recommend action beyond the scope of the options provided.

As you make your decisions, you are provided with budget updates based upon your decisions, and upon completion of the survey you are provided with your results both graphically and numerically.

Clearly there are some interesting omissions and choices. For instance, the fact that the Fire Department is included but not the Police Department, and the fact that anyone who accepts the spirit of the challenge to balance the budget, pretty much has to accept the public-private parking partnership stand out.

By choosing the aforementioned opportunities to provide additional budget balancing ideas, or take action, the user can choose not to balance the budget with the survey, but provide additional information on options they would pursue to balance the budget. Ideally, user comments will be summarized in the final report and integrated into future year’s surveys.

This is the Mayor’s budget survey, and his opportunity to get feedback on the issues that he considers important. This may not always be in alignment with the views of stakeholders.

When NC Budget Representatives met with the Mayor last year, considerable discussion revolved around tactical issues like collecting unpaid fees, demanding efficiencies and restructuring departments.

Only some of these topics are touched upon in the survey, and admittedly, they would probably be difficult to quantify in this format. While the budget balancing aspect of the survey may be disappointing to some, where it really excels is in providing a consolidated and integrated look at the departments that make up the budget, as well as the budget itself. For most, this will be new information, and it provides a solid and unbiased foundation of knowledge to bring to the table for ongoing discussions.

Hopefully some of this information will continue to be posted and updated on the Mayor’s website even after the survey results have been published.

By taking the survey in substantial numbers, stakeholders will demonstrate to city leaders that they are engaged and interested.

By filling in the gaps with their thoughtful and informed comments, the bar will be raised for future dialogue. This is a challenge that all Angelinos with a concern about their city’s finances should accept.  (Click here to take the Mayor’s Budget Survey.)

(Scott Bytof is a resident of  South Park in Downtown Los Angeles, serves as a Resident Director on the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, and was a 2009 NC Mayor’s Budget Representative. He can be reached at   scottbytof@ca.rr.com ).