The 6-Bean Budget Challenge!

State fairgoers play city funding game as League launches public awareness campaign.

For a single day, several hundred Minnesotans gained a better understanding of the tough budgeting decisions that city officials are routinely faced with. On the final Friday of the Minnesota State Fair, the League of Minnesota Cities new Cities Matter campaign invited fairgoers to choose up to six of eight city service funding priorities by casting votes with six beans at the Cities Matter display table.

The Cities Matter campaign—designed to raise awareness about city services and their contributions to quality of life—was one of the seven exhibitors that helped to sponsor Minnesota Public Radio Day at the Fair. Nearly 1,100 people accepted the invitation to participate in the bean-poll, and here are the results:

· Police—1,163
· Clean water—1,021
· Fire—781
· Parks and recreation—762
· Libraries—741
· Streets and sidewalks—710
· Senior services—626
· Sewer—586

The goal of the poll was not to demonstrate that any one service is decisively more important than another. Rather, it gave participants a simulated opportunity to take part in the same kind of decision-making process that elected and appointed officials face every year at budgeting times—allocating scarce dollars among a variety of important services. Participants commented that the bean-poll exercise was difficult and thought-provoking. The exercise also illustrated that—when it comes to budget-cutting—there are no good choices. Any choice made has consequences for the quality of life for city residents.

The State Fair display also marked the official debut of the Leagues Cities Matter website (www.citiesmatter.org). The Cities Matter campaign is a public information effort focused on helping Minnesotans learn more about the city services their taxes pay for, how to help kids understand what cities do, and ways that city residents can get involved to make cities better places to live, work, and play.

State fairgoers who visited the Cities Matter display table received bookmarks, wristbands, and water bottles promoting the web site. League members are also encouraged to promote the website in their cities, and to visit the site frequently for updated information and features. Also, become a fan of Cities Matter on Facebook (www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Cities -Matter/124540572921?ref=ts), and follow Cities Matter on Twitter (twitter.com/CitiesMatter).

For more information, contact Don Reeder, LMC, at dreeder@lmc.org or (651) 215-4031.

Category:

Education

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• municipal
• LMC
• LGA
• MN
• cities
• citiesmatter
• local government
• budgets
• budgeting
• state fair
• mayor
• city hall