The City of Peoria has been trying to get residents’ input on the city’s 2009 budget. They had some public meetings and an internet survey soliciting our ideas on what the city’s budget priorities should be. The results of those efforts are available now in a new report from the City:

Dear Citizen of Peoria:

Late this summer, you helped the Council and staff of the City of Peoria better understand your feelings about the FY2009 budget by answering a brief questionnaire. Thank you for all of your hard work, thoughtfulness and creativity in giving us your input on budget priorities, revenue sources and cost cuts. In total, 116 citizens completed the questionnaire, resulting in:

• 391 suggestions on where City tax dollars should be invested;
• 203 recommendations concerning additional or increased revenue sources;
• 182 idea regarding ways the City could reduce costs; and
• 78 additional comments.

City staff has prepared an analysis of your comments, and this report was received by the City Council at its September 9, 2008 meeting. You can view a copy of this report by visiting www.peoriabudget.com.

You are also invited to provide public comment at any City Council meeting regarding the budget. Upcoming meetings, all held in Council Chambers on the 4th Floor of City Hall, are October 7 (5 pm), October 14 (6:15 pm) and October 21 (5 pm).

Thank you again for your participation in this process. We look forward to your continued input, both this year and in years to come.

Sincerely,

Christopher Setti
6 Sigma Black Belt
City of Peoria

Not surprisingly, basic services — public works and public safety — topped the list of budget priorities:

[C]itizens appear most interested in investing in Public Works projects. Of 340 responses, 129 involved this department in some fashion. […] The next most frequently involved unit (83 responses) was the Peoria Police Department, which is generally reflective of the community’s concern about crime. The Police Department was followed by Economic Development (63 responses), Planning and Growth Management (53) and the Fire Department (35).

Residents were asked for their suggestions on how to increase revenue for the city. The result:

Overwhelmingly, citizens felt the best method to increase revenue was to improve on the City’s ability to collect fees and fines (46 responses). […]the next largest category was “Government”. This was really more of a “catch-all” category for those responses that involve better governance. One theme that emerged within this category was finding ways of providing City services to other municipalities. Citizens also discussed increasing tourism to Peoria and creating a new alcohol and tobacco tax.

Finally, residents’ suggestions for cost savings:

The largest category involved creating a more efficient City government (28 responses). These suggestions ranged from broad appeals for greater productivity to specific ideas for certain departments.

Other responses involved reducing staff (16 responses) or eliminating/re-organizing certain programs (14). Some citizens (15) also felt strongly that the City would save money if it stopped offering incentives to businesses. Many within this category specifically mentioned eliminating TIF Districts. Finally, 14 responses fell into the category of “energy efficiency.”

The report includes all the responses received — about 50 pages worth — including an essay submitted by Paul Wilkinson.