Government employees and elected officials understand that budgets are the road maps they must follow. Insiders liave and breathe the budget. They wade through 300-page PDFs and toss around terms like “enterprise fund” and “capital outlay” with aplomb But most commmunity residents have little insight into municipal finances. This is why VisGov created the Visual Budget – a tool for deepening the conversation between government and citizens about how taxpayer dollars are being spent and why. It lets citizens understand budget priorities at a glance, see how their own tax dollars are spent, and understand the context for financial decisions, without devoting a week to reading spreadsheets. The Visual Budget gives citizens the information they need to have informed conversations with municipal officials about values and priorities, enriching the experience for all. | “Increasing transparency and accessibility to financial information has long been a goal for the Town. We hope this new feature will encourage users to learn more about Town finances and be more engaged in the annual budget discourse.”
Arlington Town Manager |