City seeks feedback on government spending
A budget survey open to the public asks Laramie how the city should allocate its funding. The priorities identified by respondents will inform budget talks this spring.
In the coming months, the City of Laramie will dig into, debate and decide its budget for the next two years. That budget details how local tax dollars are spent — from plowing snow-laden streets to collecting garbage to paying police officers. Ideally, the budget will reflect the priorities of the community and its government.
So ahead of this decision-making process, city staff are seeking public input.
Laramie residents are being encouraged to take part in an online budget survey that asks respondents how they would allocate the city’s limited funding.
“We’d love for everyone to take it,” said Brannen Moan, a management analyst for the city who helped design the survey. “The more people take it the more we can really take into account their perspectives. This is a good chance for people to have their voices heard.”
The survey first asks respondents for their general location — whether that’s within city limits or outside of them. Moan said as long as you live in the county, the city would like to hear from you.
“We know that even if you’re out in the county, you still come here, you shop here, you pay sales tax, you use our services,” he said. “So their opinion is just as valid as people who live in Laramie city limits.”
But then the survey gets into the meat of the budget. Respondents are asked to rank 13 spending priorities. Some of those priorities are more specific than others. For example, recreation programs and recreation infrastructure are two different priorities, but “Emergency Services (EMT, Fire, and Police)” is just one.
The next question, however, gets more granular. Respondents are told they have $1 million, to spend on city services as they please. Playing with a series of sliders, respondents can allocate that money between numerous sectors — from “preservation of water resources” to “expanding the city’s bike path and greenbelt systems” to “environmental stewardship.”
“We thought it’d be a really good way to introduce people to the process, as well as really get down to the really fine detail of where they want that money to go,” Moan said.
Finally, the survey asks respondents how they would manage budget shortfalls brought on by the rising cost of goods and services. Respondents are presented with four options — reduce services, increase user fees, draw from a reserve fund, or place the 7th penny tax on the ballot next fall — and are asked to rank these options.
The survey closes Feb. 15.
Moan said the survey data, once collected, will be run through census data for Laramie to ensure the survey sample is representative of city demographics. The data will then be presented to the Laramie City Council, probably during its Feb. 27 work session.
The council is scheduled to examine and work its biennial budget from April to May.
The budget survey is now open and can be accessed here. Previous city budgets can be viewed via the city’s official website.