Mayor Walsh Invites Community to Join Budget Public Education Using Balancing Act Platform

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the opportunity for Syracuse constituents to engage with the city budget for fiscal year 2022 using Balancing Act, an online tool that simulates municipal budgets. The system is being used in communities across the nation for citizen engagement on fiscal matters. Users can allocate funds to city departments and initiatives while considering current operational needs.

“We want to make the City’s budgeting process more transparent to members of our community,” said Mayor Walsh. “With the Balancing Act tool, users can get a clearer view into where city funds go; the tradeoffs and challenges required in funding city services; and the opportunities available to improve our City with each budget.”

The online simulation for the City of Syracuse, which is populated with actual amounts from Mayor Walsh’s proposed budget delivered to the Common Council is available to interested participants at http://bit.ly/syrlivebudget2022.

“Balancing Act allows us to provide public education on the proposed budget for the upcoming year. The insights on user behavior from the software will add to the comprehensive review process completed by the Common Council. We look forward to expanding opportunities for residents to participate in the budget process in the future,” Mayor Walsh stated.